Contents
- 1 Construct-Roof
- 2 Roof Defaults
- 3 Verandah/Porch
- 4 Smart-Lines
- 4.1 Track Eaves
- 4.2 Draw Roof Line Freehand
- 4.3 Intersect Two Plane (Intersect Pl-Pl)
- 4.4 Trim Line to Corner
- 4.5 Trim Line to Z Line
- 4.6 Trim Line
- 4.7 Mirror
- 4.8 Divide Line
- 4.9 Change Line Type
- 4.10 Auto Roof
- 4.11 Plane Edge – Add Point
- 4.12 Generate Planes
- 4.13 Flood Fill
- 4.14 Insert Plane
- 4.15 Show/ Hide Planes
- 4.16 Remove Geometry
- 4.17 Multi-Trim Lines
- 4.18 Rotate-2D
- 5 Gable
- 6 Multi-Hip
- 7 Curved
- 8 Section
- 9 2D Roof Design
- 10 Calc Adjacent Pitch
- 11 Measure Pitch from Oblique Aerial Image
- 12 Recover Outline
- 13 Roof Outline Template
- 14 Copy Array
- 15 Group Menu
Construct-Roof
This is usually where each estimating and quoting job starts – creating the 3D CAD model. We use a 3D model because it provides verifiable accuracy for our quotation. If the model is correct, then our take-off will be correct. We can start with the most rudimentary information such as a sketch, an architect’s plan or even an image from a satellite or a drone. With the tools described here, there is no roof that we cannot create a 3D model for – while most will be easy to do, others might be difficult. Even the most difficult are usually a series of simple roofs.
Work through the learning materials so that you know how to model anything that can be built. You can’t learn and successfully implement Roof Wizard by ‘clicking and hoping’. Go to the AppliCad Academy and get stuck into the online training course. It works!
It should be noted that we have also provided a set of tools for creating ‘models’ in 2D. While this sounds counter intuitive for a 3D modelling system, we have a few customers who prefer to work in 2D, and we have also had jobs that simply cannot be built, but an estimate is still required. So we draw them in 2D and the quantities will be calculated based on the pitch, as if they were actually a 3D model. The downside of this is the loss of model integrity and the checking that we can do on a 3D model.
Track Outline Option
The creation of the outline or perimeter from which the roof geometry is created may be developed by digitising or tracing an underlay image (aerial image or PDF of and Architect’s plan) or by ‘tracking’ the outline using actual measurements, or a combination of both. The outline can be a wall perimeter measurement (and eave overhang is added later) or an eave perimeter measurement (with zero overhang). It can result in a single plane roof or a complex fully hipped roof.
The units of measure are whatever you have set during the install of the software – metric or imperial, and may be changed as requried.
When you select the Track-Outline command, the software prompts whether you wish to start with a previous incomplete outline. This occurs so that you can recover if you made a mistake and cancelled before the outline you were defining was complete, or one of your perimeter measurements was incorrectly input. Instead of redoing the entire job, recover the outline and change the one line that was incorrect.
Selecting [Yes] takes you to where you left off. [No] takes you to the default start of the track process from the job origin (at X,Y coordinates of 0,0) and the Wall Direction and Distance dialog box is displayed.
‘Full’ dialog display
This dialog has been designed to allow you to quickly and efficiently enter the outline of the wall or roof based on a variety of inputs.
The Track Outline dialog, along with many other larger and sometimes more complex dialog boxes, has two modes – a Full display and a Simple display. [More] and [Less] buttons to hide the less used functions of the software until you need them. This cleans the interface up and provides a simple user experience for first-time users.
‘Simple’ dialog display
Note: The dialog box shows two fields labelled as Direction and Distance. The direction is a cardinal bearing starting at 0o – UP the screen, clockwise through 180o – DOWN the screen, and back up to 0/360o. The distance simply relates to the length of the line defining the eave/wall.
The accelerator buttons on the right hand side, are predefined directions with the following values, based on up the screen being 0o:
Note: You can also use the letters U, D, L and R in the distance field to quickly get up, down, left and right directions. For example, you can enter R5000 or R5M in the distance field to get a eave/wall line length defined as right 5000.
You simply click the appropriate accelerator button, enter the distance and a new wall segment is drawn on the screen. You can enter a new wall by selecting the Enter key or clicking the Insert button.
If you make a mistake with a value, click the Stepback button. You can undo a Stepback operation by clicking the Stepforward button. You can step forward as many segments as you stepped back.
When you have finished locating the wall lines, click the Close button. This displays the Select the close method dialog which helps you select the type of close method you want from the current line end point to the first digitised point. This will then display the Close dialog box from which you select a close method. You are then returned to the Wall Direction and Distance dialog box.
Direction Option
The direction option is tied to the notion of Up, Down, Left and Right, but instead of using these you use a bearing angle as suggested above, up = 0° and down = 180° etc. This permits you to insert wall directions that are not square.
Distance
The distance is the length of the line in the direction specified and the units of measure are determined by the settings you have selected under System-Preferences – either metric or imperial units. Examples of distance are: in metric – 8M; 8000 (base units are millimetres when in metric); in Imperial – 26’2″ or 314″ or 26.17′.
As a time saving device, enter the letter “U” for up, “D” for down, “L” for left or “R” for right, in front of the length of the wall or eave line required. Then click enter.
On this job, you could have typed in U8000 {Enter} R8000 {Enter} U8000 {Enter} R8000 {Enter} and then Close the outline as a Square. You may also simply type C (short-cut for close square){Enter} in the distance field on the dialogue. You can also input U8m indicating metres or 8000mm if you’re working in Metric.
Pitch/Radius/Bulge Option
The pitch button is where the pitch is inserted and the units of measure for pitch are determined by the settings you have defined – degrees, slope (n:12) or percentage slope (% = n:100).
The drop down field offers alternate options for Radius which allows for the creation of a line whose length is determined by the chord length of an arc and Bulge, the depth of the chord. These situations occur when a so called ‘curved’ roof is to be covered with a metal panel or sheet that is rolled as a flat sheet and ‘walked’ onto the roof and fixed as it is installed. This is also known in some circles as a ‘sprung’ roof.
When Radius is displayed, the field next to Radius is the radius of the arc of the roof. When Pitch is displayed, the field next to Pitch is the pitch of the roof.
This allows a quick and easy way to create a rectangle that would be the roof area if the arc roof was pressed flat. Since the sheets are ordered this way (that is, as flat sheets), then this works perfectly.
If you know the chord length (Distance) and the depth of the ‘bulge’ then select that option and you will create the rectangle that would be the roof area if the arc roof was pressed flat as described above. Since the sheets are ordered this way (that is as flat sheets), then this works perfectly.
Refer to additional processes described here for measuring pitch from drone or third party images – Measure Roof Pitch from Image and Measure Roof Pitch from Oblique Image
Horizontal/Vertical Option
Sometines you only know the horizontal and vertical dimensions of a wall, rather than its direction and length which may be at an odd angle, you can use the given horizontal and vertical offsets and have the software calculate the length and directio for you – click the [Hor-Vert] button. The Horizontal-Vertical Distances dialog box is then displayed.
Horizontal distance The horizontal distance (offset) of the wall
Vertical distance The vertical distance (offset) of the wall.
Resultant Distance This provides the opportunity for the software to do the trigonometry of a triangular situation where only two lengths are known and the software will figure the last length. If the 5000 and the 4000 length is known, the software will calculate and insert the 3000 length.
The software will flash a point indicating the likely two options for the intersection – either up or down in this case
You may also –
Locate Point on Screen to use an existing line end point as the basis of establishing the x and y (horizontal/vertical) offset from the job datum or origin. This will be automatically fill the H/V fields on this dialog. Then you insert anything different that you may need.
The wall line is drawn when you click [OK] and then you can continue entering the rest of the wall lines to complete the outline as described for Track Outline.
The [m] – measure button on this dialog works a little differently to the measure button other functions in as much as it ignores the Z axis when reporting the distance between two points. Effectively it is transposing the selected points down onto the CPL (Construciton PLane) and reporting the distance on ‘the flat’. This allows you to snap to existing geometry to measure offsets and overhangs from an underlay image etc without the added distance in the Z axis caused by snapping the existing geometry.
Use Field Measurements to Determine Pitch
The distance you enter in the Distance field may also be modified by the Pitch field. If this is zero, then the distance is assumed to be a horizontal measurement. The Pitch factor is used to reduce the distance to the horizontal distance. This is typically required when the roof measurements have been collected in the field and the person measuring is running the tape up the slope of the roof. You need to reduce this to the horizontal distance.
If you do not know the pitch but have ‘up and over’ or ridge to eave measurements, you can click the button to the right of the pitch field to calculate the exact roof pitch.
When you select [OK] on this dialog, the calculated roof pitch is inserted into the pitch field. You then use the combined pitch value and the up the slope dimension to calculate the length of the wall/eave line on the flat.
Using Slope Measurements and Pitch
If you are creating a 3D model of the roof and working with field measurements, then the chances are, the guy in the field has given you ‘on the slope’ distances or ridge to eave measurements, as they are often measuring for sheet or panel length.
This may be used to create the correct roof or wall outline by inserting the measured distance, then defining the measured or calculated slope/pitch. The software does the trigonometery for you and inserts the distance on the flat.
In this example, a pitch of 27.5 degrees, and a slope distance of 12000 millimetres is converted to 10644 millimetres on the flat.
(Remember that if you’re working in Metric units, we use millimetres.)
The same works for feet/inches and slope – so you might have inserted 6:12 and 39’5″ in our example, and the ‘on the flat’ length would be adjusted to 35’2.75″.
In this way, all the information provided in the field can be used to construct the correct geometry and more importantly, check that the model is correct.
Step Back Allows the operator to back track in the event that the line digitised is incorrect.
Step Fwd Allows the operator to step forward in the event that the operator steps back too far.
Track Line Style Options
The [Options] button allows you to set the line style, colour and weight for the roof outline construction lines. This is especially useful if you are digitising over aerial images and PDF plans where the confusion of the background lines or image may make it difficult to see the roof features.
The Change Display Settings button takes you straight to the Tools > Set Display options. Saves you having to exit out of Track Outline and go to the Tools menus to set this.
Using Digitise and Track Outlines
The power of the Roof Wizard interface allows you to use a combination of techniques to create the various geometries that comprise roof and wall structures from which our client proposals and material/labour take-offs can be extracted. It allows you to generate a fully hipped 3D roof or single slope roof in 3D by digitising the entire perimeter outline of the roof or building.
Described in the preceding section is how the options operate when creating an outline by simply typing exact measurements into the dialog box – distance (length) and direction until the perimeter is closed.
There are occasions when not all dimensions are provided. This is the time to use the underlay image and digitise or ‘trace’ the outline. The underlay image can be an aerial photograph or a scanned plan or the clipped area of an architect’s plan supplied as a PDF document.
There are four steps, do not skip any.
1 – Save the image file into the ..\User folder
2 – Enable the image,
3 – Scale the image and work space and
4 – Start digitising/tracing.
First we need an image. These may include one of the following situations:
- You know most of the direction and length of the outline of the roof or wall lines using existing CAD data (from an imported DXF file)
- digitise the ‘blue print’ of the roof plan on a digitising tablet and apply a scale factor
- digitise on a snapping grid by increments (the Grid command)
- from an image extracted from a satellite or aerial photograph service such as Google Earth, Bing or Pictometry
- import an uncompressed bitmap image of a roof plan (such as a BMP, JPG, TIF or PCX file) as an underlay, prior to digitizing the roof, using the underlay image as a reference, and then applying a scale factordirectly from a Windows Clip Board image pasted into the AppliCad work space
- from a PDF document from electronic plans.
Image file formats supported include:
Windows Bitmap – *.bmp;*.dib;*.rle
AutoCAD® DXF – *.dxf
Encapsulated Postscript – *.eps
FlashPix – *.fpx
Compuserve GIF – *.gif
|GEM/Ventura IMG – *.img
JPEG 2000 – *.JP2;*.JPC;*.J2K
JPEG Image – *.jpg
Dodge Plan – *.pln
Photo CD|*.pcd
ZSoft PCX/DCX – *.pcx;*.dcx
Adobe Acrobat – *.pdf
PNG Images – *.png
Targa – *.tga
TIFF 5.0 Images – *.tif;*.tiff;*.fmf;*.fmp
Windows Metafile – *.wmf
WordPerfect Graphic – *.wpg
Selecting the [Enable Underlay] button brings up the options for the underlay image – from a file on disk or pasting it from the Windows Clipboard.
Note: If you wish to use an image file (a PDF or JPG or similar), the image file must be in the …\User folder already if you are going to use the Open Image File option. So in fact the first step before you commence your job is to save the image file into the ..\User folder before you start your job in Roof Wizard. File names must not have spaces in them – eg roof-picture.JPG, NOT roof picture.JPG
Whether the image has been scanned or emailed as an attachement, you must save it to the ..\User folder, whether your ..\User folder is the default – C:\AppliCad\Roof Wizard\User or a network drive, say X:\\AppliCad_User, the files must be saved first. Navigating away from the ..\User folder to find the image files causes issue with the software later as the program remembers where you last looked for the image file, and then can’t find default system settings and material and labour files etc. resulting in very confused operators.
Note: Any images that are intended for use by digitising must first be saved in the default …\User folder, except for those that you are pasting from the Windows ClipBoard.
Paste From Clipboard
Selecting the Paste From Clipboard allows the operator to place the clipboard image into the workspace on screen at an approximate scale directly from the Windows clipboard. The model construction plane is then aligned to the image and the model geometry is created in 3D. This is a very powerful tool, especially when used in conjunction with aerial image service providers such as Google™ (using the Google – Edit Copy Image function to clip the visible aerial image to the Windows clipboard) or PDF documents in Acrobat™ Reader (using the Acrobat Reader Edit > Take a Snapshot function).
The best way to achieve this is to review the aerial image, PDF document or scanned image at the largest possible scale to contain the entire roof plan on the largest possible screen, then capture it. You can use the Snapshot tool in Acrobat or the Windows accessory Snipping Tool.
Once placed into the workspace, the image is not to any known scale at this stage – scaling the image to full size comes next.
Note: If you are pasting the underlay from the clipboard, then AppliCad is creating the file itself from a clipboard bitmap. In doing so, the software asks you to save away the model:
When you do, then it saves away the clipboard image as a JPEG file with the name in the format of <database name>-<model name>.JPG. If you do not save it at this point, then it simply saves away the captured JPEG image as Temp.JPG. In short, you need to save away the database and model each time when prompted to do so, otherwise the file name of Temp.JPG will be overwritten by your next paste from the clipboard and any old underlay image will be displayed when you next open the current job.
Open Image File
We select the image we wish to use as the underlay for the digitising process. Select the option, Open Image File, and the user folder with all the saved images are displayed. They are sorted by bitmap type ie as BMP’s or TIF’s or JPEG’s. This is set by the drop down box at the bottom right of the dialog. Select the image type to use and then select your image, and then select Open.
The underlay image can be an aerial image or a scanned plan previously saved. If you select a PDF document that is multiple pages, scroll through the available pages and select the page that best describes the roof geometry. You can only view one page at a time for each Roof Wizard view.
Once selected, the image is placed on screen. It is really not at a known scale, so we must now scale it to a known size and the best size is full size or a scale of 1:1. Note that the [Enable] button changes to a [Delete] button should you choose to remove the underlay image and use another to start again for any reason. At this stage we don’t care whether it is an aerial image or a scanned plan. Once placed on screen, we must scale the image so we can digitise at full size.
Please note that your use of Nearmap, Google, Pictometry and similar satellite or aerial imaging services are subject to their respective license agreements and AppliCad does not make any representation as to their accuracy or reliability. It is our view that these are merely tools that you, as roofers, can use selectively and to your customer’s advantage.
Scale/Rotate Image/Model
Selecting the [Scale Model] button or the [Construct Roof > Underlay Image > Scale Image/Model] function on the Pulldown Menu, allows the operator to scale the image before creating 3D model data – scaling the image and workspace to full size using various reference measurements, points or reference documents.
The image scale is then calibrated to the correct or full size. Once set, the plan and the workspace is at full size and all model geometry is subsequently created at full size. You must know what the actual size is between clearly defined edges on the underlay image and it is best to establish this across the widest part of the job to reduce the potential error. In the aerial image services, use their measure tools get the overall width or height of the job.
When selected, the following dialog is displayed where the dimension measured in the field or from the aerial imagery service is the Actual Dimension and the current model dimension is measured using the [m] (m for measure, not m for metric) button. Set the Actual Dimension to whatever is required – you would extract this from using the measure tools provided by the image service or read directly from the plan. Use the largest possible span of measurement available as that will reduce the percentage error.
To ensure that you are getting the best possible possible accuracy for the scaling, scroll zoom (middle mouse scroll wheel) close-in to the reference line for the overall dimension at each side of the job.
Typically, you would change all entities in the model so select the option – [Whole Model and Image].
To determine the current dimension, that is the current size on the image in your workspace, select the measure button [m] and then using the middle mouse scroll wheel, zoom in to one corner and select the centre of the line, then scroll in to the opposite corner, for which you have a an overall dimension (18,391 in our example) and click that line. The image is rescaled within the workspace.
Check Measure
After you have scaled the model, it is good practice to use the Check Measure button [Chk Meas] to verify that you have scaled correctly. Follow the prompts and typically select one of the longest known measurements so that we reduce the percentage error. The resultant dialog shows the X,Y,Z of the start and end of the points being measured, and the distance is exactly the distance between the two points regardless of the axes.
If we were checking the job and the known measurment was 30,325, the result below (30,322) would indicate that we have scaled quite well. This is in metric units of course. If you were working in Imperial, the measurements would be in Feet and Inches.
Select the bonding button [-] brings up the dialog as shown below and allows for scaling the whole job based on separate measurements in each axis that controls each scale factor in X, Y and Z. This function is hardly ever used in practice as it is generally assumed that the scale is the same in all axes.
‘Bonding’ button.
Using the middle mouse button scroll wheel and scroll out so that you can see the whole image. You will then decide where you wish to start digitising giving thought to what features will be added using Mod-Roof and those that you will pick up on the first pass around the perimeter outline.
Rotate Image
Quite often, an image has been captured and it is not square to the X and Y axis of the work area. The Rotate Image button provides a way to rotate the image so that it is easier to digitise – without having to rotate the digitising axis known as the CPL or Construction PLane.
Before [Rotate]
You are prompted to digitise the first point which will be the axis for the rotation, and then prompted for the second point which will be along the X axis and become parallel to the bottom edge of the work area and normal to the original CPL.
After [Rotate]
The result is an underlay image that is a lot easier to work with.
Digitise Option
Now select the Digitise button and you will be prompted for the digitise options.
Remember, before you start digitising or tracing the perimeter of a PDF or an aerial image, you MUST scale the image using known reference lengths so that you are working at full size.
Set the Constrain the Angles to (typically 45°) and set the Constrain the Lengths to (typically 50mm or 2”) to ensure the roof model is square and as accurate as the image allows. For greater precision, simply reduce the constraint values, say 10mm or 1/2″.
Select [OK] and the cursor waits for you to select the origin corner of the building outline and you can start digitising the perimeter of the building outline using the left mouse button. You cannot use the middle mouse button to ‘snap’ to corners in the image as it is a pixellated image, it does not contain vectors (lines) or points to snap to. While digitising the outline, you can also type exact line lengths into the prompt area and that line will be drawn at the precise length. You can also cancel ‘digitising’ and use the track outline Direction and Distance fields to complete the outline.
Work around the perimeter, scroll-zooming into each corner to locate it as accurately as you can, then at the penultimate corner, right click [Cancel], then [Close] and [Close Square]; then [Finish] and this brings up the Roof Defaults dialog. Fill out the variables as required, [OK] then [Continue] and the job is done.
It is also to a very high level of accuracy. This needs to be checked as usual and this is discribed in the opening home page – “The AppliCad Process”. You will also get a lot of value if you complete the first module of the AppliCad Academy where the process of modelling, checking etc is well described and you get to try it for yourself.
Close (Outline) Method
The [Close] methods are:
Close Straight – This simply joins the last point directly to the first point
Close Square – This creates another corner back to the original start point.
Close Extend – This extends the last direction to intersect the first wall.
Close 2 Lengths – Prompts the user to close to a pre-defined line length eg: by specifying two close lengths at the penultimate line on this outline; select [Close 2 Lengths] and the operator is prompted for the specified close lengths, then the approximate location of the intersection point and the last two lines are drawn at the specified lengths.
Resulting in something like this:
Which is clearly not square, but in accordance with the dimensions specified.
Step Back – Allows the operator to back track in the event that the line digitised is incorrect. The Ctrl Z keyboard short cut also takes you back one step.
Change Snap Axes – Allows the operator to change the direction of the Construction Plane (CPL) so as to continue digitising at a different orientation angle to the previously digitised lines. To access, when you need to change the CPL direction, right click the mouse and then select the option. The operator is prompted to select the origin of the new CPL, then the X axis of the CPL and then the Y axis of the CPL. Then select [Continue] Digitising. This may be repeated as many times as required until the job is completed. To finish, right click and select Close Straight or Close Square as required.
The CPL may be reset to normal model origin by selecting
Change Snap Axes – It is also useful to have the constrain angles set, typically to 45° so as to ensure that your outline is square at all corners.
Align Axes with Last Line – Rotates construction plane axes with last digitised line.
Reset Snap Axes – Resets the snap axes to original settings.
Check Close Distances – This command allows you to check the final two distances before you close the outline.
Finish Digitising – If there is a gap between the last and first points, then it does the same as the Close Straight method.
Continue Digitising – Lets the operator back into the digitise process.
You may also use the abbreviated method of typing C (for close-square) in the distance field, then enter. For a regular shaped structure, it is recommended that you input all but the last two lines, then use Close Square to close out the shape and let the software determine the last two lines for you. Notice that the length of the last two lines is displayed. Check that these match the plan and if they don’t, someone has made a mistake somewhere, either inputting the outline, measuring the roof or dimensioning the drawing. This is a quick and easy first check of your job.
Finish
Once the outline is fully defined and you have checked the close distance, click the [Finish] button, or type F to finish the outline definition and go to the Roof Defaults dialog.
When you click Finish the wall lines are drawn and you are then prompted with the Roof Defaults dialog box. It is here that you define critical aspects of the roof geometry and it is important to note how these are linked with other Reporting stages.
Note about Digitising Aerial Images
Drones are being used by a lot of people today to capture the structure of a roof. A major set-back with the use of drones and one that can be overcome with care and attention, is that caused by what is known as parallax error. This is a distortion or displacement of the roof geometry caused by the apparent position of the roof edges due to the viewing angle that is other than perpendicular to the roof.
In the sketch above, the ridge line appears to be off centre when in fact it is entirely due to the position of the camera. So, when you are using drones to capture roof geometry fly as high as you are allowed, position the drone as near to immediately above the structure as you can (think in terms of equidistant from each corner) and avoid using wide angle lenses as these magnify the problem. On very large structures getting the rquired altitude may be difficult without beaching FAA and local regulations.
When you import the image into Roof Wizard and scale it, then digitise or trace the outline of the roof, any distortion due to parallax will be immediately obvious. In this case, then you must assume that the building was constructed square (assuming that it was of course) and ‘square off’ the corners. Also note, and make others aware, that your proposal is only as accurate as the information you used.
This video explains what happens when you don’t pay attention to this problem – using drone imges for estimating a roof.
Note the obvious distortion on the lower left corner. In any case a reliable (but highly qualified) job estimate was possible from the image.
The issue with ignoring the parallax error is evident in the following example –
You can see that roof edges are not orthogonal, nor square with one another as you would expect on such a building. It might be a subtle problem, but has consequences. While the roof area is probably OK if you are estimating based on $ per square, it doesn’t work for metal roofing where you expect to extract an accurate panel cutting list.
(With apologies to JB)
Roof Defaults
The dialog box for setting the way the roof is constructed is called the Roof Defaults dialog. The software uses the perimeter shape and the settings you make here to create the roof geometry. The dialog is displayed during the Construct Roof > Track Outline or Construct Roof > Digitise process.
Roof type Set the roof style to be a hip roof [Pitched Roof]or a flat [Single Slope] roof.
Hip (pitched) roof
Single slope (flat) roof
Roof Material Here you choose the basic material category on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shakes, Metal, Low-Slope or None.
Storey You can set the storey of the roof as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next depending upon how you define your pay scales.
Pitch This is the pitch of the roof – it is tied to the pay scales as well. You can set up different pay scales for different pitch intervals (this is done under Setup > Pay Rates). The pitch may also be determined from an elevation picture. The […] button next to this option allows you to measure the roof pitch from a street view.
Eave Overhang This is the eave overhang past the wall outline you have digitised. If you actually digitised the eave line for the roof, then set the eave offset to 0 (zero). A negative value can be used which prompts you with –
This would typically be used when you digitise an aerial image and wish to show the walls on your model.
Verge Overhang This relates to the overhang of a gable end past the wall line.
Eave Height This is the height of the eave. You may ignore putting in a real value here if you wish, as it is only used for reporting and measuring downpipe lengths. It is important however for multiple level structures such as double storey or split level to correctly determine relative eave heights.
Rafter Spacing This is the rafter spacing which is primarily for information and for estimating accessories based on rafter spacing such as fasteners for battens, gutter clips etc.
Eave Type This allows you to select the type of eave trim you want. You can select from “Fascia and Gutter”, “Fascia only”, “Gutter only” and “None”. All roofs inserted from now on will then adopt the new setting. If you want to change the trim for an existing roof, use the Tools > Cha-LineType command to select a different line category.
[Cancel] This cancels the roof generation
[OK] You can proceed with the roof generation
If you notice an error in the outline, you may select <<Back button to take you to the previous step to redo the roof outline.
Roof Modification Options
Roof Modification Options dialog box allowing you to Define Vertical Plane Ends (Gables), Change Eave-Gable Overhang, or Define Barge Lines in the same step as constructing the 3D model. This can save time, and in many instances, the correct model geometry can only be achieved if you select the appropriate option at this stage.
The gable roof on the left can only be constructed if the wall lines are selected as Vertical Planes (gable ends) at this stage of the process.
The options must also be selected in order, as numbered in the dialog box. If you select barge lines then go to vertical planes, the barge lines option is cancelled.
Vertical Planes (Gables)
You select 1. – Define Vertical Planes, if you need to have the software create a gable end instead of a hip end. Select one or more wall lines where you want to a gable or vertical plane to be built. This may also result in what some roofers call mono-ridge. Click the right hand mouse button to finish selecting gable wall lines, then click [Yes] to confirm the wall lines adjacent to the gables or mono-ridges. While nothing happens immediately, the software is now ready to make the selected eave lines into gable ends during construction of the roof.
A gable end above the entry awning
Note on Barge/Rake flashing on Gable Ends
Barge/Rake lines are drawn as sloping lines after you have modified the outline to tell the software that these lines are “barges” (refer below) or you select the eave line to be a vertical plane (gable) using the command described here. As a result, when the lines are drawn and the model is created, the lines become “GABLE” lines. Other linetypes that might be used on a ‘gable end’ are FASCIA-BARGE , FASCIA-ONLY and BARGE-ONLY, but the operator must manually select each line to change it to one of these options.
Any fascia flashing defined as part of a job is applied to an eave line (FASCIA) as FASCIA, but to a GABLE line as FASCIA-BARGE. It may be the same flashing product, but it appears as a different item in the flashing cutting list. FASCIA-BARGE in most instances just highlights that it’s a fascia flashing, being applied to a barge or gable end. This becomes an important distinction if you have defined accessory items such as ‘barge-mitres’ ‘rake-corners’ etc that are only applied if the fascia line slopes up or down.
Change Overhangs
To alter the eave or gable overhang for a specific wall, click on [2. – Change Eave/Gable Overhangs]. You then select a wall line and enter a new eave overhang value into the dialog box as displayed below. This is displayed after each line is changed. You can enter any value – it is the distance measured off the wall line. Click the right mouse button to finish changing overhangs from the wall line to the eave.
Barge/Rake lines
This picture shows an example of barge/rake lines on a roof – where the eave height of the roof changes up and then down again. In this case the barge/rake lines are extended under the eave (Mod-Roof > Extend Barge).
Again you are prompted with the previous dialog, to select barge (rake) lines if there are any. Select [3. – Define Barge Lines], then select the lines that are required to be barge or rake lines. Right click when you are finished selecting lines. A barge/rake line will be required where the eave height changes as shown in the picture above.
Barge lines define a change in eave height in a single roof plane. To make geometric sense, there cannot be a single barge line, but a combination of barge lines which collectively compensate for a change in eave height. In simple terms, if a barge line goes up an amount, it must come down the same amount or an eave line will end up sloping, which you cannot have.
After you have finished selecting vertical plane lines, new eave offsets and barge lines, click [Continue] and the roof is drawn showing all the eaves, hips, ridges, valleys and barges. On each roof outline, a plane is created. This simply links its lines together to form a single roof plane. It is this plane which is used to calculate the area of the roof as well as other roof geometric properties.
To visualize the plane, you can select Tools > Show-Planes which draws each roof plane with a hatch or filled planes as determined by your preference settings. Hatch lines normal to the eave indicate metal roofing (as shown above); hatch lines parallel to the eave indicate tile or shingle roofing and diagonal lines indicate a low slope material such as BUR or single ply.
To turn off the hatching, select Tools > Hide-Planes. When the roof plane is drawn without a hatch, a small tick mark is drawn in one of the corners of the plane. You would then select this tick mark if you want to select that roof plane for any reason. Because the little tick mark is very adept at hiding itself, you should turn your roof planes ON any time you wish to modify or select roof planes as part of the modelling process.
Note: Because a roof plane is controlled by the bounding lines (the eave, hip, valley and ridge lines for example) you cannot delete a roofline without first deleting the roof plane the line it is attached to. Also note that most roof lines may be attached to at least 2 roof planes.
Verandah/Porch
This roof option lets you draw a straight or bullnose verandah quickly and efficiently onto the perimeter lines of the wall or eave.
Verandahs are subdivided into Simple and Complex ones. According to the basic definition, a simple verandah is a verandah which has the same width all the way around and its eave is parallel to the attaching wall. A complex verandah is one where the width may vary from one side to the next and the verandah eave does not necessarily follow the attached walls. It works in a similar way, but you must pay attention to the prompts in the prompt area – answer the questions posed in the prompts.
Even though a complex verandah can also draw a simple verandah, the simple verandah is easier to use and will handle the majority of verandah types. The Simple option is the most usual way to add verandahs to your model.
Simple Verandah
When you click the Simple command option, you then select successive lines which define the wall alignment of the verandah. These lines need not be connected but they must intersect. When you have finished selecting the wall lines, click the right mouse button.
Now, the first line remains highlighted for you to decide which side the verandah should be. After clicking a point, anywhere on the side you want the verandah, the Verandah defaults dialog is displayed.
Here you set the parameters for the verandah:
Roof type Here you choose the material category on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shake, Metal or Low-Slope.
Storey You can set the storey of the verandah as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next.
Type of verandah This button toggles between Straight and Bullnose (See below).
Width This is the width of the verandah.
Height at wall This button toggles between Height at wall and Height of gutter. The value you then enter alters the overall height of the verandah accordingly.
Start preparation The start preparation can be one of Hip, Gable and Butts-Wall. Hip will draw a hip end on the verandah. If Gable, you can then select the type of gable preparation as one of fascia&barge, Barge-only or None. Butts-wall makes the start of the verandah a gable end with apron flashing.
End preparation The start preparation can be one of Hip, Gable and Butts-Wall. Hip will draw a hip end on the verandah. If Gable, you can then select the type of gable preparation as one of fascia&barge, Barge-only or None. Butts-wall makes the start of the verandah a gable end with apron flashing.
Pitch This is the pitch of the verandah.
Distance from first point This is the distance the verandah will start from the first point of the first alignment line. Notice that the display shows the ‘First Point’ and ‘Last Point’ of the line the verandah is attached to.
Distance from last point This is the distance the verandah will start from the last point of the last alignment line.
Underlap (bellcast style) This is the amount by which the verandah will protrude into the alignment or eave live you selected to attach the verandah to. You would set this value to something other than zero to make a bellcast style verandah.
Preview Clicking this button allows you to preview the resulting verandah before committing to insert it. Adjust the values above until you see the shape you need, then ‘Insert’ it.
If you select a Bullnose verandah type to draw, the dialog box has these extra parameters:
Radius This is the radius of the bend in the bullnose.
Tail length This is the vertical straight length of the bullnose hanging down the eave.
After you click [OK], the verandah is then drawn.
To keep all the entities of the bullnose verandah together, they are grouped together as a set. You can disassociate this group by selecting Delete from the main menu. If you make a mistake and want to delete the verandah quickly, select [Undo].
Notes: If you impose an underlap for a straight or bullnose verandah and the alignment lines you initially selected were eave lines, flashing tags are removed from the portions of eave lines above the new verandah – effectively they are tagged as ‘None’ line type, thereby not having flashing assigned to them for quantity purposes. You may wish to check that for your roof.
If you attached the verandah to the eave lines of an existing roof and the pitch of the verandah is the same as the roof, then you are prompted as to whether you want to merge the verandah with the roof. This applies only to straight verandahs.
The following diagram shows a 4 hip roof, onto which we will draw a verandah on two sides (shown as d1 and d2).
Selecting a simple, straight verandah, you get the following:
In isometric view, the straight verandah looks like the following. Here you see the verandah set down below the eave line.
For a bullnose verandah, the roof would look like this.
Bellcast Verandah
(Pulldown Menu Only)
Also referred to as a ‘Split Pitch’ roof. To use this command successfully, you first need to model the main roof (the roof that is to have the bellcast roof attached to it) using the Track-Outline roof commands. This function has been largely superceded by the regular Verandah function as it will do the same thing for you now.
Assuming you have modelled the roof and cut back the main roof to the bellcast attachment alignment, you then select the bellcast command.
You are then prompted to select successive lines which are the bellcast attachment lines on the main roof. When you have finished, click the right mouse button. Then, you digitise a point which is the side of this new roof. After that, the bellcast roof default dialog box is displayed. Here you can set the parameters for the roof.
Roof type Here you choose the material category on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shake, Metal or Low-Slope.
Storey You can set the storey of the roof as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next.
Width This is the width of the bellcast part of the roof.
Length of underlap This is the amount the top edge of the bellcast part of the roof projects up and under the alignment line.
Pitch This is the pitch of the bellcast roof.
Distance from first point This is the distance the bellcast roof will start from the first point of the first alignment line.
Distance from last point This is the distance the bellcast roof will start from the last point of the last alignment line.
You can extend the bellcast roof past the first and last points on the eave by typing a negative distance.
The following diagram shows a 4 hip roof, to which a bellcast roof will be attached. The four lines you select are annotated as d1->d4.
After responding to the bellcast dialog box, the plan view looks like the following:
In isometric view, the roof looks like the following:
Complex Verandah
(Pulldown Menu Only)By our definition, a Complex Vernadah is one where the distance from the wall to the eave line of the verandah is different at different locations around the roof. A simple verandah has the same offset from the wall all the way round.
When you click the Complex command, you then select successive lines which define the eave alignment of the verandah. These lines need not be connected but successive lines must intersect. When you have finished selecting these lines, click the right hand mouse button.
Now, the first line remains highlighted for you to decide which side the verandah should be. After clicking a point, anywhere on the side you want the verandah, the Verandah defaults dialog is displayed. Here you set the parameters for the verandah.
The only difference with this dialog and the Simple verandah dialog, is that you can assign a different width for each side.
After you click [OK], the eave for the verandah is drawn. Now you should take time to see if this alignment is what you intended. If it isn’t, then click the right mouse button to finish. If the eave alignment is correct, you then select the wall lines to which you want the verandah to project to. You must select these all lines in the same order as you defined the eave lines. Also, the lines must be connected. When you have finished selecting the wall lines, click the right mouse button. The verandah is then drawn.
Note : To keep all the entities of the verandah together, they are grouped together as a set. You can disassociate this group by selecting Delete from the main menu.
Consider inserting a complex verandah around the bottom and right hand side of this roof.
First select lines d1 and d2. These define the alignment of the eave.
After selecting d1 and d2, and defining the widths, you see the alignment of the eave.
When you are satisfied with the eave alignment, you then select the wall lines the verandah will follow. You select lines d1 -> d10 as shown below.
When you are finished, click the right mouse button and the complex verandah is drawn. In plan view it looks like the following.
In isometric, the roof with a complex verandah would look the following.
Smart-Lines
By clicking on the Construct Roof > Smart-Lines icon option, the Smart-Lines options appear as described below. Smartlines is a set of tools for modifying or even re-building your roof geometry. Functions exist to construct a roof one line at a time or simply rebuild a roof model in the event that the automatically constructed geometry is not what you need.
Mastering the Smartlines Toolkit is the mark of AppliCad Roof Wizard user competentency – trimming lines, creating, copying, mirroring lines, inserting new roof planes – are all skills that make you a master of the Roof Wizard software.
Track Eaves
The Track-Eave function works in a similar manner as Construct Roof > Track-Outline described here. This process draws the eave lines only, leaving the rest of the roof geometry to the user to create. While this seems completely redundent for most of us (when Track-Outline does the whole thing automatically), there are some users who prefer to construct their own roof, one line at a time.
While the manual construction of an entire roof is an unlikely option for most users, the ability and indeed sometimes compulsory requirement to edit roof geometry using the Smartlines Toolkit descibed below means that there will never be roof geometry that we cannot model in 3D. If it can be built, we can model it. Some of these functions require context and the best way to get that is to do the online training course at AppliCad Academy.
Check Settings
The default settings for colour, style and weight of the line are used. To change these settings go to Set-up > Preference Settings > System Preferences > Set Line Styles. You may also change the colour and style of the construction line (the temporary line that defines the outline, before roof geometry is built). Select the [Options] button in the Track Lines dialog box.
As perimeter lines are digitised using this function, each line inserted presents the operator with an option to define the line as a particular type, and with slope as required using the function keys – F1 (to make the line a hip line); F2 (to make the line a valley line) and F3 (to make it a sloping line).
If no special attribute is selected, the line is inserted as an eave line. As each function key is selected, a dialog prompting for the roof pitch of that line is displayed – as shown below – and the line is inserted at the required pitch(es).
The line length is used to predefine the ‘stub’ of the hip or valley that is inserted at the corner just created.
The prompt area serves to remind you what the function keys will do for you.
These functions improve digitising efficiency as most required construction lines will be inserted for you. With practice, you can half the time it takes to create most complex roof geometry using these tools.
Hip or Valley stub drawn automatically by the digitise function.
Hip End
By clicking this command you are prompted to locate the line that you want to construct the hip end on. By clicking on the required wall line the following pitch dialog appears.
By clicking [OK] a hip and a stub of ridge in the correct direction are constructed.
Gable End
Works the same as the Hip End command but inserts a Gable end instead with the rake lines inserted at the desired pitch.
Single Hip
Prompts the operator to select an eave line from which a hip is automatically created. Select the eave line near the end where the hip is to be constructed; the software finds the other connecting eave line. You are prompted with the following dialog box to insert a pitch for the lines, and a required length.
By clicking [OK] you are prompted to locate approximately where you want the hip to go, this is done by left clicking the mouse in the space approximately where the hip is to be created. The hip is inserted with the pitch angles defined and the length specified.
Single Valley
This basically works the same as Single Hip but automatically changes the line type to a Valley and prompts for a pitch.
Valley Drain (Right Hand Text Menu Only) Experimental function – This function provides for a method of automatically generating a 3D graphic of a valley drain or sump, usually in conjunction with low slope roofing. Elements of the graphic can be specified before insertion onto the roof model. Once inserted, the expectation is that the valley lines will be trimmed by the operator to the appropriate roof features, usually using the Trim-to-ZLine function.
The drain and the associated valley lines are drawn using the line attributes defined under Tools > Change > Line Styles.
Single Ridge
This basically works the same as Single Hip but the line type is a Ridge and it is input parallel to two eaves.
Draw Roof Line Freehand
Allows you to draw free lines. You would typically use the snap function to locate the start and end points (locate with the middle mouse button) so that you are assured that a line is starting precisely at the end point of an existing line.
You will be prompted to set the Digitising Options that helps keep lines square and constained to tidy lengths by snapping to grids. You may also set the storey number for the line you input so that the appropriate pay scale is applied and it can be turned on and off with other parts of the roof geometry on the same storey.
Once you have drawn in each free line you are prompted to select a line type for that line. The line is then inserted using the attributes of the selected line type. If you select Gable you are then also prompted to insert a pitch.
You may also type U/D/R/L and an exact measurement in the required direction and use C to close the outline square while in this command.
Intersect Two Plane (Intersect Pl-Pl)
The Intersect Plane-Plane button allows you to determine the location of the intersection of two planes. This is often very useful when constructing complex roof shapes one plane at a time and they need to be trimmed back to where the planes intersect. A line is automatically inserted at the line of intersection.
Trim Line to Corner
Trims two intersecting lines to a corner. Select the lines to trim near the end that needs to move to make the new corner – use this command to trim by extending the line or trim by cutting back the line.
Trim Line to Z Line
Trims a line that is at an angle to the construction plane, such as a hip or a valley, to the XZ or YZ plane of another line that does not intersect. The operator is prompted whether associated entities should be stretched with the line or stay as they are.
Trim Line
Allows you to trim a selected line to a length or to an existing plane entity. The line is trimmed to where the line would intersect the plane entity. The plane may be selected by snapping to three points at the boundary corners of the plane; two lines on the plane or selecting the plane surface hatching.
Mirror
Mirrors selected entities around either two points, an existing line or an existing plane. Selecting Num Copies = 0, it mirrors the selected entities, such as a hip or ridge line and makes no copy. Selecting Num Copies = 1 makes a copy of the selected entities about the selected axis.
Select the entities to mirror, in this case three roof planes. We don’t have to select the individual lines since the planes are controlled by the lines, they must mirror as well. Remember to read the prompts carefully so that you not miss a step.
When you have finished selecting the entities to mirror, right click mouse, then you will get the Plane-Definition dialog box. This controls the method you wish to use to mirror. In this example, we will use Line-Offset. You will be prompted to select the line, then which side of the line to mirror to, then a box appears prompting for an offset amount.
Enter the required distance between the old roof and the new roof (in this istance 1200mm).
The roof is duplicated about the mirror axis line.
Divide Line
Allows you to divide a line according to various options – into a number or equal length lines; divide where a point intersects the line; at a line intersection or divides the line a set distance along the line.
Change Line Type
Allows you to change the line type of existing lines. A typical example would be to copy a valley line because it goes the right way, then to change it to a hip.
Auto Roof
(Gen Roof) By clicking this command you are prompted to select a wall/eave line that is connected to other lines forming a closed loop. In tracing the closed loop, if there are multiple intersecting lines at the next corner the software will automatically prompt you for the next line with a question “Use this entity?” and the lines will flash. Confirm the required line by selecting Yes. If it does not find multiple intersections, then it will automatically continue around the outline to form a closed loop of all connected lines.
Once the outline is complete the software brings up the roof style box (Hip and Valley Roof or Flat Roof), then the Roof Defaults dialog is displayed. Enter in the required defaults for Storey, Pitch etc. and click [OK]; then select any Gable Ends etc if required and click [Continue]. Your roof will be automatically drawn up using the outline as the defining entities for the roof shape.
Plane Edge – Add Point
(Pl-Edge Add Point) Divides the edge line that defines the roof plane at a specified location. This is a surprisingly powerful function as it allows you to digitise a simple approximation of the outline, or part of an outline, and add new segment to the perimeter thus ensuring that you have a closed co-planar loop. “Rubber-band” lines are displayed to assist in the reconstruction of a new plane perimeter.
Generate Planes
(Gen Planes) Will automatically generate all of the roof planes for the job using all closed loops created for the roof planes. Caution, it also generates a roof plane on the ceiling using the wall outline. You should perhaps delete this unless you particularly need it to be there.
Flood Fill
Allows you to select the centre of a collection of boundary lines for roof planes and automatically inserts the plane without the need to select the individual boundary lines. Note – Flood fill only works in Top or Plan view – you will be prompted if you are not in View Top. If you click Yes, then the view automatically changes and you may continue selecting roof planes to fill.
Insert Plane
(Ins-Plane) The operator is prompted to select a line forming the boundary of a single roof plane. The software then tracks the line through adjoining lines to find connected lines in the same plane (ie flat) until it achieves a closed loop. In tracing the closed loop, if there are multiple intersecting lines at the next corner the software will automatically prompt you for the next line with a question “Use this entity?” and the lines will flash. Confirm the required line by selecting Yes.
If it does not find multiple intersections, then it will automatically continue around the outline to form a closed loop of all connected lines. The plane is then inserted. [Continue] this process for all other roof planes until the roof is complete.
Show/ Hide Planes
(Pulldown Menu Only)
Uses the Tools > Show/Hide Planes function to display the roof surface planes as they are inserted without having to go to the Tools Menu.
Remove Geometry
(Pulldown Menu Only)
This option allows the operator to delete roof geometry based on type or category. Indicate by selecting the button, what you wish to keep or delete, and then select the Remove Geometry button, and they’re gone!
Multi-Trim Lines
(Pulldown Menu Only)
Trims multiple lines back to a reference line.
Takes the operator back to the Smart-Lines main menu.
Move Line
Allows you to move an existing line. The selected line attaches itself to the cursor. You would typically snap (locate with the middle mouse button) the moved line to the end point of an existing line to ensure accuracy.
Stretch Line
Allows you to move a line but the connected lines stay connected and are effectively stretched to the ne position.
Copy Line
Allows you to copy an existing line. The selected line attaches itself to the cursor. You would typically snap (locate with the middle mouse button) the copied line to the end point of an existing line to ensure accuracy. This helps you make a lot of lines with the correct aspect very quickly and easily.
Delete Line
Allows you to delete existing lines or planes.
Rotate-2D
(Right Hand Menu Only)
This function copies and rotates a line about a defined point. This is handy for quickly creating roof line geometry for low slope roofs.
Right mouse click quits from any of the Smart-Lines functions
Gable
If you have an assymmetrical gable roof, then you would use the Gable command to draw it. Also, if you have a gable projecting into an existing roof, then you would first draw the gable here, then use Modify Roof > Project-Gable to project this gable into the main roof. The software will automatically trim the new roof to the old roof. Refer to details for this command.
When you click the Construct Roof> Gable command, you are prompted to locate the start of the ridge for the gable – perhaps left click at the job origin or type 0,0 and [Enter]. Then you locate the direction and length of the ridge in the command prompt area, e.g. ix7500.00 and hit [Enter] – this tells the software to insert the ridge, incrementally from the last digitised point, in the X axis, 7500mm long.
The start and finish of the ridge line is displayed.
When you have done that, the Gable roof defaults dialog box is displayed, allowing you to set parameters for this roof. The
Roof type Here you choose the material category on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shake, Metal or Low-Slope.
Storey You can set the storey of the roof as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next.
Pitch left This is the pitch (slope) of the left hand plane relative to you standing at the ridge start point.
Pitch right This is the pitch (slope) of the right hand plane relative to you standing at the ridge start point.
Span left This is the span (width) from the ridge to the left hand eave.
Span right This is the span (width) from the ridge to the right hand eave.
Left eave height This is the height of the left hand eave. The right hand eave height is the result of the combined factors of span and pitch.
Length This is the length of the ridge of the roof. The default length is the distance you have already digitized which sets the direction of the ridge as well.
[Cancel] This cancels the roof generation.
[Swap Dir] This button allows you to swap the ridge direction.
[OK] You can proceed with the roof generation.
When you click [OK], the gable roof is drawn according to the definitions input.
Multi-Hip
This command lets you insert a multi-hip roof. You can use this command for towers, spires and bay windows. You are first prompted to locate the apex point of the hips. When you have done that, the Multi-hip defaults dialog box is displayed.
Number of segments
this is the number of equal length segments to create. The minimum number is 3.
Radius
this is the horizontal distance from the center of the tower along a hip.
Sweep angle
this is the total angle you want the multi-hip roof to sweep from the initial direction you digitised around to the final hip in an anti-clockwise direction. For a circular tower or turret, you would enter 360 degrees.
Ridge extension
You can force a gable or hip end to project from the multi-hip by entering a length for the ridge that would project from the apex of the multihip. This has no effect for a 360 degree sweep angle.
Rotation angle
Here you specify the angle to rotate the multi-hip clockwise from the current y direction (unless you have changed it, then it is to the right of the screen) around the z axis (out from the screen).
Preview
Here you can preview the shape of the multi-hip and alter its shape and size before committing to it.
When you click [OK], the multi-hip roof is drawn. The multi-hip roof is drawn similar to that below. In isometric view, this multi-hip roof would appear like the following.
Note – These Multi-hip settings give you the ridge and if selected, a gable end, as shown below. Note that we have set a ridge length and that the sweep angle is set to 180 degrees to achieve this geometry. All the roof planes around the multi-hip are the same pitch, but don’t necessarily meet at the apex of the ridge.
If you need to have all the hips join at the one place, you will need to use the Group > Stretch function after this has been constructed and, following the prompts, middle button ‘snap’ to select the lower apex, and then middle button ‘snap’ the higher apex to place it. The hips will all be stretched to the new location (and the pitch of each plane will vary slightly).
Curved
If you have a symmetrical curved (sprung or barrel vaulted) roof, then you would use the Curved command to draw it.
When you click this command, you are prompted to locate the top centre of the curved roof. Then you locate the direction of the roof. When you have done that, the Curved roof defaults dialog box is displayed, allowing you to set parameters for this roof.
Roof type Here you choose the basic material on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shakes, Metal or Low-Slope.
Storey You can set the storey of the roof as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next.
Radius This is the radius of the curved roof
Full span This is the span (width) of the curved roof
Length This is the length of the roof. The default length is the distance you have already digitised
Eave height This is the height of the eaves
Rafter spacing This is the rafter spacing which serves no purpose other than for reporting.
[Cancel] This cancels the roof generation
[OK] You can proceed with the roof generation
When you click [OK], the curved roof is drawn.
The following diagram shows the two digitised points as the center line of the roof. A better view of the roof can be seen in an isometric view (View > Select > Iso)
The ends of the roof are assigned as gable ends, and the edges are assigned as eave.
Section
If you have a roof that is an extrusion of a cross-section, then you would use the Section command. To use this command successfully, you first need to draw up the section in the Plan or Top view using the line drawing commands under Modify Roof > More, or under the CAD menu option.
After drawing the required section at full size, select the [Section] command. Then you are prompted to select the first line defining the roof section. Then you are prompted to select the next lines one after the other. Keep in mind that each successive line must be joined to the previous line, so you will select them in order around the shape.
You can see in the diagram below, the cross sectional shape of the roof and the sequence of selecting the lines.
When you have finished, click the right mouse button. Then the Section defaults dialog box is displayed allowing you to enter parameters defining this roof.
Roof type Here you choose the category of material on this roof. It is one of Tiles, Shingle, Shakes Metal or Low-Slope.
Storey You can set the storey of the roof as 1, 2 etc. This makes it easier to separate the roofs making up each storey on screen. Also, various labour rates for estimating a roof can vary from one storey to the next.
Length The length of the roof. This is the amount the section will be effectively ‘extruded’.
When you click [OK], the roof is constructed by taking the geometry you created in the XY plane (the workspace) and projecting it along the defined length.
Here you see in plan view, the roof lines defining the new roof.
You can see better in ISO view (View > Select > Iso), what the roof is doing.
The two ends are automatically assigned as barges / rakes, and the internal lines are either ridges or valleys. The bottom edge lines are assigned as eaves.
If there are one or more arcs in the section profile, then the resultant roof is assumed to be a curve-quality roof, and its area will appear as Curved Roofing in the Tools > Tally-Quantities dialog box. To generate panels on such a roof, you must select curved quality material (even if the actual material is not in fact curve quality or high tensile).
To construct the curved roof, you must first draw the arc that defines the roof section, go to the menu item under CAD > Arc > Insert.
Then select Construct-Roof > Curved described in the previous section.
2D Roof Design
Track Eaves 2D
Inserts lines in 2D that are in the XY plane, with the Track command. This process has been designed to allow you to quickly and efficiently enter the outline of the wall or roof based on measured lengths only; typically when site measurements and a rough roof sketch are supplied such as the example below, which is not to scale and a representation only. Indeed, using the measurements only, an accurate 3D model is not possible. However, once the 2D geometry is created, the results are reported as if they had been created in 3D.
You can switch between inserting actual lengths (what we call Tracking) and digitising freehand or constrained. You can override the constrain values by holding the Ctrl key down as you digitise.
Once inserted, the lines need to be ‘tagged’ with their respective category of ‘ridge’, ‘hip’ or ‘valley’ etc. using Tools > Change Line Type.
Select the function and the Track Lines dialog is displayed.
Note: The dialog box shows two fields labelled as Direction and Distance. The direction is a cardinal bearing starting at 0o – UP the screen, clockwise through 180o – DOWN the screen, and back up to 0/360o. The distance simply relates to the length of the eave/wall.
The accelerator buttons on the right hand side, are predefined directions with the following values:
Note: You can also use the letters U, D, L and R in the distance field to quickly get up, down, left and right directions. For example, you can enter R5000 or R5M in the distance field to get a eave/wall line length defined as right 5000.
You simply click the appropriate accelerator button, enter the distance and a new wall segment is drawn on the screen. You can enter a new wall by selecting the Enter key or clicking the Insert button.
If you make a mistake with a value, click the Stepback button. You can undo a Stepback operation by clicking the Stepforward button. You can step forward as many segments as you stepped back.
When you have finished locating the wall lines, click the Close button. This displays the Select the close method dialog which helps you select the type of close method you want from the current line end point to the first digitised point. This will then display the Close dialog box from which you select a close method. You are then returned to the Wall Direction and Distance dialog box.
Direction Option
The direction option is tied to the notion of Up, Down, Left and Right, but instead of using these you use a bearing angle as suggested above, up = 0° and down = 180° etc. This permits you to insert wall directions that are not square.
Distance
The distance is the length of the line in the direction specified and the units of measure are determined by the settings you have selected under Preferences – either metric or imperial units.
As a time saving device, enter the letter “U” for up, “D” for down, “L” for left or “R” for right, in front of the length of the wall or eave line required. Then click enter.
On this job, you could have typed in U8000 {Enter} R8000 {Enter} U8000 {Enter} R8000 {Enter} and then Close the outline as a Square.
You may also simply type C (short-cut for close square){Enter} in the distance field on the dialogue.
You can also input U8M indicating metres if you’re working in Metric.
Horizontal/Vertical Option
If you only know the horizontal and vertical dimensions of a wall (rather than its direction and length), you can click [H/V] button. The Horizontal-Vertical Distances dialog box is then displayed.
Horizontal distance The horizontal distance (offset) of the wall
Vertical distance The vertical distance (offset) of the wall.
Resultant Distance This provides the opportunity for the software to do the trigonometry of a triangular situation where only two lengths are known and the software will figure the last length. If the 5000 and the 4000 length is known, the software will calculate and insert the 3000 length.
The software will flash a point indicating the likely two options for the intersection – either up or down in this case
You may also –
Locate Point on Screen to use an existing line end point as the basis of establishing the x and y (horizontal/vertical) offset from the job datum or origin. This will be automatically fill the H/V fields on this dialog. Then you insert anything different that you may need.
The wall line is drawn when you click [OK] and then you can continue entering the rest of the wall lines to complete the outline as described for Track Outline.
Use Field Measurements to Check Pitch
The distance you enter in the Distance field may also be modified by the Pitch field. If this is zero, then the distance is assumed to be a horizontal measurement. The Pitch factor is used to reduce the distance to the horizontal distance. This is typically required when the roof measurements have been collected in the field and the person measuring is running the tape up the slope of the roof. You need to reduce this to the horizontal distance.
If you do not know the pitch but have ‘up and over’ or ridge to eave measurements, you can click the […] button to the right of the pitch field to calculate the exact roof pitch.
When you select [OK] on this dialog, the calculated roof pitch is inserted into the pitch field. You then use the combined pitch value and the up the slope dimension to calculate the length of the wall/eave line on the flat.
Track Line Style Options
The Options button allows you to set the line style, colour and weight for the construction lines. This is especially useful if you are digitising over aerial images and PDF plans where the confusion of the background may make it difficult to see the roof features.
The Change Display Settings button takes you straight to the Tools > Set Display options. Saves you having to exit out of Track Outline and go to the Tools menus to set this.
Manual Construction of Geometry
The following functions allow for adding and editing lines once created, assiting you to create roof features bound by other features. Hips between eave lines and ridges equi-distant between parallel eave lines etc.
They are only accessible from the Pulldown Menu.
Trim Line to Entity Allows you to trim a selected line to an existing point, line or circle entity. The line is trimmed to where the normal to the line would intersect the point, or where it would intersect the entity.
This means that the trimmed line is extended to intersect with the line you select. You first select the line to trim at the trim end, then the line to trim to. You can see in the above diagram, the two hip lines and ridge lines are not connected. To connect them, use the Trim-Line and/or Trim-Corner commands.
You can see in the following diagrams, the sequence of steps to clean up the hip end
First trim the hip lines to each other.
Then trim the ridge to the hip
Mirror Mirrors selected entities around either two points, an existing line or an existing plane. Selecting Num Copies = 0, it mirrors the selected entities, such as a hip or ridge line and makes no copy. Selecting Num Copies = 1 makes a copy of the selected entities about the selected axis.
Trim Line to Corner Trims two intersecting lines to a corner. Select the lines to trim near the end that will move – use this command to trim by extending the line or trim by cutting back the line.
You first select the line to trim at the trim end to be trimmed, then the line to trim to. You can see in the following diagram, that the two hip lines can be trimmed together quite easily with the trim-Corner command.
Change Line Type Allows you to change the line type of existing lines. A typical example would be to copy a valley line because it goes the right way, then to change it to a hip..
Show/ Hide Planes Uses the Tools > Show/Hide Planes function to display the roof surface planes as they are inserted.
Digitise Eaves 2D
You would use this command to digitise around a shape to create the outline for a roof plane or planes. The input method is simlar in function as Track-Outline (Single Slope Roof or Hip Roof) described above except the shape you draw defines the extents of single plane areas and the result is 2D geometry in the XY plane.
This process draws the eave lines only, leaving the rest of the roof geometry to the user to create. While this seems completely redundent for most of us (when Track-Outline does the whole thing automatically), there are some users who prefer to construct their own roof, one line at a time.
This process allows you to construct 2D geometry of roof shapes that may essentially be incorrect or cannot be built because the roof geometry doesn’t work through incorrect measurements or incorrect pitch or both. This may be due to skew of the aerial image or an architect’s design that is just plain wrong. As has been stated above, the software will report the areas and lengths as if the model was actually a 3D model.
You may digitise the outline of the roof by using various reference points or reference documents. These may include using one of the following methods:
know the (x,y) coordinates, or direction and length of the outline of the roof or wall lines
or
using existing CAD data (from an imported DXF file)
or
digitise the ‘blue print’ of the roof plan on a digitising tablet and apply a scale factor
or
digitise on a snapping grid by increments (the Grid command)
or
from an image extracted from a aerial photograph service such as Google Earth
or
import an uncompressed bitmap image of a roof plan (such as a BMP, JPG, TIF or PCX file) as an underlay, prior to the digitizing the roof using the underlay as a reference and then apply a scale factor
or
directly from a Windows Clip Board image pasted into the AppliCad work space
or
from a PDF document from electronic plans.
Digitise Aerial Image – Hip Roof
The same process can be applied to aerial images. The three steps are:
1 Enable the image,
2 Scale the image and workspace, and
3 Start digitising.
Select Enable Underlay and then paste from the clipboard or open a saved file.
Scale Model using the overall dimension extracted from the aerial image provider’s tools, select each end of the length reference line (Current Dim.) and then type the actual measured length (Actual Dim.); hen select the [Scale ] button. The image is re-scaled. The software tries to do everything orthoganally so to set the overall measurement across the widest part of the building, hold down the Control (Ctrl) key to measure ‘off-grid’. More details on scaling and rotating here.
Note – It is not essential that you rotate the underlay image, altough it is recommended. If the image is not square to the edge of the screen, and that is how you wish to digitise the job, then digitise the first line then right click, [Cancel] to bring up the Close Method dialog box which contains the option to Align Axes with Last Line – the digitising axis is realigned.
Now start digitising the perimeter, you are working at actual size.
The 2D Digitise function works in a different manner to the 3D digitise function – primarily in the fact that as each line is digitised, the operator has the option to specify what line category each line is, that is whether the line is a ridge, an eave or a valley etc. in the pop-up box and select [OK] or type ‘Enter’ on the keyboard. Also, each and every line must be digitised following the underlay image. There is no automatic hip and valley line generation.
If you digitise a few lines that define a plane, you can use the middle mouse ‘snap’ function to lock onto the end of existing lines.
In this situation, the software will attempt to form a closed loop with the existing lines, but if too many options exist for a logical result, then the following screen pops up giving you the option to select the lines that define the required roof plane area.
Select the lines that define the remainder of the roof plane outline and the plane will be inserted.
Once a closed loop has been defined, the software them prompts for the plane material and the roof pitch.
The roof plane is inserted, bound by those lines. [Continue] digitising other roof plane areas until the roof is complete.
Remember that you can select a line end point off the grid snap, that is at an arbitrary point not aligned to the grid, by holding down the Ctrl (Control) key. Ctrl Z also works as a quick method of stepping back if you have made a mistake with the outline.
The Select Close Method dialog box also provides for realigning the digitising axes on the fly. Once the ‘off axes’ lines have been digitised, right click as if to close and select ’Reset Snap Axes’ to drop back to normal orthogonal snap axes.
You can also reset the Snap values from within the digitise process. Right click as if to close and select Change Snap Values to display the Digitise Options dialog and define new snap angles and line lengths as shown below.
Any plane inserted using this method can have the pitch modified using Mod-Roof > Change Pitch.
Before you start digitising you get the option to be prompted for the line type or not. If you opt for that latter (Do not ask for Line Types) then you must use Tools > Change Line Type to set the required line categories after the model is complete. This is simply a personal preference that best suits how you wish to work.
Digitise Aerial Image – Single Slope Roof
The same process can be applied to aerial images. The three steps are:
1 Enable the image,
2 Scale the image and workspace, and
3 Start digitising.
Select Enable Underlay and then paste from the clipboard or open a saved file.
Scale Model using the overall dimension extracted from the aerial image provider’s tools. The software tries to do everything orthoganally so to set the overall measurement across the widest part of the building, hold down the Control (Ctrl) key to measure ‘off-grid’. More details on scaling and rotating here.
Digitise the first line, again holding the Ctrl key to insert the line off-grid; then right click [Cancel] and select [Close]. This brings up the Close Method dialog which provides for the option to re-align the digitise axes with the last digitised line. Select the function [Align Axes with Last Line]. The CPL or Construction Plane is re-aligned and you may continue digitising.
Digitise the perimeter and when you get to the penultimate corner, right click mouse [Cancel] and you will be prompted to close the outline; select Close Square. The Roof Defaults dialog is displayed and you set the Roof type to be Single Slope and the pitch as required. In this case it is zero.
Select [OK] and you will be prompted for the pitching line. This roof is totally flat, so select [Continue].
And the job is complete. Notice the CPL icon is rotated and relocated. This occurred when we aligned the axes.
Set New Digitise Reference Point
If you are tracking or digitising/tracing a subsequent roof outline (with an existing roof already on screen) and need to specify a start point, click the ‘o’ in the middle of the accelerator buttons:
You will be prompted to locate a Reference Point. Determine where the reference point should be and if it is the corner of existing geometry, you can ‘Snap’ to it with the middle mouse button. This does not create a new point, but uses the existing point that defines the lines at that corner.
Type in the offset from the reference point to the new outline start point, (1200 over and 950 up), and when you start the new outline, this is the new start point.
User Tips when Digitising
If you are digitising lots of aerial images or plans from PDF documents in 2D, you might like to change the line style so that your digitising progress is very easy to see. The line that is inserted by default (if you do not set the line type as you go) is line type None. So if you were to change a ‘None’ line to be bold and fat, you can easily see what has been digitised and what hasn’t. Use this example, under CAD > Defaults > Colour Table redefine a colour number to bright pink – let’s say colour number 21. Select Apply and Close.
Next, go to Set-Up > Preference Settings > Line Styles change the None line to the newly defined colour of bright pink colour 21 and also change the line weight to say 1.00 to make it bold.
Then as you digitise using the Construct Roof > 2D Roof > Digitise Roof option, cancel the Line type definition box (shown below) by right clicking or selecting [Cancel] (which is the same thing) so that the line type is set to ‘None’, (you will then have to go back and manually select each line to redefine the line type) and the big fat pink line will be displayed instead of the regular line style for that line type.
You can very quickly see what you have completed during the process.
If you wish to keep this line style change, don’t forget to select File > Save Values and save the changes to the Values.def file (where these default settings are stored).
This works well for you both on images of planes clipped from a PDF as it does on images clipped from Google™, NearMaps™ or Bing™ or Acrobat Reader™.
Once you have competed the digitising, you then use the Tools > Change Line Type function to set the line types in turn – ridges, hips and valleys etc. This is often seen as a lot quicker by some operators
Extract brilliant metal panel cutting lists directly from the clipped aerial image or the clipped PDF drawing (subject to site inspection of course) for roofing or wall cladding.
For walls, clip the image of the wall elevation:
Digitise the wall (Walls > Draw Single Wall) and generate the wall panel cut list (requires AppliCad Roof Wizard module) using function Walls > Apply Wall Set-Up > Generate Wall Panels.
These functions will change the way you generate cutting lists in 2D – easy, quick and accurate (as accurate as the images permit).
Calc Adjacent Pitch
The operator is prompted to indicate pitch of roof plane ‘a’ and digitises the eave lines and the software calculates the pitch of ‘b’.
This is almost exclusively used when digising or tracing 2D roof geometry by simply recreating the linework on the sketch underneath. We’re not creating a 3D model so the pitch might turn out to be almost any odd number. It is drawn and the pitch is determined.
This is important because the pitch factor is what is used to figure the lengths and quantities in the subsequent reports.
Measure Pitch from Oblique Aerial Image
This function allows the operator to import an oblique aerial image and by placing the 3D cursor on a corner, typically an eave corner and aligning the X,Y, Z axes to the image, the pitch of the hip or gable end can be determined. The resultant pitch may be used to create a 2D model or a 3D model of your roof.
First, import the image. To do this select the Construct Roof > Track Outline function; and select the [Enable Underlay] image button (refer below for more detail) to place the image on screen from a file on disk or from the image in the Windows clipboard.
Measure Gable Pitch/Slope
Then select the Construct Roof >Measure Pitch tool button.
The following dialog box is displayed and the 3D axis icon is placed at the model origin (X,Y,Z = 0).
Select the button ‘Move Axis Origin’ to place the 3D axis icon on the corner of the eave. Then select ‘Modify Axes’ and follow the prompts to align the respective axes with the image. You can re-do this iteratively until you are happy with the placement. Right click [Cancel] to finish placement.
Next, select the measurement option that suits your job. The Measure Pitch/Slope options measure an angle in the selected plane. Typically the 3 axis indicator comes on screen at an apparent random location (where it was lasted used which may not match the current image). Use the [Move Axis Origin] button to position the axis indicator to the required corner of the building.
Next you will need to align each axis with an ‘edge’ in the image. Use the [Modify Axes] button, you will be prompted to locate each axis is turn, X, Y and Z to align the axis indicators with the view of the roof.
This function would typically be used to measure the pitch or slope of a gable roof as shown below.
- Move Axis Origin (to align with a corner of the roof)
- Modify Axes (to align with image of the roof.
- Measure Pitch/Slope, select plane to measure pitch in (Typically XZ) and click a point in the line of the gable to measure the pitch (here the pitch is shown in degrees). You may also use slope.
If the pitch text is too small or difficult to read, use the [Options] button to change colour and size of text. You may also change the size and colour of the individual axes as well, so as to make the information easier to read.
Measure Pitch Options
Axis Size sets the size of the lines on sceen representing the X,Y,Z axes.
Axis Colour sets the colour of each axis line from the CAD colour pallet.
Text Colour sets the colour of the text for the pitch dimension. Select a colour that contracts well with the underlay image.
Text Size sets the size of the text on screen, select a number that is large enough to read clearly.
Measure Hip Pitches/Slopes
The Measure Hip Pitches/Slopes prompts for the other end of the hip from the 3D Axes origin, then the apex point of the hip. The hip end is drawn and the pitch of each plane displayed.
This function can be used to measure the pitch of hips and gables.
Placement of the 3D Axes origin point with [Move Axis Origin] button.
Left click on the corner of the hip to locate the position of the new axes origin. Align to image with [Modify Axes] button and you will be prompted for the new X axis, new Y axis and new Z axis (read the prompts).
New Y axis, and the new Z axis will usually be in the line of the current Z, straight up the screen. This may vary slightly depending on the image.
Now select Measure Pitches/Slope and read the prompts. You will be prompted for the Reference Axis (Base of Hip). Then the axis to measure pitch towards (usually Z axis).
Then indicate the other end of the hip end.
And next the approximate hip apex point.
The hip is drawn and the pitches displayed. You may reselect the apex repeatedly to improve the accuracy.
The result will be in degrees, slope or percentage as set in the Set-Up > System Preferences.
Recover Outline
The Construct Roof > Recover command allows you to recover an outline and change it.
Note: that no outline is complete and available for recall until after the hips and valleys have been created – which is after you click [Continue] on the Roof Modify Options dialog; That is to say, after the roof geometry has been built.
Each time you run Dig-Outline and Track-Outline, the outline you entered is saved into a file called lastjob.dat as well as in the current model. By selecting Recover, the following dialog box appears.
Depending on how many jobs you have set in Preferences (explained later), will depend on how many outlines will appear in the list. By clicking on one of the jobs on the left hand side each with a time and date, a preview of that outline will appear on the right hand side. When you have found the outline that you want to recover, simply click [OK].
If you already have a job on your screen you are prompted to delete the existing (or flashing) roof outline. Yes will delete it, No will leave it and add the recovered outline to the workspace.
If you click [Cancel], then no change takes place.
You are then asked if you want to change the outline.
If you click No, then the program continues much like Dig-Outline.
If you click Yes, the direction and distance of each side are displayed in the Change Roof Outline dialog box. You can then change a direction or distance as required to create the wall outline you require. You have the opportunity to change the length and direction of any of the lines.
Click the H/V button and the second dialog is displayed and this provides for changing each line in turn or as required. With horizontal lines, a positive number is directly equivalent to moving Right, a negative number is directly equivalent to moving Left. Similarly, with vertical lines, a positive number is equivalent to Up and negative is Down.
Occasionally the outline you recover has the start point at a location which is not convenient for what you need to do. The [^] and [v] buttons allows you to change the starting point for the outline. This is particularly useful if you have barge lines in the job and you need to move the start point to be more than two points away from a barge line.
Add-Segment Clicking this button lets you add a new wall segment after a specified segment. You then enter the bearing and distance of the new wall segment.
Delete-Segment This button lets you delete a specified wall segment.
Move This button prompts you to enter a shift in both horizontal and vertical directions which then moves the entire outline by that amount.
Preview Draws the outline in temporary graphics so you can preview any changes before accepting the outline.
[Cancel] Any changes you have made are discarded and the process stops.
C Sq This button takes the preceding outline with any changes that you might have made and recalculates the close square values. It is useful to select this after any changes to the outline at all.
[OK] The command carries on with constructing the roof
After changing the outline, you are prompted for the Roof Style. This is either Hip and Valley, or Flat.
When you click [OK], the command continues as if it were the Track-Outline command.
Note: Other changes you have made to the roof geometry (using the Modify Roof commands) are not maintained in a recovered outline. They must be added again.
It is useful to select [C Sq] after any changes to the outline at all.
Roof Outline Template
(Pulldown menu only)
Create Roof Outline Template
This command provides the function to create a roof outline that may be saved for later recall and modification to re-create a new roof. If you have a series of similar roof geometry that you estimate over and over, this will save you a lot of time.
Select the command and the following dialog will be displayed prompting the operator to select construction constraints.
The operator is prompted for a start point from where you will start digitizing the rough roof shape. It is usual to start at the origin of the work space and you do this by typing 0,0 then enter. A cross hair is displayed waiting for the next construction point to be inserted. A displayed on the top left of the screen also shows the coordinates of where the cross hair cursor is currently pointing, thus giving the operator a guide as to how long the line will be when inserted.
Left click a location and the line is inserted. [Continue] around the job until you reach the second last point in the outline. Select right button on the mouse and the Close options are presented. Select Close Square.
The construction outline is displayed in full and the dialog prompting the operator for a template name:
Enter the required details and then click [OK]. The outline is saved.
To create roof template outline
It may be recalled by selecting Construct Roof > From Roof Outline Template.
Roof Outline From Template
To use the predefined outline, simply select the command and the dialog box above is displayed showing you all your predefined roof outlines. Select the required outline.
The direction
and distance of each side are displayed in the Change Roof Outline dialog box. You can then change a direction or distance as required to create the wall outline you require. You have the opportunity to change the length and direction of any of the lines.
Click the H/V button and the second dialog is displayed and this provides for changing each line in turn or as required. With horizontal lines, a positive number is directly equivalent to moving Right, a negative number is directly equivalent to moving Left. Similarly, with vertical lines, a positive number is equivalent to Up and negative is Down.
Occasionally the outline you recover has the start point at a location which is not convenient for what you need to do. The [^] and [v] buttons allows you to change the starting point for the outline. This is particularly useful if you have barge lines in the job and you need to move the start point to be more than two points away from a barge line.
Add-Segment Clicking this button lets you add a new wall segment after a specified segment. You then enter the bearing and distance of the new wall segment.
Delete-Segment This button lets you delete a specified wall segment.
Move This button prompts you to enter a shift in both horizontal and vertical directions which then moves the entire outline by that amount.
Preview Draws the outline in temporary graphics so you can preview any changes before accepting the outline.
[Cancel] Any changes you have made are discarded and the process stops.
[C Sq] This button takes the preceding outline with any changes that you might have made and recalculates the close square values. It is useful to select this after any changes to the outline at all.
[OK] The command carries on with constructing the roof
Note: Other changes you have made to the roof geometry (using the Modify Roof commands) are not maintained in a recovered outline. They must be added again.
It is useful to select [C Sq] after any changes to the outline at all.
Then select [OK] and continue to the Roof Defaults dialog to define the geometric parameters of the roof as you would with the Track-Outline command.
Copy Array
(Pulldown Menu Only)
This function is provided to make copies of roofs or roof elements maintaining the properties of the geometry. This means that roof planes and roof lines keep their material categories and will be quantified as one job once the modelling is complete. In the example below, one roof shape is modelled and then copied. The second illustration shows solar panel ‘fixtures’ copies as an array.
Select the command, then select the entities to be copied. They may be selected one at a time or by drawing a box around the whole model. The entities selected to copy are highlighted. Once all entities are selected ‘right click’ the mouse to complete the selection. The Copy Array dialog is displayed and the operator sets the basis of the array and the distance between each element.
Draw one roof….
…… copied 3 times in one step using Copy Entity(s).
The Copy Array Options box.
An array of solar panels inserted on the roof using Copy Array.
Copy and Copy Array copies all the non-graphical attributes that defines the roof elements and their associations with capping, trim and accessories. This means that you define one and copy it, and all elements share the same attributes.
Group Menu
Move
These functions are permanently displayed in the Icon menu, usually on the left side of the workspace. This command lets you move a selected roof. After selecting Move, you then select all the roof planes you want to copy. You can select the planes individually, or by digitizing a window around the roof.
Then you digitise the initial point and final point. These points define the vector along which the roof is moved. This command is useful when you want to simplify a complex roof into 2 or more roofs. You can then model up each separate roof part individually, then move them into place later.
There is one small exception to these descriptions – when using the Construct-Roof > Smartlines functions, the move, stretch, copy functions only work with lines as it speeds up the Smartlines execution for the user.
Consider the following diagram where the final roof is composed of 2 roofs.
It would be easier to draw the roofs separately, then move the second roof into place afterwards. Then you would need to merge the roofs as necessary.
This diagram shows roof 2 after it has been moved.
Then, it’s up to you how you need to merge the roofs. In this example, they have been merged using Modify Roof > Advanced > Intersect-Planes and that gave the result at the top of the page.
Stretch
This command lets you move selected points and lines and have the connected linework update to suit. This is unlike copying and moving where connected entities are ignored.
A good example is to stretch a hip end to make it longer.
In this example, the right hand hip end is stretched by 4000 units to the right. Notice that incremental coordinates are used to define the stretch vector.
Note that using the stretch command may result in strange outcomes. Be careful to select just those entities that will stretch along a vector without changing the basic roof shape, and to define the stretch vector properly ie in the right axis. In the case above, the X axis was important.
Copy
This command lets you copy a selected roof. After selecting Copy, you are then prompted for the number of copies. You then select all the roof planes you want to copy. You can select the planes individually, or by digitizing a window around the roof.
Then you digitise the initial point and final point. These points define the vector along which the roof is copied.
This is helpful when you have multiple roofs to quote on the one job, and need to make one or more copies. Also, you can select any entity rather than just roofs.
Consider that you want to copy this roof to a position to the right of the existing roof.
First, select the roof using a window (d1 and d2), then nominate the initial point (d3) then the final point (d4). You can see below the second copy created at the correct position
Instead of digitizing 2 points which define the vector to copy the roof, you could also do one of the following.
Absolute coordinates Here you can enter 2 coordinates at the keyboard
Locate initial point LOC>0 0 0
Locate final point LOC> 5000 0 0
or
Enter a vector Here you enter a single vector at the keyboard using the character “v”
Locate initial point LOC> v 5000 0 0
or
Incremental coordinates Here you digitise a start point, then enter an incremental coordinate using the character “I” (I for Incremental):
Locate initial point LOC> [digitise any point on screen]
Locate final point LOC> I 5000 0 0
In the 3 above examples, all will copy the selected entities 5000 units to the right (the positive x direction).
Delete
This command lets you delete a selected roof. After selecting Delete you then select all the roof planes you want to delete. You can select the planes individually, or by digitising a window around the roof entities you wish to delete. Selecting using the Window option has two modes – selecting top-left and dragging down only selects items fully contained in the select box, while selecting lower-right and dragging up picks up items that cross the boundaries of the select box. This is indicated in the corner of the select box:
- Verandah/Porch
- Smartlines
- Section
- Scale/Rotate Image
- Rotate in 2D Axis
- Roof Outline Template
- Roof Defaults
- Recover Outline
- Mirror
- Measure Pitch from Oblique Aerial Image
- Measure Pitch from Image
- Group Menu – Move/Stretch/Copy/Delete
- Gable Roof
- Digitising Options
- Digitise2
- Curved Roof
- Copy Array
- Complex Verandah
- Calculate Adjacent Pitch
- Bellcast Verandah
- 2D Roof Design
- Horizontal-Vertical Option
- Multi-Hip
- Track Outline