The Rubies Clark has developed take specific timber frame components and 'unwrap' them into drawings usable for easy to read shop drawings.
Dynamic Components are a new feature in SketchUp 7 - they allow users to create components (blocks, or rubber stamps within a drawing of particular objects) that can be changed parametrically. This can be done graphically - and it allows timber framers to build libraries of timbers and joinery that change by adjusting user defined variables... so instead of changing a joint by adjusting the drawing (stretching a tenon or shifting lines and planes to change a housing) - one can do this parametrically. The setup takes a bit to wrap one's head around as the documentation is sparse at this point - but with a bit of exploring one could theoretically build entire sub assemblies of timber components that would resize and re-configure upon entering variables (bents or trusses).
There are some great examples you can find through the Google 3d warehouse. Do a search for dynamic components. A few that I've looked at are framing models that adapt the framing of a deck to user entered variables and a fence and stairs that when scaled automatically adjust the pickets and the treads to their new measurements.
I've done some more work on the approach I think I would take to use these (combined with the rubies) - I'll post more information next week when I get back from family holiday travels.
-Mike
Last edited by bmike; 12/28/08 10:59 PM.
