Release Notes

We’re excited to introduce three new screw connection details in the CLT Toolbox that will revolutionize mass timber connection design:

1. CLT Half-Lap Joint

2. CLT Spline Joint

3. CLT Butt Joint

Developed in collaboration with leading screw suppliers, these new connection calculators are designed to significantly simplify and accelerate the process for the most commonly used CLT panel connections, including both floor-to-floor and wall-to-wall joints. With enhanced supplier flexibility for both CLT and screw producers, engineers can now achieve fast, reliable results for various screw types based on in-plane forces. To ensure every user has the opportunity to experience these advancements, these connection details will be available to all users for free for the next month.

• Screw Supplier Flexibility: Quickly access solutions for all of our screw suppliers with the flexibility to manually input data for non-standard options.
• CLT Supply Chain Flexibility: Customize connections with standardised panels or manual layups and grades, ensuring maximum precision.
• Dynamic Visuals: Easily visualize solutions and generate construction-ready details with our dynamic imagery.
• Detailed Results: Obtain detailed calculations with all intermediate steps, tailored to the selected code and supplier specifics (ETAs).
• In-Depth Mechanism Understanding: Enhance your designs with insights into different mechanism types through the European Yield Model.
• Comprehensive PDF Reports: Effortlessly generate and share detailed reports for review or documentation purposes.”

Effortlessly generate and share detailed reports for review or documentation purposes.

Your valuable feedback has helped us identify and resolve several issues, ensuring a smoother experience:

• CLT Floor Ambient Calculator: Resolved an issue where custom grades and layups would appear blank when accessing saved calculators, making it easier to retrieve and use your saved configurations.
• Manual CLT Layups Enhancement: Improved the accuracy and ease of selecting floor layups with custom grades and layers.<

We’re committed to continuously improving our tools to enhance your engineering workflows. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the new features—available free for the next month. Thank you for your ongoing support and contributions!”

We’re excited to unveil the latest additions to the CLT Toolbox, designed to push the boundaries of mass timber connection design. Our team has been hard at work for the past 8 months, and we’re proud to introduce three powerful screw calculator modules:

1. Axially Loaded Screw Connection Module

2. Laterally Loaded Timber-To-Timber Connection Module

3. Laterally Loaded Steel-to-Timber Connection Module

These new modules are packed with features to make your design process more efficient and intuitive:

• Three Independent Modules: Tailor-made for all custom and non-typical screw connections.
• Dynamic Imagery: Visualize applied forces and geometries with our compact, dynamic images.
• Educational Drop-Downs: Learn as you design with comprehensive educational resources.
• Supplier Toggling: Seamlessly switch between onboarded screw products. Over the coming weeks we’ll be announcing our connection suppliers on the platform. However, you can check our the screw suppliers & etas available on the app if you want to check it out early
• Manual Input: Flexibility to input data for other suppliers.
• Detailed Results: Get precise calculations based on Eurocode 5, selected ETAs, or AS1720 standards.
• Vertical or Inclined Screws: Maximize connection capacity with the option to design for vertical or inclined screws (available in the Axial module).
• Comprehensive PDF Reports: Easily generate and share detailed reports with references.

Screw connections can be complex due to varying supplier products, load transfer mechanisms, and evolving standards. Our new screw modules address these challenges by offering maximum flexibility, clarity, and accuracy in your designs.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to enhance your engineering workflows!

We are thrilled to announce the latest enhancements to our CLT Toolbox, delivering powerful new tools and improvements to enhance your engineering workflows. This release brings improved functionality, enhanced user experience, and expanded material databases to streamline your engineering workflows. Here’s what’s new:

Over the coming week, we’re going to be sharing a lot about our new dowel calculators. Here is a short summary of our new Large Dowel/Bolt Calculators with improved functionality and user experience:

• 17 Different Scenarios depending on geometry, material and applied forces for solving the most complex Mass Timber Connections across the globe.
• PDF Report Generation: Easily generate and share detailed reports.
• Updated Chart with Callout Information: Enhanced charts with callouts for better data visualization.
• Foldable Input Form: Streamlined input forms for a more intuitive user interface.
• Implemented Internal Feedback: Refinements based on user feedback for improved accuracy and usability.
• Material Type Settings: Choose between GLT, LVL, and SG.
• Design Code Accessibility: Design methods are available for New Zealand, Eurocode 5,  AS1720 and New Eurocode 5 (final draft 2023) standards.

Enhancements to the 4 Timber Failure Module Calculator include:

• Feedback Implementation: Updates based on user suggestions to improve functionality.
• Design check fixes and Educational features improvements.
• Foldable UI Update: A more user-friendly interface with collapsible sections.
• Additional Fixes: Improved information display and accuracy.

Our material grade database has been expanded and updated to provide more comprehensive data:

• GLT Grade Update: Latest updates for GLT materials including regional features.
• LVL Database: Inclusion of LVL material grades.
• SG Database: Inclusion of SG material grades.
• Region and Design Code Specific Grades: Availability of grades based on regional and design code requirements.

To enhance navigation and usability, we’ve made several UI updates:

• Dashboard Menu for Member Design: A new dashboard menu to streamline member design tasks.
• Dashboard Menu for Connection Details: Enhanced navigation for connection details.
• Calculator and Project List Creation: Simplified creation and management of calculators and project lists.
• New User Notifications: New look for all notifications to keep users informed about updates and important information.

Thanks to the invaluable feedback from our user community, we’ve identified and resolved several issues:

• CLT Wall Fire Calculator – Flat Chart and PDF Report: Fixed issues with flat charts and PDF report generation.
• CLT Shear Wall Calculator – Double Input: Resolved a bug causing double inputs.
• GLT Beam Calculator – Deflection Calculation according to the Eurocode 5: Corrected deflection calculation issues when using Eurocode.
• CLT Floor Ambient Calculator - Loading saved calculator fix: Bug resolved causing issues with loading save CLT Floor Ambient Calculations.

Our commitment to continuous improvement drives us to regularly update and refine our tools, ensuring a seamless and efficient user experience. Thank you for your continued support and feedback. ”

The ability to quickly assess CLT slab notches is critical for instances where a saving on depth is required between floors. The CLT Notch calculator includes a compression, tension & shear check. The shear check includes the multiple options to choose from as a user. 

 The shear check includes Eurocode 5, Proholz Guidance & the KLH eta (one of our partners on the platform).

The GLT notch calculator provides comprehensive checks at the GLT connections with notches. The calculator is based on prEN1995.1.1 & AS1720 with checks for tension parallel to the grain & shear. Users simply dynamically use inputs including the GLT supplier, grades, beam/column dimensions, notch depths & inclinations in order to review output calculations. 

Force At Angle Calculator: Recognizing the complexities in structural engineering connections subjected to forces at various angles, this calculator facilitates the detailed analysis of such scenarios.  

Angled forces, which may be either compressive or tensile, can lead to uneven stress distribution and localized points of weakness in mass timber buildings. This tool simulates stress distributions resulting from angled forces, enabling designers to visualize and refine their designs for enhanced stability and integrity. It incorporates the guidelines from prEN 1995.1.1:2023 and AS1720.1, ensuring compliance with current standards and best practices. 

Users have some bugs on the platform which have been pointed out from users. As a company, we take the opportunity to impro 

• CLT Floor Custom Layup: The requirement for a value in every cell of the custom layup for CLT Floor configurations has been addressed and resolved. 
• CLT Floor Input Forces: The issue with CLT Floor input forces not functioning correctly has been fixed. 
• Duplicate Calculator: The bug affecting the Duplicate Calculator’s operation has been successfully corrected. 
• Regional Features Enhancement: The implementation of regional features, including location-based enablement and specific grades, has been improved and is now functioning as intended. 

We extend our gratitude to our user community for their valuable feedback, which has greatly contributed to these bug fixes. We are committed to enhancing our internal processes to further reduce software bugs and improve user experience. 

In response, we’ve had an internsive review across the platform and are putting dedicated team members on bugs. 

We’re beyond excited to share this with you. In the background, we’ve been listening to our users and aware that connections are one of the most important aspects of the platform. Our first two conenctions include: 

We’re beyond excited to share this with you. In the background, we’ve been listening to our users and aware that connections are one of the most important aspects of the platform. Our first two conenctions include: 

We’re beyond excited to share this with you. In the background, we’ve been listening to our users and aware that connections are one of the most important aspects of the platform. Our first two conenctions include: 

We’re in the processs of a complete overhaul of the UI & UX of the app. We’re shooting to be as intuitive and fun to play around with as possible. This release has the major baulk of the update, but the rest can be expected pretty soon also.  

All of our calcualtors have undergone the facelift upgrade.  

Exciting news! We’re rolling out the CLT Toolbox 2.0 architecture. This is a significant leap forward in creating modular calculators. Our first big win? An enhanced UI that’s live now! 

Check it out on the current CLT floor calculators and share your feedback. 

We’ve got an update for suppliers using double-stacked lamellas. Now, our platform supports the same orientation in CLT layups, particularly for KLH, Xlam Dolomiti, and CUSP. Plus, there’s a new manual input option for double lamella, boosting software optimization and performance across the supply chain. 

We’re bridging the gap between engineers and suppliers worldwide. Here’s what’s new and what’s coming: 

Now Available: 

• Tailoring supplier availability based on user location. 

• Flexible grading options for manual inputs, giving designers more freedom. 

In Progress: 

• A units converter for US users. 

• Integration of major global design codes and European National Annexes. 

Introducing to you the latest update of CLT Toolbox, Ver 0.0.7. This is a significant upgrade ahead of tomorrow’s public launch of the software. 

We encourage you to play around with the new education features and calculator improvements. This major upgrade includes: 

This is available with features such as: 

• Basic connection input enabled with due consideration for hold-down and angle bracket capacity. 

• Details on wall geometry, sliding friction, and connector types. 

• In-plane shear capacity referencing both FP Innovations and Proholz. 

We’ve more than doubled the content in our educational drop-downs, providing additional clarifying context around each input. We encourage you to explore all dropdowns, but specifically: 

• Analytical techniques such as Shear Analogy, Gamma, and Extended Gamma. 

• Various vibration methodologies. 

• In-depth design data resources 

In line with our commitment to quality, tools undergo rigorous third-party reviews. Post-review, calculators transition from beta status. We’re pleased to announce that the GLT Beam, GLT Column, and GLT Penetration Calculators have successfully completed this process. 

Our team has been meticulously refining each calculator in preparation for this launch. Updates span across modules like Crushing, Floor Fire, Wall Ambient, Wall Fire, Beam Penetration, Floor Fire Point Load, and Floor Point Load Ambient. 

Thank you for your continued support.  We invite you to explore these new features and improvements. 

Tomorrow, you’ll hear from us again about our launch by email :)!

The CLT Toolbox team is excited to bring you the latest round of major updates to our software, enhancing your design experience and making it more powerful. In version 0.0.6, released today, we’ve focused on new calculators, maintenance and back-end improvements, ensuring that your calculations are more accurate and user-friendly than ever before. We’re moving as fast as we can ahead of our public launch on October 23

Wall Fire Calculator: This calculator combines the fire module with wall design, both for AS1720 and Eurocode 5.  You can select framing type (platform or balloon), one or two sided fire exposure, glue line, and more.    

Crushing Calculator: This is a simple calculator that enables the user to design for timber crushing for AS1720 and Eurocode 5.   

You can begin playing with these new calculator straight away :). Let us know what you think.  

Our CLT and GLT calculators have undergone a thorough maintenance update, which includes:   

Reference and Label Updates: We believe clarity is key in design, so we’ve improved the clarity and accuracy of labels and references throughout the calculators. Now, users can quickly locate the information they need with ease.   

Enhanced Educational Content: Understanding the design mechanisms is crucial. We’ve added more educational content to assist you in grasping the nuances of structural design. This means that you not only get accurate results but also gain valuable insights into the process.    

Section Modulus Calculation: We’ve updated the section modulus calculation for both ambient and fire cases. There was a boundary condition that we needed to solve for dynamically to improve the calculation.   

Scaled Chart: The charts on the column calculator now provide a more accurate representation, making it easier to visualize your design parameters and understand their impact.  

Critical Layer Calculation: We’ve improved the critical layer calculation for the CLT Floor Fire calculator.

While the calculators themselves have seen significant improvements, we’ve also made important enhancements behind the scenes to enhance your user experience:    

Improved User Sign-Up Process: We understand that your time is valuable, so we’ve simplified the sign-up process to make it smoother for new users. This means less time spent on administrative tasks and more time for what truly matters – designing.   

Error Logs: Our inclusion of error logs allows us to identify and address bugs promptly. By providing us with valuable feedback through these logs, you’re contributing to a more stable and reliable platform for all users.  

Preparing Screw Database for Upcoming Connection Calculators:  Our team is diligently preparing a comprehensive screw database to support the upcoming connection calculators. This database will streamline your connection design process and save you valuable time.    

Improving Education Feature to Load on Demand: We’re working on an improvement that will allow educational content to load on demand. This means you can access relevant information precisely when you need it, enhancing your understanding of structural design principles.  

Added Video Tutorial Upon First Sign-In: We understand that everyone has their preferred learning style. To cater to visual learners, we’ve added video tutorials. When you sign in for the first time, you’ll have the option to access these tutorials, providing step-by-step guidance on how to make the most of CLT Toolbox.  

We’re thrilled to introduce our most recent update, CLT Toolbox Version 0.0.5, featuring our inaugural calculators for “in-plane design” of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) – starting with the CLT Beam Calculator. 

ProHolz Vol. 1_5.8 : Our calculator takes into account three critical failure mechanisms: shearing failure at the board joint, shear failure at the glued surface intersection, and shear failure of the entire plate.   

FP Innovations 2019_3.8.2 Support: This optional methodology incorporates three distinct failure modes—FM I and II, which relate to shear failures along different grain directions, and FM III, involving more complex shear failures.   

Research-Backed: Our calculator is enriched by the latest research, including a 2017 study by Danielsson et al., as cited in FP Innovations 2019.   

These design mechanisms will soon be extended to our diaphragm and shear wall calculators as well. 

Autosave is Here: Thanks to valuable feedback from our beta users, we’ve introduced an autosave feature. Your work will now be saved automatically, providing you an extra layer of comfort if you forget to click “save” yourself!  

Our team, and capacity to build incredibly software is increasing. So please let us know what you want to see.  

Thanks again to all the beta users. We’re excited to soon move out of our successful beta program into public availability.

We are excited to share with you that our latest update, CLT Toolbox Version 0.0.4, is now live!

As always, we want to say thank you to all of our Beta users and to our community for continuing to provide useful feedback and ideas for improvements. 

Most excitingly in this update, we have introduced perhaps our most advanced calculator yet – the GLT Beam Penetration Calculator, as well and some improved core functionality. 

• New “Duplicate Calculator” feature 

• Improvement to the “Automated Solver” feature, improved logic and faster run time 

• Design to Revised Eurocode 2025 or New Zealand Wood Design Guide 2020 

• Complete with dynamic image for geometric location check 

• Solve for reinforced, unreinforced, square or circular 

Beam penetration is currently something that is very technical and hard to solve. We hope that you have a lot of fun playing with the new streamlined way of designing!   

As always, keen to hear your feedback. 

Sincerely,

We’re thrilled to announce that our newest update, CLT Toolbox Ver0.0.3, is now live and ready for your exploration! 

In this version, we’ve introduced a much-awaited calculator, deployed features based on popular demand, and addressed known bugs for a more streamlined experience. 

CLT Floor Fire Point Load: Following the introduction of the ambient case in our previous update, we have now linked our char design module to create a dynamic point load location for an FRL. The design can cater to both simply supported and two-span unequal designs. 

New Layup on Wall Design: Giving you more control in your designs, we’ve enabled the option to design CLT from first principles, moving beyond pre-defined layups. This popular request has now been fulfilled across all CLT calculators. 

Edit Project and Calculator Name: With this update, users can now edit titles of their calculations, offering much-needed flexibility. This was one of our most requested features!   

Design Updates: We’ve enhanced the look of our registration page. Though existing users won’t be affected by this change, it makes for a more welcoming entry point for newcomers.   

We’re also excited to share that we’re expanding our team and opening offices in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Semarang, Indonesia. This expansion is aimed at increasing our capabilities and making mass timber design as accessible as possible for your projects. 

As our beta program continues, we encourage you to experiment with the updated software and share your experiences and feedback with us. Your input is crucial to our development, and we’re eager to hear what you think.   

Thank you for your support and for being an integral part of our CLT Toolbox community. 

Sincerely,

We are excited to share with you that our latest update, CLT Toolbox Ver0.0.2, is now live. With this release, we have introduced new features, made enhancements to our calculators, and addressed bugs to improve your overall experience. 

Floor Point Load: Point load design with dynamic images, to Proholz Volume 2 (CL4.5.2).  

Connection Calculator Create Page: We have the “preview” to indicate how we’re working to layout the connections. (No connection calculators are ready yet) 

Beam Design: We’ve addressed and resolved a bug that previously caused issues in changing fire data. 

Floor Fire & Floor Ambient: Both calculators have been upgraded to enable the use of our new layup. 

Wall Design: This calculator has also been updated to enable the use of the new layup.

Discussion Feature: Share ideas, ask questions and engage in meaningful discussions with your team, with the introduction of our discussion feature at the project level. 

Broadcast Feature: This update was delivered, with this broadcast feature :).  

Stripe Payment: For a smooth and secure transaction experience, we’ve enabled Stripe payments for new users. 

User Notification Preferences: Customize and manage your notifications according to your preferences. 

We strongly encourage you to update to CLT Toolbox Ver 0.0.2 and take full advantage of these enhancements. As always, your feedback is highly valuable to us. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts or report any issues you may come across.