Auto Roof Returns

[GMTinc]

I, like many, often have trouble getting auto roof returns to generate.  When I do, I have never really been able to determine what the problem is.  Sometimes rebuilding roof planes etc will help and others I  wind up doing them manually.   I have two questions for anyone in the know.

 

1.  What is normally the real issue when auto roof returns will not generate.  In other words where to look and for what.

 

2.  When doing manual roof returns, what is the best procedure to insure a correct connection to the main roof plain.  In other words, getting the gutters/shadow boards/frieze to miter properly.

 

Any and all help appreciated.

 

 

[PACNWX6]

I run into this issue a lot. Today as well actually. I noticed sometimes walls on the upper or lower floors have an effect if the roof planes through from a 1st floor to 2nd floor roof. Check those walls and turn on the auto returns and see if that works.

As for manually doing them. Usually the join roof plane tool will connect everything if the baselines and runs are even.

Kc

[Doug_Park]

Any cases that don't generate correctly should be sent in to our support team so that we can look into correcting the issues. It is hard to test for every possible configuration so we may miss some combinations of things that don't work.

 

Thanks for using the program, we look forward to making it better with your help.

[GMTinc]

The plan I am working on and which prompted this enquiry (although I have had the same experience many times), is actually a revision of sorts.  I changed the walls and roof configuration of the garage area from basically a hip roof to a gable roof.  In doing so I could not get the auto returns to generate properly.  Actually I had difficulty getting attic gable walls to generate also.  There were a number of problem areas which I felt might be contributing.  I had built the roof manually as there are multiple pitches set at the same eave height.  As a result, I had not really set the ceiling height in the garage as it should be.  I had also been forced to manually generate the new gable walls.  Wall alignment and height I thought might be culprits. 

 

I was planning to send the plan to support, but in playing with it, I seemed to have resolved this issue, although like every time before, I am not sure what I did.  I basically kept rebuilding walls, checking alignment turning off and on auto returns, setting structural heights for garage walls etc.  Eventually some combination worked.  I wish I knew the criteria this function requires in order to work properly.  I could then at least narrow down the process.  I like to use it because it forms perfect connections where the return meets the eave of the main roof.  I seem to have even more trouble trying to make manual returns that do not have some issue at that point. 

 

Thanks for everyone's response; however, it looks as if I will have to muddle on till the next time.

[VisualDandD]

I usually find it is a 'baseline' issue.

 

I often start with 'auto' roof tools and then modify the planes.   If you are trying to match overhangs on differing pitches, etc and move roof plains with point to point, the baseline often gets screwed up.  You see this all the time when trying to make a 'full' return and only one side will generate.

 

As for making  roof planes line up, just enter fascia height and lock it, then enter pitch.

[Doug_Park]

Wall alignment and other imprecise drawing can have a huge detrimental effect on how things work. This isn't limited to roofs either.

 

The program makes decisions often on very small alignment differences that intuitively seem as if they could be more sloppy, but in the long run trying to make things work in the sloppy case ends up causing things to not work in other cases.

 

We have over the years fixed a lot of bugs in Chief by tightening up the tolerances that are allowed for determining certain things.

 

In any case if you have something that you think the program should be able to handle we would like to have an example of the problem so that we can try to improve how things work.

 

We really appreciate it when we get this feedback.

[GMTinc]

I understand what you say Doug and it is almost always the culprit when trying to generate anything 3d that does not have some problem.  I "design" in Chief and am constantly moving and changing things around.  Often I am not sure at all how I am impacting things that I will later come to grief with in trying to generate 3D.  Alignment and connections seem at the heart of things.  That was the case in this instance, but in making multiple changes to try to correct, I am not sure which was the correct approach.  As I say, I find that I loose proper connections, misalign things and wind up with improper wall heights, while "designing" and wind up with something that is a real headache to get into form for 3D.  I wish I knew more about how to go through and find these things.  As you say, they are most often certainly not visible.