QuickDesign Engineering Design System

Two Levels of design capability:
Not all users of our software want to design complex structures every day. A builder client may only run the program to check out the occasional alternatives that he can use for a particular bearer, lintel or roof beam. At the other end of the scale, an engineer involved in the design of complex 2 and 3 storey residential homes or units may require the full load transfer capabilities of this software on a daily basis.
Therefore, we have 2 levels of release - Basic Design Level and Professional Design.
Basic design level is limited to the basic residential framing, and in accordance with As1684. This level also includes span tables, so that the user can create their own look-up tables for their most common design ele-ments, and to their design criteria, not necessarily that dictated to them by the manufacturer.
Professional level takes the designer beyond any current program available in Australia to date. You have the freedom to load members with balcony loads, upper level frames and roof, and other members already in your project database. All the loads from any supported member will automatically transfer to the sup-porting member—no need to calculate load areas and find load paths—its all done for you by the software.

Basic Level Design:
In basic level design, the members are designed in accordance with AS1684, the Australian Light Timber Frame Code. You have a full range of various products, including in a next release, hot-rolled steel sec-tions. Standard beam members can consist of up to 5 spans, plus cantilevers at each end. Data entry can be made by centre-line values, or entering room sizes plus wall widths. For every product type selected, you can set up from 1 to 9 options for alternative sizes. Each resulting section passing the design process successfully is listed in a results box, along with dead load deflection, selection ratio (can be set to linear price) and in the case of floor members, the dynamic response deflection. The designer can therefore se-lect a group of alternatives, with performance indicators to ensure the client will be satisfied with the re-sults.

Professional Level Design:
For engineers, truss detailers, frame manufacturers or building estimators and designers, the professional level design is a must. The designer has much more control over the elements of the building design, as well as the connectivity of the building elements. In this example, the same joist from the basic design above has a special balcony load applied to the left end cantilever, extending into the span, at which point a load bearing wall is supported …. This level of design is simple to input, yet very comprehensive in the control that it gives the designer. Note the bear under the third support, as well as the bearer supporting the end of the joist.

Professional Design - Supported Members & Load Paths:
The load path system built into the Professional Level gives the designer new control over the accuracy in member design and specification. If this case, the bearer from the above example as support 3, is de-signed by applying actually setting the joists onto the member. All the loads associated with this joist were transferred to the bearer, including the balcony loads and the load effects from the load bearing walls. Note that we applied no load to the bearer itself (floor load width is zero) as all load is applied from the supported joists. Note that the left support of the bearer is another beam. Again, this beam can be de-signed by the professional Level user, as a single member onto the other supporting beam, and that mem-ber also will receive the loads from the balcony, load bearing wall and FJ1 joist … The limitations of this feature are only within the imagination of the designer.

Professional design - Multiple supported members:
The above example is extended further here, by design of a bearer supporting the end of joists FJ1 and FJ2, and with a load bearing wall parallel above. Using the size constraints, the bearer is kept to a size only marginally deeper than the joists, so that it can be concealed within the floor space. Note that there are 2 members supported, and in fact, the limit on the number of supported members, and other cross refer-ences, additional loads, etc., is only limited by the available computer memory. In our beta testing and use by several truss plants and engineers, we have not yet found the limitations of complexity.

professional design- Wall Frame & Lintel Schedules:
The Professional Level design also covers wall frames, for up to 3 storeys. Ribbon plates are incorporated into the design. As an example, you can marry a A17 hardwood ribbon plate to an MGP12 Top Plate, and the design will use the combination of the 2 plates. This can be extremely useful for heavy loads under girder trusses, or in cyclonic wind areas. Also included is a lintel schedule, which allows the designer to specify all the lintels in the building, and incorporates the jamb studs and window sills into the same set. Therefore, each opening will specify all the elements of the opening, grouped together. A lintel can be a simple standard lintel, or a TG Lintel or Girder Lintel. Therefore, the jamb studs will be sized to also include the effects of these special loads on the lintel.

Independent Timber Products:
Our software includes products from the major Australian manufacturers and suppliers. Therefore, you no longer need to swap programs for each product you specify—simply use this one independent package.
Truss Plants and Timber Suppliers: One program to provide you with all the section sizes you need for all projects you supply.
Engineers and Building Designers: Don’t have the client coming back saying where they buy, they don’t supply what you specified—with our program, you can provide all the local common products as options.

Web Services Keep You up-to-Date:
If you are connected to the web, then the front screen contains text that is updated regularly from our web site. Keep up-to-date with Australian code changes, program updates and bug fixes, and learn about new features and locations and dates for training courses.
As all Australian designers know, only too well, there are always changes to codes and products available on the market. As these changes occur, we have to update the program, and the extensive product and data files. For registered users, who have a current subscription account, these changes are free, including advanced program updates.

various design code formats:
In Australia, at present, we have conflicting design codes created due to timing between code releases. The loading codes and timber codes, in fact, conflict with the light timber framing code, in many areas. As the light timber framing code is restricted to residential domestic building up to 2 storey, there are also limitations for the designer. Therefore, we have provided you, the user, with a choice. Design a residential building in accordance with AS1684.1, 1999 or use full engineering principles, and design in accordance with the loading and timber codes, and using only the serviceability recommendations from AS1684.1. As a designer, this permits you to extend your design field beyond the strict limitations of AS1684.

where has the program come from?
Over the past 10 years, we have been involved in the development of software for the some of the major timber producers in Australia, and overseas. The programs have been a progressive development of engi-neering techniques for design, and new innovations in user involvement. Our software path is driven by the fact that we are engineers and designers ourselves, and the therefore users of our own software.
Along this progressive development, we always have had in plan a timber (and steel) manufacturer inde-pendent program. Some manufacturers in the past have stopped others using their products. However, our software, even in its beta form, has created such demand by the users to the manufacturers, that they have provided us with permission to use their products, even those we don’t write software for.

The limitations and combinations go way beyond what can be shown here. Ask your QuickDesign supplier for more information, or contact us direct.
Other features not shown include floor void design, roof elements, including rafters, hip rafters, battens, purlins and beams, as well as lower storey frames, hanging beams, ceiling joists, … the list goes on. As the manufacturer supplied programs are generally given away free of charge, we have been forced to create a design program far in advance of the free versions. Our aim was to create the program that we could use in our design office, and increase our productivity beyond what we could do with the free versions. This program gives us confidence in the designs produced, we have confidence that the solutions are correct, given correct in-put, of course, and our design time per project has reduced, increasing our profit margin.