VW is a BIM tool... Yeah right

[Assembly]

I would like to use a work sheet to return a schedule of 'Framing Members'.

This PIO has a terrible User Interface, but once you get the hang of it, it is a very useful tool to draw up framing plans in 3D that section nicely with the view ports.

So far so good. Now lets go one step further and treat this as BIM. Lets pull the data of what we have drawn into a schedule for our builder.

All we need to do is create a work sheet that gets the cross section of the framing members and return each members length. Should be easy.

Use Create Report. Add in every record entry for Framing Member and look for Length. Span '=('FramingMember'.'LineLength') 'looks promising, but no that is the PIO line length- it does not consider that the member is pitched...

(hmm there is overhang also. I know what that does. it means I can set span to relate to the wall position and extend a rafter beyond.... quick test shows if I set the PIO Type to solid beam, this is parameter is no longer accessible. The actual length of my member is span and not span + Overhang- (yet the worksheet retains its value... deal with that later).

So now how do I BIM this object?.

Well maybe I can get fancy with my worksheet... Yes they did provide me a =COS() function... The object has =('FramingMember'.'pitch') so this should be easy then.

I'll get the span in one field, the pitch in another then simply use Trig to sort this out. Should be easy, BUT NO IT WON'T BE!.

It seems that as the PIO parameter type is an Angle the work sheet nicely includes the '?'. Because this is there the work sheet now thinks this is a text value and not a number so you can not use the COS() function.

This means that we can't use the COS function on any PIO angle parameter. That is just BRILLIANT!.

My head is sore from banging it against my desk.

[gester]

do we have it fixed yet? vw2013?

rob

[taoist]

This is interesting.

Worksheet functions

COS() does not return correct number

Example: =COS(30)returns .154

Should be .866025

We should be using 1/COS(30), Hypotenuse/Adjacent which = 1.154701. Worksheet returns 6.483

Using the COS() function is useless.

This is going to be some work to get this correct.

Try this in your calculator (not VW) and see what you get for numbers.

Another reason for intelligent materials.

Edited July 19, 2013 by taoist

[bcd]

I believe the worksheet uses Radians as the default angle.

So Cos 30??would be calculated

Cos(30*pi/180)

[taoist]

bcd,

Thanks.

Same as Excel spreadsheet except no parens for pi.

Excel is PI()/180

Should have known.

Much better now.

=(span+overhang)*1/COS(pitch*pi/180) returns correct number to calculate rafter length.

Of course I use cell references in the formula for span, overhang, & pitch.

Could always create a column that adds both span and overhang so one can see total span.

Edited July 19, 2013 by taoist

[bcd]

From the help

Worksheet Functions:

● Number or text arguments: .... The argument for all trigonometry functions must be in radians.

[bcd]

The RAD2DEG function will also produce the same result.

Edited July 19, 2013 by bcd

[taoist]

bcd,

rad2deg for me does return same number

rad2deg(30)returns 1718.873

For those who want to convert pitch to rise

=1/TAN(pitch*PI/18)*12

[bcd]

rather - DEG2RAD

[taoist]

rather - DEG2RAD

OK.

deg2rad(30) returns 0.524

COS(30*PI/180) returns 0.866

I will stick with the latter as it is correct.

Edited July 19, 2013 by taoist

[taoist]

Here are some screen shots of worksheet for Roof Framing Takeoff.

Shows worksheet, Rafter formula, Rise formula

I could also add column for sheathing.

You can change format for Rise from dimension to Decimal and would return 6.93 in this case. That will be helpful fro framers in cutting rafters.

Current formula is a good reference to determine ridge height above walls.

It is a work in progress.

Edited July 19, 2013 by taoist