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Medeek (aka Nathaniel Wilkerson)
I agree with your arguments Medeek.
As your software develops and has gained a "foothold" you can always
offer the "Pro Version" which will have applications suited for professional users
but at a "higher price".
I also think you just "love construction engineering" and want to share it with the world 
By dropping your "pebble" into the universe who knows where it will lead.
Keep up the good work!
Your Kickstarter is "best value for money yet"!
Timber truss enthusiasts using SketchUp for timber frame detailing
may be interested in the following "package of plugins" for SketchUp
Those using SketchUp for quick timber frame study detailing
may be interested in supporting Medeek Construction Library Kickstarter
and receive valuable tools to add to your toolbox of plugins.
The Medeek Construction Library (Sketchup plugins)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/128644708/medeek-construction-plugin-library
Kickstarter Ends: 29 August 2017
The Medeek Construction Library combines following SketchUp plugins:
refer to Medeek posting for additional information at:
viewtopic.php?f=323&t=63133&start=720
(for Kickstarter link refer to Medeek posting above by medeek » Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:00 am)
Timber truss enthusiasts using SketchUp for timber frame detailing
may be interested in the following "package of plugins" for SketchUp
Those using SketchUp for quick timber frame study detailing
may be interested in supporting Medeek Construction Library Kickstarter
and receive valuable tools to add to your toolbox of plugins.
The Medeek Construction Library (Sketchup plugins)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/128644708/medeek-construction-plugin-library
Kickstarter Ends: 29 August 2017
The Medeek Construction Library combines following SketchUp plugins:
refer to Medeek posting for additional information at:
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=63133%26amp;start=720
(for Kickstarter link refer to Medeek posting above by medeek » Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:00 am)
Go Medeek
I am currently backer #2 to date and proud to support Medeek given his:
Medeek will not let down his supporters and I wish him "Good luck" with his Kickstarter.
It is "value for money" to SketchUcation users and others who pledge if the target is reached.
(for Kickstarter link refer to Medeek posting above by medeek » Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:00 am)
Medeek,
The following is not a criticism but a reflection of the difficulty of managing priorities.
I think the following article may apply at this stage to your development of the Truss Plugin:
Following article is from:
https://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/how-to-use-the-80-20-rule-pareto-principle/
And yes it applies to all of us!
*The 80 20 Rule Explained
Personal Success 80/20 Rule
The 80 20 rule is one of the most helpful concepts for life and time management.
Also known as the Pareto Principle, this rule suggests that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your results.
This being the case, you should change the way you set goals forever.
What Is The 80 20 Rule?
As I just mentioned, the 80 20 rule is also called the “Pareto Principle.” It was named after it’s founder, the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, back in 1895. He noticed that people in society seemed to divide naturally into what he called the “vital few,” or the top 20 percent in terms of money and influence, and the “trivial many,” or the bottom 80 percent.
Later, he discovered that virtually all economic activity was subject to this principle, in that 80 percent of the wealth of Italy during that time was controlled by 20 percent of the population.
We can take Pareto’s 80 20 rule and apply it to almost any situation.
In particular, we can apply it to goal setting and productivity.
Download my 14-Step Goal-Setting Guide to put the 80 20 Rule into action!
How Does It Work?
If you have a list of ten items to accomplish, two of those items will turn out to be worth more than the other eight items put together.
The sad fact is that most people procrastinate on the top 10 or 20 percent of items that are the most valuable and important, the “vital few,” and busy themselves instead with the least important 80 percent, the “trivial many,” that contribute very little to their success.
How To Apply The 80 20 Rule To Goal Setting
Here’s what you should do in order to effectively apply the 80/20 rule to goal setting and to your overall productivity.
First, take a piece of paper and write down ten goals. Then ask yourself: If you could only accomplish one of the goals on that list today, which one goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life?
Then pick the second most important goal. What you’ll find is, after you complete this exercise, you will have determined the most important 20 percent of your goals that will help you more than anything else.
You should continue to work at those goals that you’ve chosen as the most valuable all the time.
Eat The Biggest Frog First
You often see people who appear to be busy all day long but seem to accomplish very little. This is almost always because they are busy working on tasks that are of low value while they are procrastinating on the one or two activities that could make a real difference to their companies and to their careers.
The most valuable tasks you can do each day are often the hardest and most complex, but the payoff and rewards for completing them can be tremendous.
Before you begin work, always ask yourself, “Is this task in the top 20 percent of my activities or in the bottom 80 percent?”
The rule for this is: resist the temptation to clear up small things first.
If you choose to start your day working on low-value tasks, you will soon develop the habit of always starting and working on low-value tasks.
Always Work Towards Your Main Goal
Finally, I want to tell you about a study that has just been done about the attitudes of rich people versus poor people in regard to goal setting. What they found is that 85% of rich people have one big goal that they work on all the time.
So, if you want to be wealthy, do what wealthy people do. Pick one big goal and work on it all the time, and if you do, it will change your life*
It looks like the "engineer" in medeek has taken over!
I agree with "juju's" thread of thinking.
The depth of detail suggested may be useful in medeek's engineering practice but have less value
for I guess the majority of users and prospective users.
My suggestion would be these proposed changes are at the edge of "the bell curve".
It may be more prudent to stay within the "bulk" of users and prospective users requirements.
Food for thought!
Chinese users will love this version
Version 1.8.8 - 04.28.2017
Does not full IFC classification solve the problem?
***Quote from Wiki
The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data model is intended to describe building and construction industry data.
It is a platform neutral, open file format specification that is not controlled by a single vendor or group of vendors. It is an object-based file format with a data model developed by buildingSMART (formerly the International Alliance for Interoperability, IAI) to facilitate interoperability in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, and is a commonly used collaboration format in Building information modeling (BIM) based projects. The IFC model specification is open and available.[1] It is registered by ISO and is an official International Standard ISO 16739:2013.
Because of its focus on ease of interoperability between software platforms, the Danish government has made the use of IFC format(s) compulsory for publicly aided building projects.[2] Also, the Finnish state-owned facility management company Senate Properties demands use of IFC compatible software and BIM in all their projects.[3] Also the Norwegian Government, Health and Defense client organisations require use of IFC BIM in all projects as well as many municipalities, private clients, contractors and designers have integrated IFC BIM in their business.***
Small architectural and building design firms offer the potential to subcontract
specialised skills at a lower cost to medium and large firms.
Medium to large firms is subject to staff level fluctuations due to the changing staff requirements
dependent upon the stage and number of jobs in the office. The result of this is that specialised skill levels can only be justified economically if there is continuing workflow.
Medium to large architectural firms are notorious for large fluctuations in staff levels due
to changes in commissions, delays and other circumstances.
Sketchup offers a cost-effective way to quickly produce design and design development documents.
The level of Sketchup expertise to fully utilise savings is not readily available in medium-large firms. Medium and large firms tend to discourage a high use of Sketchup due to the inability to reuse the full 3D model in their high-end CAD software as ArchiCAD and Revit.
Medium to large firms main software as ArchiCAD or Revit use operators whose salary is very expensive. They are best used for Design Development and Documentation when templates and fixed procedures can be utilised.
The previous disadvantage in investing too heavily in Sketchup CAD work was the inability to fully
utilise the 3D CAD work produced by Sketchup. My previous experience in a 2016 Revit import
was IFC components imported into Revit were not fully interactive.
As IFC export improves in Sketchup to the level where components are interactive in ArchiCAD or Revit
the attractiveness of using Sketchup 3D CAD becomes viable for large firms. At this point, it would be cost effective and offer a smooth workflow to use a subcontracted specialised in the use of Sketchup to complement the team.
The Sketchup subcontractor would work directly with the design team as would be the case if employed by the larger firm. The 3D CAD work done would then be able to be more fully integrated into the ArchiCAD or Revit workflow.
The main reason for this option is economic and time savings with the bonus of selecting a subcontractor specialised in the project type and environment being considered.
SKETCHUP IS AT A TIPPING POINT TO
IMPROVED APPLICATION TO ARCHITECTURAL AND BUILDING DOCUMENTATION
I think Sketchup is now at the "tipping point" where it can become
an integrated tool for architects and building designers.
Profile Builder 2, Double-Cut, LSS Arch (Lite) and other well-designed plugins now offer an integrated extension of Sketchup that allows Sketchup's use for a more fluid design and documentation of architectural projects. Better IFC integration with ArchiCAD and Revit will further accelerate a more economical and professional use of Sketchup in the total workflow of design and documentation of projects.
I think Trimble have a similar "vision" and I am hopeful they will introduce
improved IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) in each new Sketchup version.
If the above is accomplished I suspect that more small architectural firms
will adopt Sketchup using Profile Builder 2, Double-Cut, LSS Arch (Lite) and other quality extensions/plugins.
The above advancements would allow integration with larger firms using Revit and ArchiCAD. This would give the "young and smaller" architectural and building design firms the confidence to invest their early efforts in Sketchup using quality extensions/plugins.
The great advantage of Sketchup is the ability to use third party extensions and plugins.
The great problem with Sketchup is the number, quality and application of third party extensions and plugins.
Over the years a solid core of plugin authors has risen to a trusted level of producing quality plugins. This increased improvement in the application of improved extension/plugins is taking Sketchup to a more professional level.
The improvements to Sketchup's use and management of extensions/plugins
is enhanced by:
Qualification and certification of extensions/plugins
Improved procedures for application, updating and management of the extensions/plugins
Dovetailing of third party extensions/plugins into a hierarchical methodology of producing improved tools for the design and documentation documents that architects and building designers produce.
Whaat,
Could you please post your instruction gif files at 1/2 the speed.
This will make it easier to follow each step.
Regards,
Ray
Medeek,
Thank you for the Foundation Plugin update "Easter Egg", enjoy your Easter break
Go Medeek!
You are teasing us with these progressive screen shots of
the evolving "polygon" feature.
SketchUcation Extension Store
Yes, this is a helpful tool that aids in keeping extensions/plugins updated after install.
The use of plugin Sets is another helpful tool.
Thank you SketchUcation team!
Medeek Foundation Plugin - v 1.0.8 Mar 25, 2017 11:45 am
Working Okay!
Thank you for your effort.
01 SketchUp Version (Skp 2016)
02 Operating System (W10 32 bit)
03 Using a metric template?
Suggested Template for reporting issues/anomalies
via PM to Medeek. (private Message - refer pic attached)
Anomalies Report - Medeek Foundation
01 SketchUp Version (Skp_ _ _ _ _ )
02 Operating System (OS_ _ _ _ _ _ ) W10 for example
03 Are you are using a metric or imperial template?
04 Ruby console report
(locate on Skp horizontal drop down functions: Window > Ruby console)
** Note open Ruby console BEFORE running plugin.
05 Screen capture (if appropriate or helpful in explaining issue)
Orientation of J-bolts
I would think parallel to the wall to give maximum concrete cover
surrounding the J-bolt ends.
