I know there are a lot of plugins out there that do this well and I am not really interested in competing against them.
I just want a simple door and window plugin that I can integrate tightly with my other plugins.
The window module will have the following options (subject to change):
Window Type: Picture, Slider, Single Hung
Frame Color
Frame Width
Frame Depth
Glass Thickness
Sash Width
Sash Depth
RO Gap
Window Inset
Nail Fin: Yes/No
Nail Fin Length
12 Advanced Options: Yes/No
The global settings will allow the user to set up the defaults for all of these settings and others. The window location and size will be selected via three points with a preview vector showing the exterior facing direction in some sort of fashion.
I haven’t thought through all of the advanced options yet but mullions will probably be one as well as other embellishments.
Doors get a bit more complicated. The placement of the door jamb within the rough opening depends on the sheathing thickness on both sides of the wall, or in more precise terms the jamb depth depends on the wall framing thickness (2x4, 2x6, 2x8 etc…), the sheathing thickness (OSB, Plywood, etc…) and the interior gypsum thickness. With an interior door the sheathing is usually gypsum on both sides of the wall.
A typical door jamb thickness is 3/4" with a 1/4" RO gap for shimming and squaring the door up on each side and at the top. The nominal door size is the door opening width from jamb to jamb not the actual door itself. The door width will be 3/16" of an inch less than the door opening width or nomimal size assuming a 3/32" reveal or gap for the door.
With an 1/8" gap between the top of the door and the jamb this leaves 7/8" between the sub floor and the bottom of the door assuming the RO height is 2" greater than the nominal door height.
For some exterior doors a taller threshold may be required so a RO height that is 2.25" to 2.5" greater than the nominal door height may be required.
Please weigh in if I am missing something here.
I’m am focusing specifically on standard prehung doors, sliding glass doors are a slightly different animal.
I’ve been slowly migrating to a html interface for a number of the menus in the other plugins. I agree the html or web menu is much more configurable than the standard UI that comes with the SketchUp API. I will need to give this some more thought and effort with regards to all of the plugins.
Do you find the SVG preview screens helpful? Should I just use a simple image with dimensions to try and explain each parameter like GKware?
For a typical door there could be a whole host of parameters, I am thinking an html GUI would be the best with an SVG preview screen showing the door in elevation and a section detail for the jamb, threshold and header.
The door location and size would be determined by picking three points similar to the window so that any size of door could be specified for a given rough opening.
I think if you UI has those graphics where shows a closeup and the parameter would be great…SU a visual application and when you see a list of numbers that you have to fill up and sometimes making trial/error process to figure out what I’m doing is not very efficient and friendly.
For example, I don’t design kitchen cabinets but I design houses and the kitchens so I wasn’t familiar with all the variables that you have to deal with cabinets and with that graphics interface I was able to create the cabinets that I want in few hours and the overall design process is much better than just place a standard cabinet and try to make work.
I feel if you get that type of interface designers that don’t speak “engineerish:” could perceive that all the technicality is now under the hood.
I really like what are you doing with your plugins, they are very useful and eyes closed I’ll buy this new one as well.
I’m not sure how far I will take this plugin, I was only intending to create a very simple plugin to integrate with the Wall and Truss plugins however I can see already that there is a need for a very robust and full featured window and door plugin.
