Medeek Wall Plugin
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I've had quite a few requests for a tool that will draw circular walls however I need to wrap my head around the geometry and some of the issues that arise when you curve the entire wall (or partial arc) like this:
As you can see things get a bit interesting when you introduce windows and doors into a tightly curved wall. In particular notice how the window opening is framed normally (no curve) and the cripple stud in the middle of this opening is problematic. So how does one handle this? The problem really is how to frame a straight opening like a window or a door into a curved wall.
View model here:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/be8c86f0-54f5-44fe-b44f-cba619b3b12f/Circular-Wall-Study-1
Before I can make this a functioning tool I need to iron out some of these details in a rational manner.
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my guess? i would find a way to generally mimic the radius (e.g. splitting the window or door frame) as an option, and presume that the window or door finishing will finalize the curved (or not) surface with jamb, extensions, etc. also i would presume the rough framing of the walls (and domed / curved ceilings
) will use various finishing techniques (e.g. curved/kerfed plywood + gwb, steamed lumber, etc) rather than expect the framing to be perfectly curved. this gives options for going from 6-8-12 sided gazebos to circular or elliptical structures... -
Version 2.7.8 - 02.11.2022
- Enabled staggered studs for rectangular walls.
Rather than enable yet another parameter and make the menu that much bigger I decided to utilize the "Stud Ply" parameter to toggle this option. If you set the stud ply to "0", you will get a staggered stud wall as shown.
View model here:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/2e11b81e-5052-4807-8fb5-e711723b97ba/Staggered-Stud-Wall
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Version 2.7.8b - 02.14.2022
- Enabled staggered stud walls within the Copy Wall tool.
Tutorial 27 - Staggered Stud Walls (15:09 min.)
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Version 2.7.9 - 02.16.2022
- Fixed a bug with vertically offset doors and garage doors in the "No Framing" mode.
- Fixed a bug with (arched) half or full glass doors that have a prairie or perimeter grilles installed.
Some minor fixes but annoying little bugs nonetheless, one was just a simple typo that has been waiting to be found for months. Highly recommend updating to this latest version if only to make these two bugs go away. A big thank-you to the user base who finds these bugs and notifies me so that I can address them.
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Version 2.8.0 - 02.19.2022
- Enabled insulation within the preview menu of the estimating module.
The insulation was already part of the CSV file output however I had not added it to the preview screen.
This update was per customer request.
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Tutorial 28 - Estimating Preview (12:02 min.)
I'm still not entirely sure what direction I am going to take the estimating module but much work remains to be done.
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My biggest issue with adding totals for any specific item (ie. sheathing) has been the variability of these items. In other words you don't want to total up all of the sheathing if some of it is 1/2" and some of it is 7/16", or perhaps you have some OSB and some plywood sheathing on different wall panels for whatever reason all in the same model.
After giving it some additional thought I devised a simple hash (accounting) solution and now the module can provide totals and break it out separately based on thickness and/or material as needed. Here is an example of three different wall panel sheathing totals with different sheathing parameters for each wall panel:
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Version 2.8.1 - 02.21.2022
- Added material totals to the CSV output of the estimating module: Common Studs, Top Plates, Bottom Plates, Sheathing, Cladding, Gypsum and Insulation.
I will need to give some additional thought on how to handle cripple studs, king studs, trimmer studs, sill plates, headers and studs from non-rectangular walls. Some of these may not need a project/model wide total and the current tabulation may be sufficient.
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In order to start off the year on the right foot I will be offering a 10% discount off of the regular mdkBIM bundle price (permanent license) using the coupon code SPRING22. (promotion ends Mar. 31, 2022).
This will reduce the bundle price (permanent license) from $280.00 USD to $252.00 USD. This promo code does not apply to any of the extensions purchased separately or to the electrical plugin. The offer also ends on Mar. 31 and no rain checks will issued thereafter.
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I think it might make more sense to just have the total lineal footage (or inches) for cripple studs and sill plates.
However the king studs are typically the same as regular studs so probably better just to provide a quantity (count) on those.
Trimmer studs may vary quite a bit in length/height so Iām still waffling on what to do with them.
Regular studs, yes the quantity makes the most sense and the logic is smart enough to break out these totals based on height and stud depth and/or width if necessary.
Thoughts?
Once I code this Iām going to be reluctant to change it unless there is a really good argument to change it up.
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Version 2.8.1b - 02.22.2022
- Added material totals to the CSV output of the estimating module: King Studs, Jack Studs, Cripple Studs and Sill Plates.
- Fixed a bug in the estimating module for in-wall columns.
The new items I just added are highlighted in yellow:
There are still a number of items that need to be added to the estimating module for the wall plugin, but I will take those on a case-by-case basis as requested. Some items that come to mind are:
- holdowns w/ anchor bolts
- window and door units
- blocking (is this important?)
- stairs (treads, stringers, railing etc...)
- free standing posts
- beams
- shutters
- exterior trim
- interior casing/molding
- exterior wainscoting
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Now that I have the totals more or less in place for rectangular walls I think it would be a good time to build a ācost databaseā into the estimating module.
I donāt think it makes much sense to breakout the cost on a per wall basis so the totals section is where I would implement the cost analysis and display the dollar amounts.
Some items like Studs would be priced on a per item basis, while plates and cripples will be on a LF basis. Sheathing, Cladding, Insulation and Gypsum would be on a SQFT basis.
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Here is a first look at the cost database system:
There is probably still a few things to work out with this system but the basic framework is now in place and now all I need to do is implement the cost system with the estimating module and see if we can get some output.
There will also be quite a few more cost "types" that will need to be added to the system as well as to the Medeek Estimator. Lots of work ahead.
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Version 2.8.2 - 02.25.2022
- Added a Cost Database to the Medeek Estimating Module.
- Enabled Cost Analysis to the Medeek Estimating Module for Rectangular Wall Panels.
The initial "BETA" version of the cost analysis database and algorithm is now available for testing.
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Version 2.8.2b - 02.28.2022
- Fixed a minor bug with the estimating module for metric templates.
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Version 2.8.3 - 03.11.2022
- Fixed a bug in the door opening algorithm for bi-fold doors.
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Version 2.8.4 - 03.19.2022
- Added a "TRIAL" licensing notice at SketchUp startup to alert users to activate their license/serial numbers if running in trial mode.
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It is that time of year again and with quite a few more updates added to the Wall, Truss and Foundation plugins it makes sense to encourage everyone to upgrade to the latest versions of the plugins.
In an effort to get as many customers up-to-date and using these new feature I will be offering a renewal promotion on all the plugins for thirty days (Apr. 11 - May 15).
The regular license (renewal) prices are given below:
Medeek Truss - $75.00 USD
Medeek Wall - $75.00 USD
Medeek Foundation - $60.00 USD
Medeek Electrical - $45.00 USDThe promotional (renewal) prices are given below:
Medeek Truss - $50.00 USD
Medeek Wall - $50.00 USD
Medeek Foundation - $40.00 USD
Medeek Electrical - $30.00 USDThese promotional prices will take affect Apr. 11, 2022 and end May 15, 2022. All renewals, prior and after this time frame, will be at the regular price, unless superseded by a previous or future promotion. No rain checks will be given, and this promotion only applies to permanent licenses and not to subscription licenses.
Please note that if you have recently purchased a permanent license for one of the plugin(s), you can still take advantage of this renewal offer. Renewing your license while it is still active simply adds an additional year to the license expiration date and future proofs you for upcoming updates and releases.
This is a fairly substantial discount in hopes of getting as many users to upgrade to the latest versions of the plugins as possible. In the last year, the updates to all the plugins have been fairly significant. I would very much like to see everyone taking advantage of these updates and utilize the new and improved feature that have been added to the plugins.
Thank-you for your continued support and for your continued interest and enthusiasm in the development of these plugins.
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Version 2.8.5 - 04.18.2022
- Fixed a bug when the auto-assign materials option is turned off.
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