MWF Rafters User Guide September 18 th, 2018
2 Table of contents 1. Introduction... 3 1.1 Things You Should Know Before Starting... 3 1.1.1 Roof Panels Structure Orientation... 3 1.1.2 Member Selection... 4 1.1.3 Panel Regenerate... Error! Bookmark not defined. 1.1.4 Revit Detail Levels... 4 1.2 Family Types... 4 1.3 Loading Families... 4 1.4 Creating New Family Members Properly... 5 2. Creating a Template... 7 2.1 Creating a Panel Using Revit Roof Element... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2 Panel Properties... Error! Bookmark not defined.11 2.2.1 System Properties.......12 2.2.2 Facia Board.....12 2.2.3 Valley Plate...13 2.2.4 Ridge Rafter.....13 2.2.5 Bird's Mouth......17 2.2.6 Panel Properties......19 2.2.7 Place Ledger........19 2.2.8 Rafter Setting.......20 2.3 Regenerate... Error! Bookmark not defined.22 2.4 Delete... Error! Bookmark not defined.22 3. Template Manager...23 4. Opening Type Manager...24 5. Tools...29 5.1 Regenerate Panel......29 5.2 Align........29 5.3 Merge.......30 6. Edits...30
3 1. Introduction Focused on specific areas of MWF Rafters functionality, this manual highlights the main features in this module. As each topic explains tools which are used to complete common tasks, users will learn some of the practices which will help improve efficient design and the development of a framed roof. To take the most out of the instructions given in this tutorial, start by creating a simple model with basic roof types in Revit to follow the steps in each topic. 1.1 Things You Should Know Before Starting When starting a project and using MWF Rafters, there are a few basic tips one should know to better utilize the software. 1.1.1 Rafter Supports When creating rafters, there is an option to select the supports for the rafters. This will allow the creation of birdsmouth cuts in the rafters based on the location of the supports. The supports can be structural walls and structural beams (including a panel top track). If you want to make a wall the support of the rafters, make sure this wall is set as structural. 1.1.2 Roof Panels Structure Orientation When an MWF Rafter Panel in a 3D view is selected, arrows will indicate each roof panel and which rafter(s) will be created on them. In this example, there are three panels (indicated by three arrows) which we can apply different properties for. Additionally, nodes and range limits of the roof boundaries will be placed at every domain.
4 1.1.3 Member Selection Select either the panel label, any member of the panel or the datum when changes or modifications need to be applied to a panel. 1.1.4 Revit Detail Levels Revit's detail level must be set to medium or fine. If set to Coarse, framing members and datum will appear solely as thin straight lines. Changing the level of detail after framing the walls in your project is a suitable approach to keeping your project light. 1.1.5 Family Types MWF uses some basic family catalogues as a reference. Before creating panels, load the rafter families that will be used for your project. Users can also duplicate original rafter families from MWF installation folders and create new joist/track types or rename the families' folders according to their needs. However, when creating new member types, users must maintain the same parameters used in the original MWF floor families. These parameters are needed for running all functions in MWF properly. The About option is found in the MWF icon menu. By clicking Home Directory in the main MWF dropdown, you will be directed to the MWF installation folder in your computer. 1.1.6 Loading Families Loading MWF stud families is important to do before creating your own templates. Other framing members such as connectors will be found in this location as well. Using Revit's Insert tab and Load Family button, locate the MWF installation folder and open it. You can then choose between the Imperial or Metric folder depending on your project units.
5 Open your desired folder and select the family that you need. 1.1.7 Creating New Family Members Properly MWF provides you with a wide variety of families and sizes. If the specific size you need is not in the list, simply add it in manually. To properly create new family size that is not in the given list of sizes you must first locate the family s.txt file. In this instance we will be creating a new BIMSF-SSMA-T.
6 Open the corresponding.txt file and notice the comma separated code along the top and the list of available framing members. Insert the desired measurements of the track and name it according to the order in which MWF reads the txt file. bf##length##inches: flange length d##length##inches: web depth tf##length##inches: material thickness. For instance, if you have a track that is 6 ½ deep with a 2 ½ flange and a thickness of 3/64, you can assign the code name: 650T250-43. Next, at the bottom of the txt file insert: 650T250-43,2.5,6.5,0.045,1.25,0.04526 Save the txt file and upon reloading that family, your new track size will be available.
7 2. Creating a Rafter System Select a Revit roof that contains one structural layer in the project. Under MWF Truss Rafter menu select the Create command: The window below will appear. When creating a roof system, you can have only nodes, boundary lines and representative arrows and labels created first, or have the rafter objects also created by checking the box Frame it Now.
Once you hit Create, another window will appear. To select the Rafters Alignment, choose to each layer of the Revit roof object the rafters should align to. 8 After choosing the rafter s alignment, the Bird s Mouth window will appear. Within this window you can Add or Remove supports for a birdsmouth cut. You can also add horizontal and vertical offsets from the rafters support.
9 3. Rafter System Templates Rafter templates will contain all properties of a Rafter Panel. Templates can be saved so their properties can be reused in other roof instances in the project. 3.1 Creating a New Rafter Template To create a new template, after creating at least one roof panel and modifying the desired properties of the rafter s panel, go to the Properties tab and click Template. The Template Manager dialog box will open. Click on Save As, give the new template a name and click OK to save it. A new template will be created.
10 3.2 Modifying a Rafter System Template To modify a template, go to the Properties tab and click Template. 4. Panel Properties After creating the panels, you can access the panel properties for more options. There are two types of properties: system properties and panel properties.
11 4.1 2.2.1 System Properties The system properties contain: fascia board, valley plate, ridge rafters and bird s mouth. 2.2.2 Facia Board You can add fascia board by double clicking on Fascia Board, checking the box Place Facia Board and then choose the desired member family and type. You are also able to choose the configuration.
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13 2.2.3 Valley Plate You can add a valley plate by double clicking on Valley Plate, checking the box Place Valley Plate and then choose the desired member family and type. 2.2.4 Ridge Rafter Add a ridge rafter by double clicking on Ridge Rafter. Check/uncheck the boxes Place Ridge Rafters, Place Hip Rafters and Place Valley Rafters. You can then choose whichever you would like to add into the project by checking their box.
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2.2.5 Bird s Mouth Add a bird s mouth by choosing the support and adding the offset. Please take note that you should have a top track of wall panels already generated to use as the support. 17 Once the bird s mouth window pops up, you can add support and the support tracks that you can choose showed up automatically.
18 Option to add Offset horizontally or vertically.
19 2.2.6 Panel Properties Within the panel s Properties tab, you can set different values for every single panel or just simply check the box Apply changes to All Panels. 2.2.7 Place Ledger Next, double click on Place Ledger and by check the box Place Ledger you can place the ledger and also choose your member family and type.
20 2.2.8 Rafter Setting Within panel Properties, double click on Rafter. When a window appears, specify the spacing and Min. Length of the rafters and member configuration.
Note: You can save all modifications on the template by updating the template 21
22 2.3 Regenerate Any changes on the Properties tab can applied to the rafter system by clicking Regenerate. 2.4 Delete All Rafters can be deleted by hitting Delete in the Truss Rafters menu. 5. Template Manager On the Template Manager window, simply Import/Export the desired template. Users can also rename and delete any old templates.
23 6. Opening Type Manager If you have any openings on the roof or dormer, easily apply opening type from the lists shown within Opening Type Manager. Each type can be modified as well.
24 The Default templates are: Default (Dormer Opening) Default (Joist Supported) Default (Rim Supported) Each opening type can be modified (i.e. the Header, Trimmer).
25 Note: You can change your Opening Type, by choosing the opening marker on the panel and then selecting Change Opening Type from the EDIT tab. 1-Choose the opening marker.
26 2-Go to Edits and choose Change Opening Type. Example of opening type: Default (Joist Supported)
27 Example of opening type: Default (Rim Supported)
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29 7. Tools Within the Tools tab, users can regenerate, align and merge rafter systems. 5.1 Align Rafters can be aligned by using Align Rafters on the Tools tab. The image before shows how to align rafters. 5.2 Merge Rafters with two different systems can be merge together to create one panel.
30 8. Edits On the Edits menu, delete/add rafter members, cut by void or by reference plane and change the opening type. 8.1 Cut by reference plane
By assigning the reference plane, you can cut rafters as per the selected reference plan. 31
32 8.2 Cut by Void 8.3 Override generated
33 8.4 Add Member Simply add new member to rafter system. 8.5 Delete Member Simply delete new member to rafter system. 8.6 Change Opening Type Please refer to section Opening Manager