I’ll probably need to add a few more icons in the toolbar. Off the top of my head I’m thinking about:
1.) Service Panels: These are typically 14.5" in width and fit nicely between 16" on center studs
2.) Exterior Service and Meter
3.) Additional Faceplates/Media Outlets: CAT5/6, Coax, Telephone, etc…
Another can of worms would be light fixtures. I’m not quite sure I’m ready to jump into that one just yet. There are so many variations on light fixtures that I would certainly need to make it so the user can create their own light fixture components that then can be used by the plugin.
Hit me up with any suggestions while my focus is on this plugin. In about a week I’m back onto the Wall Plugin and its massive todo list.
I think you need only to do a ceiling light box and recess cans. The user can put their own light fixtures. Also with the ceiling box they can put their ceiling fans. We will also need wall boxes for lights over vanities.
With weatherproof switches I will need to have a different faceplate but for now it will default to the generic toggle switch.
Tomorrow I will spend a few minutes and model up a low poly version of the Leviton Decora switch and outlet series and then we will have at least two options for switch and outlet styles.
Similar to the Wall Plugin the labels are assigned by default to the Dim3 layer and can be toggled separately from the symbols, or be turned off completely in the global settings.
Carlon is certainly the most commonly used plastic boxes and most likely used residentially. For steel boxes Raco and Steel City have about equal market share in the US.
Here’s a small monkey wrench for you: I’ve seen small bathrooms where there are switches (light, exhaust fan) and GFI receptacles in the same box.
I’ll check this when I get to work, but as I recall, the ones my company sells are either 14" or 14-1/4" wide so they’ll still fit in a slightly not-perfectly spaced 16" OC framing.
The combo boxes (switches + outlets) do throw a bit of wrench in the spokes but its not an insurmountable problem. I just need another option for these types of boxes and a way for the user to specify what electrical component they want to go in each slot.
I’m not sure where this module is going to go yet. For now I’ll keep it where it is at (it currently is disabled). When I start working on it again I will figure out where it best fits in.
Plumbing and bathroom fixtures seem like a good fit but then you have to think about the Kitchen too. I’ll have to give the plumbing plugin more thought. Right now I think it would primarily focus on the actual plumbing rather than the fixtures.
I’m not an electrician so bear with me, I’ll probably get a few things wrong initially.
When you gang together switches you typically see the symbols ganged together as well. However with outlets is the same symbology used or do you just put a subscript next to the outlet symbol indicating the number of outlets and just show one outlet symbol?
For junction boxes or blank face plates I am following the same convention as I am for outlets and switches and showing a symbol for each location.
I will eventually add another icon in the toolbar for Combo Outlets (ie. switch, blank, outlet combinations), however I probably won’t get to this until later.
Sorry, I forgot to check while at work, but I just checked from home. Eaton BR series load centers are 14.31" wide once they hit 12 full size circuit breaker spaces (smaller ones are narrower).
Meter/Breaker and Meter/Breaker/Loadcenter units are almost always wider and are normally either surface mounted or semi-flush (and framed like a rough window opening). This is in areas where the electric utility requires that residential meters for up to duplex or triplex be outside for easy reading. Beyond that, you’re usually into semi-custom equipment that is likely beyond the scope of what you’re trying to do!
I still need to put some logic in for the single, weatherproof and GFCI receptacles so that they display the proper outlet and corresponding face plate.
Single outlets are commonly used for refrigerators. Also used under sinks when there is a dishwasher or garbage disposal (but not both! There a split wired duplex is more commonly used.)
I’ve seen them used as well for washing machines.
Basically any appliance that where the receptacle ends up inaccessible for other uses gets a single receptacle configured to supply the appliance.
