Carpenter & Framer shop drawing input needed for Wood Frame shop drawing detailing PlusDesignBuild

General
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Hi Guys, you may know that PlusdesignBuild has a wood frame shop drawing detail function that works inside Sketchup.

Here is the original tutorial I made Wall frame shop drawing tutorial
The purpose of the post is to get feedback on the existing output.

I talk with Australian carpenters and framers who use the tool regularly, and their feedback is that it saves a heap of time, especially with gable walls and sloping/ skillion walls. Yet I can see room for improvement, e.g., adding cut lengths to the shop drawings, where it currently exports a CSV or Excel file.

For those of you who have not used the tool, It’s called the Frame Panelization tool, and it’s represented in the toolbar by this Icon :frame_panelization_tool:

I was originally a frame carpenter by trade and found it frustrating building walls onsite; chalking wall frames out on the floor and measuring off chalk lines took hours. The goal with the tool was to have a full set of wall-to-page dimensioned wall frames and shop drawings so we could utilise less experienced apprentices and labourers to help build a home.

Wood frame shop detail drawing export PlusDesignBUild plugin for Sketchup_2_2
Wood frame shop detail drawing export PlusDesignBUild plugin for Sketchup_2_21199×1854 278 KB

I have several ideas to improve what we have now, yet it would be good to hear from you as I have been known to create tech that was not utilized :face_with_diagonal_mouth: Let me know if you have any questions on how to use the tool.

By the way, here is a screenshot of a model I received from an Architect in America. It is great to see architects getting involved in how a project can be built. I will do a tutorial on it as soon as I get some free time.

Timber framing design software PlusDeisgnBuild for Sketchup
Timber framing design software PlusDeisgnBuild for Sketchup1280×599 265 KB

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Here is my top 6 wish list.

  1. Multiple strings of dimensions on the bottom of a standard wall are not required, as the stud spacing will be constant. They’re handy with a gable or skillion wall, though so don’t change that.
  2. I’ve used Mitek and Pryda and they have the elevation and plan of a wall on one page, and it dimensions the plan instead of the bottom plate, on the elevation like PlusDesignBuild does. No biggy but will save paper space. Also the stud spacing is plotted to the page ad they only dimension frame length, window and door openings as the stud spacings are repetitive and clutter the important measures.
  3. The frame plan should be a section cut or at least have back edges showing. Also, ideally, each wall panel labell was bold in the plan view to make it easier to see
  4. The line weight should be 20
  5. It would help if the wall labels were on a different layer in layout so they could be isolated and moved around more easily.
  6. It would be amazing if the cut and order list associated with each wall was on the corresponding shop drawing for each framed wall.

All in all the tool is good as it is these improvements would make it better.