I am working on the design of a timber frame home. I am wondering what is the best way to design and show the frame itself.

Thank you

I have home design professional 21. Version 21.0.8 (210907.1)

Thanks

So...I have created the entire home using 2 separate work around methods to create and display the timber frame. I upgraded to the pro version hoping there was a better solution.

For the first method I created the frame out of walls with large door openings so that just the "posts" and the ends, and the "beams" at the top remained. I placed outer walls which would represent the SIPS. This showed some of the basic structure, but the knee braces were missing. I changed it to use shaped window openings to represent the knee braces, but they weren't accurate or consistent. It looks bad in the 3D renderings and it didn't allow me to be sure the windows would be in the right place as far as the braces were concerned. The program would also get confused because I had 2 walls, only the outer one was truly a wall.

The second method a created the frame on a floor between the basement and first floor. Doing this kept the element of the frame out of the same plan as the SIPS and made design of the actual floorpan easier. To create a post with knee braces, I used three 8" x 8" "walls" stacked on top of each other, 1 straight and 2 half hip to represent the knee braces. To create the beams, I would elevate an 8" wide by 10" high wall to put on top of the "posts". This allowed me to model the frame in a more realistic way so I could see windows and doors relative to the braces. However, this method was quite cumbersome and difficult to edit. Plus the "beams" appear hollow, because they are elevated walls and the program doesn't render them as a solid object.

When I got the upgraded version I did create a couple of solid wood beams in the framing tab to try and do the frame. This seemed logical enough. It does not give me a way to show a beam at an angle to represent the knee braces. Most importantly, you don't see the frame in the final renderings, which is the point of having a timber frame. It also wouldn't be useful for planning and showing the placement of doors and windows.

So is there a more appropriate way to design and display a timber frame in the program?

Dining and living room.jpg (52kb) downloaded 7 time(s).
Living room with fireplace.jpg (42kb) downloaded 6 time(s).
MR Frame mockup.jpg (60kb) downloaded 9 time(s).