TRUSSES/TIMBER PLUGIN

[oliverkisera]

Hello good people, is there any Revit plugin that can be used to automatically add trusses/timber for roofings in an easy way way other than AGACAD, Ive been using AGACAD trial version which expired, Ill really appreciate your responses, thanks a lot

[barthbradley]

Why don't you use Beam Systems?  Pretty painless and easy.  

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/Revit-S...

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2022/ENU/Revit-S...

[barthbradley]

FWIW:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl5jQj8bTfc

[Thomas.S.Teichmann · Accepted solution]

@oliverkisera 

I don't think that there is any other plugin like AGACAD. I was looking for something like that a while ago.

The question is what is your use case:

• Architect: Revit Trusses should do the trick. They are sometimes a little bit finicky to attach to a roof if they are close to the edges. Therefore it might be helpful to model another hidden roof with bigger extents.
• Structural engineer: At our company, we don't bother with showing anything but the top and bottom chords since the truss designer will ultimately decide where the webs go.
• Truss designer: Well, pay for AGACAD if you want to show your trusses in Revit. It's another tool and like most not for free.

My point is, for most cases the AGACAD plugin is overkill.

In commercial settings, beautification or overdetailling of Revit model usually does not pay off.

[oliverkisera]

Is it possible to add trusses using beam system to a complex roof like this one Ive attached here, Ive attached both rvt file and an image, so far I know that beam system can only be used to add rafters and purlins, what about the trusses, Ill appreciate yours answers, Thanks

[barthbradley]

You don't do Trusses with Beam Systems. You use Trusses and Copy/Array.  

Trusses | Revit 2021 | Autodesk Knowledge Network

That being said, what's the purpose of modeling Trusses? Is that in your wheelhouse? Are you a Truss designer/engineer?  

[oliverkisera]

Yes thanks a lot for your response, yes I can use beam systems, but this
only adds for me purlins, and not the trusses which I really need, or is
there a way I can use beam system to add trusses, the same way beam system
adds purlins?

[barthbradley]

---

@oliverkisera wrote:
Yes thanks a lot for your response, yes I can use beam systems, but this
only adds for me purlins, and not the trusses which I really need, or is
there a way I can use beam system to add trusses, the same way beam system
adds purlins?

---

When you say "Trusses", are you including webbing?  I mean, you can easily use Beam Systems to model top and bottom chords. You can call them out however you prefer. We commonly use Beams Systems to represent chords of Trusses - but not webbing.  

[oliverkisera]

I need to model the trusses so I can quantity the timber members within
them for costing, I'm extracting schedules and quantities for this project
since it's a real project and would wish to quantity timber trusses, thanks

[barthbradley]

---

@oliverkisera wrote:
I need to model the trusses so I can quantity the timber members within
them for costing, I'm extracting schedules and quantities for this project
since it's a real project and would wish to quantity timber trusses, thanks

---

Define "real project".  

[oliverkisera]

To mean it's a project that would be built on the ground

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

That's not what I'm asking, but your answer does tell me volumes.   All's I can say at this point, is that if you want to model and schedule every single truss component, then have at it.  But it's a thorough waste of time. That's not an opinion. That's a fact.    

Have fun at least.     

[ToanDN]

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@oliverkisera wrote:
I need to model the trusses so I can quantity the timber members within
them for costing, I'm extracting schedules and quantities for this project
since it's a real project and would wish to quantity timber trusses, thanks

---

Are you an architect, a structural engineer, or a truss designer/contractor?