Wall Detail

[robdyck]

Is there any way to change Chief's auto naming of framing components to reflect regional vernacular? Example: Chief's "trimmers" in some regions may be referred to as "cripples" or "jack studs" etc. in another region. Chief's "wall framing" is typically "stud". I don't really want to do this all in the components label box, but might have no choice.

Also, anyone have great ideas for clean labelling of wall details (framing)? A schedule works ok, except for overlapping labels on closely spaced members. I'm lazy and I don't want to move so many labels...

[Renerabbitt]

19 minutes ago, robdyck said:

I don't want to move so many labels...

Per usual I love your style....

Is there a specific reason for giving so much information, I've never shown nearly this level of detail and callouts yet I push 4-5 plans through the county per month? If my framer can't figure out how to frame a rake wall he can get lost!

I call out wall framing and top plate connections in a wall detail and floor members in a plan view etc.

[robdyck]

I hear you!. Our building code (Alberta) defers to a generic Engineering detail for walls that exceed 3.6m in height. It gets quite technical and 90% of them are framed wrong. Also, on this project, the generic details don't apply due to some of the conditions exceeding the scope of the accepted generic details. In this case an engineer is involved on this specific project and they will be reviewing the drawings, and then inspecting the work.

That being said, I typically include this type of detail (but without the schedule) for the abovementioned type of walls. I do it because I have the template and method setup and it takes me about 5 minutes per wall.

There's a $#!+load of specialty hardware that I haven't shown yet and it's often non-stocking items. Builders / framers don't typically think too far ahead. They'll order material for tomorrows work and then realize than the hardware needed for the wall is 2 weeks away. Obviously, that means it rarely gets installed. Believe it or not, with some of the hardware requirements, and stud spacing requirements, there is often only ONE possible order of operations to frame some of these walls, which essentially eliminates the laborers and leaves this work to the most skilled and experienced framer on site.

I add these details in hopes that it allows more delegation to more laborers. 

In the above picture, I've used color fill for the various lumber types that matches what they look like in our region (to try to make the drawing intuitive).

Light tan for SPF lumber, yellow for the LVL lintels (they have yellow wax in real) orange-ish for LVL studs (you guessed it - Boise Cascade LVL's have orange wax).

[robdyck]

18 minutes ago, Renerabbitt said:

Is there a specific reason for giving so much information

See above post. 

[Alaskan_Son]

9 hours ago, robdyck said:

Is there any way to change Chief's auto naming of framing components to reflect regional vernacular? Example: Chief's "trimmers" in some regions may be referred to as "cripples" or "jack studs" etc. in another region. Chief's "wall framing" is typically "stud". I don't really want to do this all in the components label box, but might have no choice.

 

I'm thinking that using the label is the only way.  The output could be automated using a custom text macro though, so all you would have to do is group select all framing objects in your wall detail and drop the custom macro into the label. 

[robdyck]

8 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

so all you would have to do is group select all framing objects in your wall detail and drop the custom macro into the label

Exactly what I'm doing. Interestingly enough, this can also lead to user error!. For example, if I edit the framing in a wall detail, and I copy a component, like a plate, and use it where a piece is missing, like the plate below a header of a window, I now have the wrong named piece in the wrong spot! I figured the easiest way to group select is by name. So one must be careful when editing framing to use the correct component. This leads to a suggestion for Chief: I think we should be able to rename these components, and also choose what they are in the dbx. I'd like to be able to add a general framing member and in the dbx specify that it's a header or stud or bridging or backing, etc.

Another example is adding a header in a rake wall. You can't trim/extend headers but you can with general framing members.