Files here:
www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/timber/timber-dimbeta.skp

The 'model' of the timber as you might see it in a frame.

Shop drawings:
www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/timber/Timber-Dim%233.skp

www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/timber/Timber-Dim%232.skp


We still need to work around the 'create shop drawing' ruby by exploding the subcomponent 'beam' before creating a shop drawing - but check out the files.

Control the dimension visibility with the layer 'TimberDim'.

You can use the scale tool to change the length of the timber and the dimensions will update.

Edit the 'timber' component and then use the 'dynamic component options (right click on a tenon) to change the length, thickness, etc... Dimensions should update.

These follow along to the shop drawings - you could add more, or remove the ones that weren't applicable to your production process.

And I should be able to work out a peg dynamic joint that will do the same.

-Mike

To explode it, I'll need to be able to find it. Is the sub-comp always named "beam"? Maybe we should take this discussion off-line, as it's likely to delve into the minutiae of the rubies...

Its the bulk of the timber. Should be in the center, basically a box without the joinery.

It is not always called beam, but it could be. In timbers it is 'beam', in posts it is 'pbeam' and in rafters it is 'rbeam'. Reason for this is that if you make a change to 'beam' it being a component it will update throughout.

Hmm. In the demo I just posted it is named 'beam#1'. I'll have to double check my library. I've mucked around with these so much it seems they've gotten corrupted.

I've uploaded a corrected version.

www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/timber/timber-dimbeta2.skp

Not sure how to control the name of the subcomponent. It seems under some conditions SketchUp must rename it - appending the #1, #2, etc. to the name of the component.

Clark -

Seems that when rambling through all my tweaks I ended up with some of the components getting #s appended to their names. I've gone back and cleaned up most of them.

I'm not sure if this would happen in everyday modeling of a frame - if it does this might cause issues depending on how the Rubies are built.

And... I'm using Pro7's 'generate report' feature to kick out materials lists for estimates and take offs. I've set variables that show up in the list - I think your ruby list generator actually calculates the size of the component - this would pose a problem with adding in the dimensions....