*ZIMMERER* - Roof Design with APL

Transcribed from the printed issue; not yet reviewed. Read it in the PDF of the issue, page 68

ZIMMERER is tailored for craftsmen (they are called "Zimmermann" or "Zimmerer" in German) building timber frame houses and roofs. The first version was sold in 1988: MicroAPL-based running on Atari Computers (at 8 Mhz!). A Windows Version (DyalogAPL) was introduced in 1993.

ZIMMERER attempts to satisfy the software needs of a typical small business, all integrated in one piece of software.

Tender¶

• rapid entry of "in-about" construction
• lists of all items required for bidding
• formal printouts

Construction¶

• Starting with macros

• "visual" elaboration of details in CAD-style:

  Each individual beam can be modified

  Groups of beams can be modified in a uniform way

  Openings (e.g. for chimneys or windows) can be set in one pass

  Connections between different types of beams and/or different parts of the roof (Lap Joints, Tenon, Mortise, Drillings) can be set

  Colliding beams can be fitted

  The overall Contour can be modified and and beams fit into it - Produces 10 different technical plans with all required measurements - 3D-graphics (choice of vector graphics with hidden line detection – ideal for high res printing; or pixel graphics using openGL – ideal for visualisation

• Allows interfacing with other systems, including various brands of CNC-Sawing Machinery (via DXF and custom formats)

Billing¶

• provides lists needed for billing: lumber cut and other material
• standard price tables and invoice writing (using RichEdit with RTF-templates)

ZIMMERER has a live-update feature included, to download a patch-workspace.