SIMPLE HOMES / RIGID COMPONENT SYSTEMS
[00] FRAMECAST BETA PROGRAM PILOT

Send us your plan set.
Get a full framing model back.

FrameCast is the software we built to estimate our own jobs. It reads the architectural and structural PDFs and models the wood framing: studs, plates, headers, joists and sheathing. Now we want to see how it does on other people's projects.

You don't pay anything up front. Once you have the results, pay what you think they were worth, or nothing if they didn't help.

Submit a project See what you get

We're Rigid Component Systems, a truss and wall panel plant in Colorado, in business since 1974. Early work on FrameCast was funded by a U.S. Department of Energy R&D grant.

MULTIFAMILY PROJECT · MODELED FROM THE PDF DRAWING SET
[01] WHAT YOU GET

You get four things back, all built from the same model.

01

3D project viewer

A link that opens the model in your browser. Spin it, look at it in plan or elevation, turn levels on and off, cut sections, and color it by wall type, grade or treatment. Click any stud or sheet to see how it was counted in the takeoff.

02

Excel takeoff

Framing and sheathing quantities by level and spec, in Excel and CSV. Anything we couldn't resolve, like a missing grade, gets its own line so you can see it.

03

IFC model

The full framing model as an IFC file, so you can open it in Revit, Archicad, Navisworks or whatever BIM software you use.

04

Assumptions register

A list of every call we made on grades, stud spacing, headers and sheathing. Each one points to the drawing sheet it came from and is marked as one of the four types below.

HOW EACH ITEM IN THE REGISTER IS TAGGED
PPlan requirement. Stated in the drawings.
UYour direction. Something you told us to do.
AOur assumption. A judgment call where the drawings didn't say.
OOpen item. Still needs to be checked with the design team.

This is for estimating. It isn't engineering or a production release. Hardware, connectors, labor and pricing aren't in the takeoff, and the register spells out what each project covers.

[02] HOW IT WORKS

We're only taking a few projects.

01

Submit your plans

Send the architectural and structural sets, plus specs if you have them, and fill out the short form.

02

We pick a few

We read every submission and choose the ones that will push FrameCast the hardest. You'll hear from us within 48 hours either way.

03

We model it and check it

FrameCast builds the model. Our design team goes through it and writes down every assumption and open question.

04

You get the outputs

We send the viewer, takeoff, IFC file and register, then get on a short call to hear what was right and what wasn't.

[03] WHAT IT COSTS

Nothing up front.
Only pay what you think the output is worth.

Why do it this way? Right now we care more about feedback than revenue. FrameCast has improved a lot in the last few months, and our own jobs only teach us so much. We need real projects from people who will tell us where it's wrong. So there's no charge up front. Once you have the viewer, takeoff, IFC file and register, pay what the output was worth to you, or nothing if it didn't help. If you want a reference point, the form can show what outside takeoff services usually charge for a project that size.

[04] WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Projects that fit

We only have room for a few, so these help.

  • 01Wood-framed, in the US, 100,000 SF or less. Anything from a single-family house to mid-rise multifamily.
  • 02A full drawing set. Architectural and structural, plus specs if you have them.
  • 03A real job. Something you're bidding or building now.
  • 04Something to compare against, if you have it. Your own takeoff, a supplier's, or what actually got used on a finished job. Not required, but it helps a lot.
[05] APPLY

Submit a project

Upload the plans or paste a download link, and we'll get back to you within 48 hours.

QUESTIONS · FRAMECAST@ROOFTRUSS.COM

Required. For plans, either upload the PDFs or paste a link.

    More about the project (optional)
    What's in the set
    Your item master, naming conventions, waste factors, grade or spacing rules, scope inclusions and exclusions. PDF, Excel, CSV, Word or text.
      How we handle your files: see our privacy page.
      NOTHING DUE UP FRONT
      [06] FAQ

      Questions

      Who is behind FrameCast?

      Rigid Component Systems. We make trusses and wall panels in Mead and Longmont, Colorado, and have since 1974. Early work on FrameCast was funded by a U.S. Department of Energy R&D grant, and we now use it on our own estimates.

      What happens to my drawings?

      We use them to build your outputs and to improve FrameCast, and nothing else. They're stored privately, and only our staff and the companies that host and process them for us can get to them. We never sell or license your drawings, project details or numbers, and we won't name you or show your project without your written OK. If you want your files deleted, ask and we'll do it within 30 days.

      How long does it take?

      You'll hear from us within 48 hours. If we pick your project, we'll give you a delivery date then.

      Do I have to buy components from RCS?

      No. You don't have to order trusses or panels from us. If you want a quote off the same model, just ask.

      How does payment work?

      Nothing is billed up front. After you have everything, we'll ask what it was worth to you. Any amount is fine, including nothing.

      Is the model ready to build from?

      No. It's for estimating. Open items are flagged in the register, and the drawings and your engineer of record always govern.