Truss Design and rafter tails

[Chris Rogers]

I am new to VW and need some advice on drawing organization relative to where I am in the design process. I have completed building a model using the built in tools (walls, doors, cabinets, etc) and am ready to build several heavy timber roof trusses, eave brackets, and rafter tails around the perimeter of the roof. Can anyone give me advices on the best way to create these components?

I assume I can draw the object in 3D as solids in the file I am working in then save it as a symbol so it shows up as a resource?

Advice on classing these types of objects? Structure? Roof?

Thank you for the assistance.

Chris

[Guest Wes Gardner]

Hi Chris,

You might want to start off by drawing your trusses as Extrudes then, as you've suggested, making them into symbols. For a truss, I'd draw in a Front or Side view in 2D, using the 3D elements such as your walls, etc as guides, then extrude the truss to whatever thickness is required. I'm a big proponent of classing everything so I'd class each element unto itself - then you have complete control over the look of your model (and eventual CD's).

Wes

[Kool Aid]

As I've just started to improve my truss tool, this is very interesting.

Here in North Pole & surrounds, the truss fabricator only needs dimensions ? at most also a supporting diagram ? for ?normal? (invisible) trusses. Their combination of software and a structural engineer will then take care of the detailed design, which is CNCd without a human touch, except in special cases. Certified and ISOed.

I see no value in modeling ? by an Architect at least! ? of the detailed geometry and members. Not to mention nailing plates, in detailed 3D? Solid subtractions showing how each ?nail? actually interferes with a particular piece of timber? And the finger-joints of reconstituted longer members?

Whatever.

How large part of your roof trusses could, in your experience, be described with simple parameters and shown just like this?

EDIT

In 3D

Edited January 4, 2010 by Kool Aid

[Guest Wes Gardner]

Hi Petri,

Sorry, I didn't want to be misleading regarding terminology - I assumed the original post was about what we in the States call "timber frame" or "post and beam" - not our typical "platform" or "balloon" framing system that relies on many little tiny sticks all bound together with some tacks...

See Picture - although not atypical, I can see how the architect/designer will want some control over how the frame "looks and feels" and perhaps how any/all of the joints are actually made - are they detailed in wood only or are they backed-up with steel plates and bolts. In conjunction with a structural engineer, I imagine an attractive and functional frame could be developed and presented to the client for approval.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Wes Gardner

[Kool Aid]

Ohh, Wes: such visible structures are another story altogether! You can't parametrize those!

But are they reality in the 80% of American homes that are allegedly constructed using prefab trusses?

Not that I'd be an 80/80 -person, rather a 90/90, but there's a limit?

(80/80: the general target of large software companies; that their products do 80% of required things to 80% of users. So, they meet 64% of the demand?)

But here's a much nicer timber truss:

[brudgers]

(80/80: the general target of large software companies; that their products do 80% of required things to 80% of users. So, they meet 64% of the demand?)

Your math might work if humans were organized like bees.

[Kool Aid]

Right. Now what is the market share of your God, Microsoft?

Surely 500 million flies can't be wrong. S H I T is good!

[Kool Aid]

(80/80: the general target of large software companies; that their products do 80% of required things to 80% of users. So, they meet 64% of the demand?)

Your math might work if humans were organized like bees.

Let the record show that our resident caravan-park wannabe-architect has nothing to contribute.

[Chris Rogers]

This job is Heavy Timber, so I will be designing and modeling each truss component.

When I do plate connected or pre-engineered trusses I just draw the profile and let their engineers design the members.

Thanks for the help.

[brudgers]

Let the record show that our resident caravan-park wannabe-architect has nothing to contribute.

Draw a bell curve.

[Kool Aid]

I did. You're off it. Below zero.

[brudgers]

I did. You're off it. Below zero.

I always know when you've finally recognized how wrong you are.