Trussmaker: wood trusses with steel connector plates

[Erika Epstein]

I would like to use trussmaker to create wood trusses using 2x4's and 2x6' for its members and have it add in steel plates. This is for houses that use trusses exclusively for roofs.

The regular truss in the library does have them, but some of the trusses I need the bottom chord steps up where the ceiling is higher at one end. A workaround is to cut with the marque tool the library part and put 2 together, but this is not a parametric solution.

Using trussmaker, the wood member and rectangular steel options do not seem to offer the option of adding steel connector plates, or am I just not seeing where to do this?

The 3rd option allows you to use various steel shapes but not a rectilinear sectioned one so using it to get the connector plates ends up with an extra line by foreshortening for example 1 leg of an 'L' shape to approximate a rectilinear section. I can fudge what I want reasonably well, but still it is not ideally what I would like.

Has someone come up with a way to accomplish this?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

I just recently had the same problem. Trussmaker didd't seem to do what I wanted it to do. I was lucky enough to have Archiforma which worked quite well. I find myself using AF to perform all sorts of modeling tasks very often. Once you have it you don't know how you got by with out it. If you find a way to do it with Trussmaker, post it. I think it could be a little faster than AF. Good luck.

[Erika Epstein]

Archiforma.
What a great idea.
I love Cigraphs other products that I have so it's time I added that one.
Thanks

[Ralph Wessel]

Erika wrote:
Using trussmaker, the wood member and rectangular steel options do not seem to offer the option of adding steel connector plates, or am I just not seeing where to do this?

Take a look at FrameWright - it is perfect for constructing and editing complex assemblies with timber and steel. Have a look at http://www.encina.co.uk/framewright.html There is a time-limited demo available, so you can try it out first.

[Erika Epstein]

Ralph wrote:
Take a look at FrameWright - it is perfect for constructing and editing complex assemblies with timber and steel. Have a look at http://www.encina.co.uk/framewright.html There is a time-limited demo available, so you can try it out first.

Ralph,
I looked at the pdf, but I didn't see steel conector plates on the wood framing.

It looks like a very nice product, but I didn't download the demo because I am uncomfortable with your wanting my archicad dongle number as part of the deal for a free time-limited demo.

[Ralph Wessel]

Erika wrote:
I looked at the pdf, but I didn't see steel conector plates on the wood framing.

We don't believe it is possible to express all the ways companies put steel and timber together in an object. You only end up with a huge, incomprehensible list of options and settings which still can't be fine-tuned to specific installations. FrameWright is designed to allow you to construct complex assemblies from many simpler parts rather than employing individual, massive objects. This means:

• - Our objects have a simple, consistent user interface.
  - You have the freedom to fine-tune or modify single instances of an assembly, i.e. strengthening or truncating any part of a single truss.

This means you can deal with a truss or frame as a whole (like a group) or individually edit each component it is made from.

Erika wrote:
It looks like a very nice product, but I didn't download the demo because I am uncomfortable with your wanting my archicad dongle number as part of the deal for a free time-limited demo.

It is quite normal for your serial number to be encoded into the license number of an add-on. And as far as I know, the information can't be put to any negative use. Encina Ltd is also a UK ArchiCAD dealer, so we hold this kind of information in the normal course of business. Does that answer your concerns?

[Erika Epstein]

Ralph wrote:

Erika wrote:
It looks like a very nice product, but I didn't download the demo because I am uncomfortable with your wanting my archicad dongle number as part of the deal for a free time-limited demo.

It is quite normal for your serial number to be encoded into the license number of an add-on. And as far as I know, the information can't be put to any negative use. Encina Ltd is also a UK ArchiCAD dealer, so we hold this kind of information in the normal course of business. Does that answer your concerns?

No. I've never been asked for that number by anyone other than graphisoft and I would prefer to keep it that way.

[Ralph Wessel]

Ralph wrote:
It is quite normal for your serial number to be encoded into the license number of an add-on. And as far as I know, the information can't be put to any negative use. Encina Ltd is also a UK ArchiCAD dealer, so we hold this kind of information in the normal course of business. Does that answer your concerns?

Erika wrote:
No. I've never been asked for that number by anyone other than graphisoft and I would prefer to keep it that way.

You send the serial number away when you serialise a Cigraph add-on too - perhaps you weren't aware of that? That is how the product is restricted to your dongle. The API allows an add-on to extract your serial number without asking (even GDL can do this), but we prefer to explicitly let you know what is happening. How would you like the demo and licensing to work?
Out of interest, does anyone else know of a reason why the dongle number should be kept private?

[Erika Epstein]

Ralph wrote:

Ralph wrote:
It is quite normal for your serial number to be encoded into the license number of an add-on. And as far as I know, the information can't be put to any negative use. Encina Ltd is also a UK ArchiCAD dealer, so we hold this kind of information in the normal course of business. Does that answer your concerns?

Erika wrote:
No. I've never been asked for that number by anyone other than graphisoft and I would prefer to keep it that way.

You send the serial number away when you serialise a Cigraph add-on too - perhaps you weren't aware of that? That is how the product is restricted to your dongle. The API allows an add-on to extract your serial number without asking (even GDL can do this), but we prefer to explicitly let you know what is happening. How would you like the demo and licensing to work?
Out of interest, does anyone else know of a reason why the dongle number should be kept private?

Ralph,
I am unaware that other APIs encrypted code to relay my archicad dongle number. If true, that is not exactly putting a smile on my face. If it is standard that API people need the AC dongle number, why aren't they up front about it?

Fabrizio, correct me if I am wrong, it's been a few months since I last installed a Cigraph add-on. I just looked at the box and it comes with a registration code. Cigraph has also said in this forum that they don't keep a list of people who have bought their products; that has been why they post updates here in this forum. The Archicad reseller I purchased Architerra from doesn't email me when updates/patches are available. Cigraph software comes with a registration code that you send to them and they email back an unlock code. So when are they extruding the dongle number?

I'm not in the habit of giving out information just because someone would like it. I wish other archicad users would chime in on this.
I do realize I am being somewhat of a pain about this, but... its makes me uncomfortable and would appreciate some reassurance and comment from graphisoft and other users about this.

[Ralph Wessel]

Erika wrote:
I am unaware that other APIs encrypted code to relay my archicad dongle number. If true, that is not exactly putting a smile on my face. If it is standard that API people need the AC dongle number, why aren't they up front about it?
...
I'm not in the habit of giving out information just because someone would like it.

Your number is only wanted for one thing: calculating a registration code to send back to you for the add-on. Once the code is calculated and issued, the serial number is of no further use. No one is trying to be underhanded about this. The purpose is simply to ensure only the purchaser of the software (the dongle owner) can use it.