Do you make all your handrails, bearing plates, girts, roof frames, ladders and other items that aren’t the “Big 4” (columns, beams, horizontal and vertical braces) out of Misc Member-Rolled Section/Rectangular Plate? You are missing out on some of the greatest tools in SDS/2 as far as efficiency of input, ease of revision and simplicity of detailing – Custom Members.
There are over a dozen custom members available in SDS/2 today. They are designed with some intelligence so when you have multiple members that are identical but simply rotated in space, they will still get the same piecemarks. Try that with Misc Member-Rect Plate for your bearing plates! This reduces or eliminates the need for User Piecemarks to combine members.
When something needs to be changed, such as the spacing of studs on an embed plate, or the connection type on a roof frame from stripped leg to saddle clips, the change is a few simple clicks away and can be applied to multiple members at once. Efficiency is everything in detailing, time is money.
If you open the handrail member or the roof frame edit screens, they may appear daunting at first. Indeed, there is a learning curve to using custom members. But if you spend 10-30 minutes reviewing the options and start using these tools instead of Misc Members, you will quickly recoup that time and then some with all the capabilities Custom Members provide.
Be on the lookout for our upcoming tutorial videos about these members and more as we explain not only how to navigate their member edit screens but also our advanced tips for how to get the most out of these members.