I sometimes wonder if I am at risk of becoming the truss designer version of the grouchy old man that sits on the front porch yelling at the neighborhood kids to “get off my lawn.” When I hear some newer designer criticize the limitations of today’s truss layout and design software, I can’t help but smile thinking of just how far the industry has come.
My experience in the truss world goes back nearly 40 years now, long enough ago that there were no 2D layout programs available, let alone the 3D computer models we all take for granted now. Current software from any of the major suppliers does an amazing job, almost without fail, at solving the complex geometry involved in filling the void between the ceiling planes and roof planes with geometrically correct roof trusses. But, does that change the fundamental skills needed by a great, or even good, truss designer?
Wind the clock back 35 years or more, and you would likely find that most truss roofs were significantly less complex than what we see routinely today.
You want a gable roof? Absolutely, we can look into that. You’d like to change the ends to be hips rather than gables? Well, ok, we can do that too. Perhaps some scissor trusses to create a vaulted ceiling somewhere in the middle? Yes, we’ll do that, but we’d really prefer that you don’t push it by asking for some inverted (scissored) hips at the same time, and let’s not talk about attic trusses if you please.
Not only were our truss plants awaiting the arrival of automated saws and jigging systems that would reduce the challenge of building ever more complex roof systems, but good truss designers relied almost equally on rudimentary truss cutting software, a good scientific calculator with which to check and calculate member lengths and angles, a pencil and drafting square, and a bottle of liquid whiteout to make the inevitable corrections needed to the computer output. The thought of being able to create a 3D model and have the computer tell you what the trusses filling that model would look like seemed like a fairy tale. Want to know where the pitch break is on the third hip truss back in that dual pitch hip end? Better check the batteries on your calculator.
Now, I rely heavily on my layout software to look after almost all of the geometry “grunt work,” and I can focus more on creating designs that are good for our shop, and hopefully good for the framer who has to install them in the field. I do catch myself sometimes though putting too much faith in the tool and not enough in my own judgement. It is still a key piece of a designer’s skill set to translate the 2D architectural drawings into a 3D computer model that accurately represents the desired structure. And perhaps just as important is the ability to recognize that, in some cases, our friendly architect has drawn pictures that can’t be created in either the virtual 3D world or the real world of the job site.
Someone once told me that the most important rule to understand about any piece of computer software is that it is “A high speed idiot.” Despite huge advances in truss software over my career, I try to end each day confident about which side of the computer monitor the idiot is sitting on.
If you want help finding that next perfect component designer or design job in Canada, please contact me. If your work is in the mass timber world anywhere in North America, I’d love to talk to you about connecting you to that next great job or candidate. You can reach me at secord@thejobline.com, or 800-289-5627 ext. 2. I’m also happy to engage at LinkedIn.com/in/geordiesecord.