Changing Joist Directions

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

I want to change the direction of floor or ceiling joists in a certain area of my plan, how can this be done?

ANSWER

You can specify the direction that the joists build using a Joist Direction Line, however this will force all the joists sharing a floor platform area (i.e., all relevant floor or ceiling at the same elevation) to build in the direction specified. To break up the direction joists build without changing the elevation of your floors or ceilings, place a Bearing Line along with multiple Joist Direction Lines to manually control the direction the joists generate.

To draw Bearing and Joist Direction Lines

In this example, a simple four-walled structure will be used. By default, the joists build in one direction throughout the structure.

1. Select Build> Framing> Bearing Line  and draw a line where you want the joist direction to change.
   
   
   
2. Then select Build> Framing> Joist Direction  and draw two lines, one on either side of the Bearing Line.
   
   
   
   
   Note: It is important to remember that framing builds for the ceiling, or sub-floor, above the currently selected floor. For example, to control the framing of the floor joists of Floor 1, these lines must be drawn on Floor 0.
   
   
   
3. Lastly, go to Build> Framing> Build Framing  and set the appropriate floor or ceiling framing to build.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Select 3D> Create Perspective View> Perspective Framing Overview to see the results.