3D Truss Models

juju · 22 Apr 2020, 19:23

I've thought about this however there are quite a few different types of skylights (ie. surface mount, curb mount, round etc...) so it would seem to make more sense to model a few of the most common ones and then allow the user to drop their own custom skylights into the library folder. However, I do get what you are saying on this, I may need to give it some more thought.

Maybe touch base with Yoni at FlexTools, they seem to have that process licked!

pbacot · 22 Apr 2020, 19:31

Surface mount and curb mounted (typically on 2x6 framing over roof deck) are common. Velux is probably the standard though there are other types out there. In our area it's mostly Velux or something like that due to stringent energy requirements. You could have some of these, especially the ones meant to go into 24" o.c. framing. Then if you want branch out to some pyramidal or gable style skylights.

medeek · 24 Apr 2020, 07:41

Version 2.7.2 - 04.24.2020

Added wall sheathing thickness and wall cladding thickness parameters to the advanced options for trusses.
Enabled advanced options for tail bearing trusses.

I still need to enable editing and labels for tail bearing trusses.

medeek · 24 Apr 2020, 23:45

Version 2.7.2b - 04.24.2020

Enabled the "Edit Truss Assembly" function for all tail bearing trusses (imperial and metric units).
Labels and callouts added to tail bearing trusses.

This update also resolves a potential bug that could cause the plugin to go into a infinite loop if the birdsmouth cut exceeds the depth of the top chord of the truss. If you are using tail bearing trusses I highly recommend upgrading to this latest release.

The updated module is now properly creating the gypsum on the underside of the truss (three pieces).

db11 · 26 Apr 2020, 00:06

Do you have an option for strapping between the trusses and the gypsum?

medeek · 26 Apr 2020, 00:10

@db11 said:

Do you have an option for strapping between the trusses and the gypsum?

Yes, for some truss types it is enabled.

db11 · 26 Apr 2020, 00:24

OK, thanks.

One other quick question: when do you expect to have your gable wall module completed?

medeek · 26 Apr 2020, 00:29

Maybe I'll wrap that up next. I really want to get this skylight module up and running though in the next couple of days.

medeek · 27 Apr 2020, 01:50

Version 2.7.3 - 04.26.2020

Added a Global Reset button in the General tab of the Global Settings.

medeek · 3 May 2020, 19:38

Version 2.7.4 - 05.02.2020

Fixed a bug with the soffit and fascia module for all truss types.

This bug fix is specifically for the boxed soffit for truss roofs. Previously if one did not enable the fascia but enabled the soffit then it would throw an error. There may be other similar bugs in this module or others so I am constantly testing combinations of various parameters to make sure no interdependencies have been overlooked.

medeek · 6 May 2020, 05:37

Version 2.7.5 - 05.05.2020

Enabled a toggle feature (Ctrl key) for the Trim tool so that the selection can be retained or removed.

This small adjustment of the Trim tool is to bring it inline with the Trim 2 tool. This feature is per customer request.

medeek · 10 May 2020, 08:00

First look at the skylight tool in action:

Note, that this image shows the skylights added to a generic roof. For the cutouts to work the roof geometry must be a valid solid group or component within an overall assembly group for the roof or building.

Initially there are three skylights (sizes) to choose from however it is possible to add your own skylights into the library.

The cut function can be toggled on/off in order to cut through the sheathing and cladding or in this case just a generic roof solid.

At some point I would also like to add in a few VELUX Sun Tunnels.

Now I just need to figure out how to heal the roof when a skylight is deleted or edited. For a Medeek roof that is fairly straight forward, just regen the roof, however for a generic solid things get a little more tricky.

medeek · 11 May 2020, 08:14

Version 2.7.6 - 05.11.2020

Added the Skylights toolbar.
Enabled skylights for all truss, rafter and complex roofs.
Enabled skylights for generic roofs.

I also added an additional tool for "regenerating" the skylights, this comes in handy after modifying the location of a skylight or if a Medeek roof gets regenerated and the holes in the sheathing and cladding need to be re-cut.

There are few new global settings I still need to add to fully complete this new module but overall it seems to be working quite nicely.

medeek · 11 May 2020, 08:25

View model here:

3D Warehouse

3D Warehouse is a website of searchable, pre-made 3D models that works seamlessly with SketchUp.

(3dwarehouse.sketchup.com)

juju · 11 May 2020, 17:28

@medeek said:

Version 2.7.6 - 05.11.2020

Added the Skylights toolbar.

Enabled skylights for all truss, rafter and complex roofs.

Enabled skylights for generic roofs.

I also added an additional tool for "regenerating" the skylights, this comes in handy after modifying the location of a skylight or if a Medeek roof gets regenerated and the holes in the sheathing and cladding need to be re-cut.

There are few new global settings I still need to add to fully complete this new module but overall it seems to be working quite nicely.

thanks

since we're expanding with more buttons, how's the work on reducing the amount of buttons on the taskbar coming along?

medeek · 22 May 2020, 08:44

Tutorial 18: Skylights (14.22 min.)

I often get a lot of questions that are answered in the tutorial videos. Just a reminder, all of the tutorial videos can be found here:

Medeek Design Inc. - Medeek Truss

(design.medeek.com)

medeek · 1 Aug 2020, 02:14

Version 2.7.7 - 07.31.2020

Fixed a bug with all assemblies when auto-assignment of materials is turned off in the global settings.

medeek · 17 Aug 2020, 05:22

I've been giving some serious thought to the estimating module the last couple of days as I regroup and review my various todo lists.

I would like to spend a few days and update the estimating module to include rafter roofs. However, as I think about rafters and their lengths I am wondering what length exactly are we talking about? Do we want the actual (longest length of the member) or do we want a horizontal projection of the length? Typically both the top and bottom of a rafter has a bevel cut or even a compound bevel cut.

The ridge board on the other hand is very simple (generally). There are no beveled end cuts so things are straight forward.

pbacot · 17 Aug 2020, 19:59

I would think that for estimating you need the longest dimension of the rafter, then extrapolate to the nexthigher board length.

medeek · 12 Sept 2020, 23:51

In a nutshell this is the basic algorithm for the rafter module for complex roofs:

Of course the devil is the details and there are a lot of details missing in this picture.

The overall picture seems simple enough however there are a number of special cases where rafters align with ridge boards and the over simplistic boolean subtraction algorithm will not suffice. I will need to try and account for all of those special cases.

The offset is a factor of the ridgeboard, hip rafter, valley rafter or flying hip rafter width. However, as you can see in the detail below when the roof planes are not the same (asymmetric) the offset will not be symmetric and must be calculated, hence the opposing roof plane (pitch) at that edge must be known/tracked. For a ridge board edge the offset will be given by:

offset = T/(1 + tanθ/tanA)

Since the offset is only a function of the ratio of the two opposing pitches this equation should also hold for hips and valleys as well. Note that when the angles are equal the equation degenerates to T/2 as one would expect.

Once all of the offsets are determined then it is merely a matter of generating the new points for the polygon drawn in blue highlighter. Once that polygon (points) is determined it becomes the cutting polygon for the rafters. Technically it is a boolean intersection rather than a subtraction, but that is all semantics.