I was going to name the engineering module or plugin “Medeek Structural” however I’ve decided to change the name to “Medeek Engineering”.
The plugin icon will now be:
The first toolbar I will add is the Beam Engineering Tools which will allow the user to add point loads, distributed loads and supports to beams drawn in the wall plugin:
This version of the toolbar is a bit more legible:
Can this not be a separate extension? There are so many buttons on the Medeek suite extensions already and I can guarantee most users will not use the Engineering module as most cannot legally sign it off.
Yes, this will be a separate extension that will be integrated with the other extensions in the mdkBIM bundle. It does not need to be installed with the mdkBIM bundle and is completely optional. However, it is not really a stand alone extension since it can only be used with geometry drawn by other Medeek extensions.
After giving it some additional thought I think it would be good to decouple this extension to the extent that even if for example the Wall plugin is not installed the user could install the engineering extension and still apply loads/support and analyze a given beam. However they would be unable to modify the beam as drawn (ie. size, depth, length) unless the Wall plugin was installed.
In the Account Manager its icon will be:
With respect to who will use this module, I actually do think a lot of architects and designers would find use for it even if they are unable to “stamp” their design as “engineered”. There would be many situations where a designer would want to get a reasonably ballpark idea on how big a beam or header needs to be. Unless there are complex loading situations at play, assigning some basic loads and supports to a beam is usually not rocket science. However, as always it is garbage in, garbage out. Obviously the user needs to have some understanding of the correct site specific loads in order to get the correct answers.
That being said, my primary audience for this plugin is residential structural engineers (like myself) who are wanting to quickly apply loads to a design and push out a report with minimal effort. I still have a long way to go with all of this but I am definitely opening a new can or worms with this one, let’s see where we can take it in the next few months.
I think I am entering uncharted territory with this new development. To my knowledge there does not exist a comprehensive software that combines architectural design with engineering, that is my goal with integrating this new engineering module/extension with the mdkBIM suite.
So just wanting to get an idea for development over the next few months.
Once the shed and gable walls were completed you mentioned jumping in to the complex roof truss tool?
And then possible the floor module.
Would be good to know your current thinking around priorities both module specific and module to module.
There are still a couple of hot items on the Wall plugin list however most of the items are not as high priority.
The current (other) hot items are:
1.) Medeek Floor - New extension
2.) Complex Roof Module of the Truss plugin.
3.) Medeek Engineering - New extension
These three items are NOT low hanging fruit and each item could consume weeks/months of work.
I’ve also got the UK outlets and switches that I’ve already put together and are now ready to add to the electrical plugin.
I’ve also solved the sloping slab algorithm problem and I could implement that rather quickly.
So much to do, its hard to decide what to work on next…
Thanks for the update.
In terms of my squeaky wheel…
I agree the estimating module could really use some work right now. I would like to pull it into a separate plugin (Medeek Project) and then continue to flesh it out more.
It might be worth consulting with an attorney who is familiar with the construction industry to get a good sense of your possible liability as a result of offering such an engineering extension.
Yup, there is always that. The only real way to protect oneself is to carry a large amount of General Liability insurance as well as provide the appropriate disclaimers and Terms of Use.
Weyerhauser has the same issue by offering their Forte software to the general public (for free). Everyone in my position is always open to law suits, its the nature of the beast.
When you click on the “Draw Load/Support” icon of the toolbar you will be presented with this matrix menu:
Still working on how best to graphically represent the various loads and supports but this a bit of a preview of how it will go:
Very cool.
How do you foresee managing the visuals of the loads and all the engineering analysis-related items in a large model? Simply a layer for all that stuff? I think I’ve seen some “engineering” layers in Medeek wall or foundation or somewhere already.
Kevin
I’m contemplating two additional engineering layers: Eng2, Eng3
The loads and supports will be on the Eng layer, annotations will be on Eng2 and warning graphics will be on Eng3.
Here is an example of some point loads applied to a timber beam, now I just need to setup annotations:
The different color arrowheads indicate one of the six load types (Dead, Live Floor, Live Roof, Wind, Snow, Seismic). The colors assigned to each load type will be able to be customized in the global settings. The size of the arrowheads will also be customizeable.
Regenerating the beam geometry will not regen the loads, there will be separate context menu item (right click the beam) to regen the engineering loads/supports.
Have you considered making the height of the arrow heads proportional to the load?
I have considered adjusting the arrow sizes per the magnitude of the loads however if the difference in magnitudes is much greater than about 5 or 6 the difference in arrow sizes becomes unattractive. I think it is just better to keep the arrow size uniform.
OK. 'Twas just a thought
