Hardware System, Shopdrawings, General TSLs
This is the portal for documentation of the tools and procedures developed specifically for North America. Everything listed here is available under the basic Timber module, but is applicable to not only Heavy Timber but also Stickframe and Panel fabrication processes both hand-cut and CNC.
Note that this information is intended for existing, experienced hsbcad designers. This is not an introductory instruction manual for hsbcad, nor an advanced tutorial on TSL programming.
Download 2017 sample file
A simple knife hanger and some of the automatically generated shopdrawings complete with keynoted component schedule table and dimensions.
Custom Assemblies
Custom Assemblies are built on hsbcad Collection Entities. The system extends these to allow the user to design a collection of steel plates, fasteners, cutting blocks and drills to model post-bases, beam hangers, tension connectors...any assembly mainly comprised of steel plates and fasteners.
It's very much like a graphical TSL definition, dynamic tooling operations are created on host beams when the assembly is inserted. Each assembly type can generate it's own, part-by-part shopdrawing and 2d linework can be generated for export to .dxf used by laser and plasma cutters in CNC enabled steel suppliers.
Pyramidenkogel Worthersee, image credit hsbcad Belgium. Imagine a manual take off of the bolts and screws required in a project of this magnitude! Far better to have them graphically inserted/displayed and then automatically scheduled.
Fasteners
Fasteners are generally handled in design docs with separate detail drawings, or call-outs for specific locations. Although this provides general information required during production and installation, it does not allow for detailed BOM reporting.
If you need more comprehensive detail however, you can model ASTM bolts & lags, manufacturer specific screws and nails (Simpson, GRK, Rothoblass...) and have them called out on timber/panel Shopdrawings as well as report to Excel or other export channels. Company specific inventory is maintained in an Excel spreadsheet, and defaults for operations such as countersinks or pilot drills are recorded in the library but can be overridden manually as required.
Each dimension string (Top, Right, Bottom, Left) has it's individual settings, and changes take effect immediately. Points can be added and removed, locations tweaked with Grips. Fasteners, hardware, and Custom Assemblies all report to a schedule table (not shown).
Shopdrawings
When the Multi Page Shopdrawing engine was introduced, it was a vast improvement over the previous shopdrawing function. Since shopdrawing layout was based on standard AutoCAD blocks it was easily editable by end users and field technicians. The dimensioning logic and much of the other functionality was moved into TSL scripts which could be triggered and/or configured in the Shopdraw Style. This new approach was much more flexible and versatile.
However, the systems was fairly complex and difficult for new users to navigate. As well, any changes meant diving through multiple levels of nested dialogs, then having to refresh the MP Shopdrawing to see the results. This made debugging and tweaking very time consuming.
A new approach we've been exploring is to use the existing engine, but have internal scripts write out geometry and scheduling information instead of drawing graphics directly. This raw data is published for consumption by Model Space TSL scripts which can be tweaked and recalculated on the fly. These Model Space scripts are more easily debugged, give the user direct control and immediate response to updated Properties.