Complicated Architectural Roof Help


gwcooper
 Share

Recommended Posts

Does anyone know how to build roof planes such as the ones shown in the pictures labelled A and B? Or if Chief can even create those kinds of roof planes? I can't figure out how to draw a roof with a fascia that slopes from one storey to another. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

IMG_5997.jpgIMG_5998.jpg

IMG_5999.jpgIMG_6001.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You definitely can use the baseline angle and there certainly can be reasons to do so, however...

 

I’ve modeled roof planes like that quite a few times now, and the fastest, easiest, most accurate, and most dependable method I’ve found is to find the neutral pitch plane and use that to set your baseline.  My workflow is as follows.

 

1.  Create a 3D overview.

2.  Make sure your various roof trim layers (especially Ridge Caps) are turned off.

3.  IN THAT 3D VIEW, click on the Face tool...

4.  Draw a Face that snaps to 3 known reference points on the adjacent roof planes, thereby creating a plane EXACTLY where you want your new roof plane to be.

4.  Paint that face with a material that has perfectly horizontal lines (any material will do really).

5.  Return to your plan view.  You should see (as long as the appropriate layer is turned on) that the material pattern on your face is now visible in plan view.  You will use this pattern to set your initial baseline which will place it perfectly at that neutral pitch plane I mentioned.

6.  Create a CAD Detail From View.

7.  Cut one of the pattern lines and Paste Hold Position into your plan view.

8.  Delete the Face.

9.  Move that pattern line (WITHOUT changing the angle) so that it intersect a mid way point along one of the 2 existing sloped roof edges.  
10.  Drag out a new roof plane baseline starting at that intersection point and ending anywhere along that pattern line.

11.  Drag the roof plane either up or down in the direction of the slope (perpendicular to the baseline).

12.  Stop the roof plane before you get to it’s ultimate high or low point.

13.  Grab JUST ONE CORNER of that new roof plane and snap it to one of the existing sloped roof plane edges.  This should trigger the Change Height/Pitch dialog.

14.  Choose Pivot About Baseline.

15.  Reshape and properly join the roof plane.

16.  Delete the temporary pattern line.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

Just back to the office and decided to go ahead and make a quick video...

 

 


Is this possible to do without step #4?
 

Why is the face needed prior to drawing that particular roof plane?

 

Great video by the way. I never understood or ever used “faces” before. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Michael_Gia said:

 

Why is the face needed prior to drawing that particular roof plane?


It’s just the fastest method that I’ve found to find that neutral pitch plane.  There are other methods but they all require some extra steps. Just don’t think any of them are faster.  That whole process can really be done inside a minute.  
 

For whatever it’s worth though, here’s one method that doesn’t require any primitives...

 

1.  Drag out a roof plane whose baseline starts at a mid point along one of the 2 existing roof edges. 
2.  Lock Baseline and set the pitch to zero.

3.  Drag the roof plane out so that it extends through the other existing roof plane on the opposite side.

4.  Take an Orthographic Full Overview and change the View Direction>Top View.

5.  Take a CAD Detail From View.

6.  Steal the intersection point.

7.  Paste hold position back into the plan view.

8.  Adjust roof baseline to suit, etc, etc.

 

There are a few other methods as well.  Just not sure any of them are faster.  If they are, it’s not by much.  

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Michael_Gia said:

Is this possible to do without step #4?
 

Why is the face needed prior to drawing that particular roof plane?

In this particular case, it turns out that it wasn't actually necessary to do that process, but it was very tricky because of the way the OP's drawing changed the roof material on that section of roof.  I did not catch it either until Michael did.  Still, the operation he shows would be the way to do it if that section of roof actually had a pitch that matched the direction of the roof material.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, DzinEye said:

In this particular case, it turns out that it wasn't actually necessary to do that process, but it was very tricky because of the way the OP's drawing changed the roof material on that section of roof.  I did not catch it either until Michael did.  Still, the operation he shows would be the way to do it if that section of roof actually had a pitch that matched the direction of the roof material.  


I didn’t even bother to inspect the geometry that closely.  Did you actually model it?  And was that muddle roof pitch direction actually the exact same as the other?  If so, ya, that step wouldn’t be necessary.  The pitch doesn’t have to match the direction of the material though for the extra step to be necessary, it just has to be different than the adjacent pitches.  I guess doing roof plane “B” might have been the better example.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

5.  Take a CAD Detail From View.

6.  Steal the intersection point.

7.  Paste hold position back into the plan view.

8.  Adjust roof baseline to suit, etc, etc.

Ahaa... one of your secret uses of CDfromV comes to light.  Will need to think along these lines more often for other uses

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said:

I didn’t even bother to inspect the geometry that closely.  Did you actually model it?  And was that muddle roof pitch direction actually the exact same as the other?  If so, ya, that step wouldn’t be necessary.  The pitch doesn’t have to match the direction of the material though for the extra step to be necessary, it just has to be different than the adjacent pitches.  I guess doing roof plane “B” might have been the better example.

I did not model it, but after you did and then noted how close the slopes were, I figured that had to be more than coincidence.  So I went back and looked at the roof plan and to my eye his roof slope arrows look to be exactly the same direction.  Until then I had been getting my slope cue from the roof material pattern and did not even notice the slope arrow.  Adding to the confusion is the fact that the roof material pattern in the elevations do not match that of the roof plan.   Also in the lower elevation the heavy line between material direction appears as a valley enhancing the confusion further.

Yep... B would've been the ideal example... none the less, appreciate the process explanation.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share