Roof Object vs Mass Element

[E-Lavoie]

I have been using Autocad architecture for the last 15 year for residential, once in a while i tryed to use the Roof function, but each time i found it a 100 time faster to just work with mass element to draw roof. Why is this function so bad ??? So complicated to work with and so hard to modify. It so much easyer to use Mass element. Any idea when autodesk is going to wake up ?

[John.W.Mumaw]

Not that the roof object (and roof slabs for that matter) aren't overdue for some improvements but Nathan Ellery has several good tutorials on using the roof object here http://www.ausaca.blogspot.com/  In addition you can always convert a mass element to a roof slab (but not a roof object).  Personally for any roof system beyond the very simple I usually build a massing model and to model the roof I use roof slabs and simply snap to the vertices of my massing model.

John

[E-Lavoie]

Ya i know about this video (and the guy use pretty simple roof, no gable there), i understand mostly how roof function, its just so not user friendly and so much faster only using mass element. I was wondering if there are secret to speed up the process of working with roof.

[salexandrow]

>>and the guy use pretty simple roof, no gable there

gable roof is pretty easy to get , many ways , one of them simply drag ridge grippoint , m  

more  complicated roof one can see  www.salexandrow.de

Regards

Sergej

[ntellery]

Hi yves.  I was determined (to point of madness) to find out what I can do with the roof so I am intrigued as to how a ME would be simpler. That would seem a long way off simple although I did see a clever Acad method of drawing the perimeter and extruding a roof from a pline.  I gather that's perhaps what you mean.

You know of my blog so I assume you've been to my youtube channel where it's easier to illustrate but I would be interested to see a typical roof that you do that you think is easier with ME's because I would doubt that. -but I could be wrong! 🙂

You mention "no gable" but of course as I've shown you can do full gables, partial gables in fact you can add several slopes to an edge to create all sorts of silly things so I wonder whether you mean edge styles or something else perhaps? I do have methods for that.

U.S. roofs are more complex that roofs in Aus. and so there are situations that can be difficult but as I discovered more tricks, they became less and less.  And with some complex roofs you can, as I show, add several roof objects to a 'holder object' mass element to piece together a complex roof as with a spire or such.  It's still easier than doing it manurally I would argue.

So I welcome the challenge of you either posting a roof.dwg (simpler - I can trace) or a jpg of a roof that you think can't be done with the RO.  I might even post a movie file of it's creation for you.  Or I might agree with you!

Just some background for others: The Roof Object tool was created for version 1 of ADT (ACA).  It can do more that it seems (dormers) but was hobbled because of possible bugs in that portion. It could be just switched back on. In version 2, Roof Slabs were introduced and because the tricks (that I've discovered) of the RO were not understood by autodesk it was left as a basic tool and not developed further. Truth is as shown it's more powerful than they thought and should be developed further as the programmer did with a similar tool in Spirit. Like to be able to add points? Dormers? mitre 2 complex roofs together, do a roof timber model with a click?  All this he has done in Spirit and Autodesk just has to authorise the work to upgrade the Roof Object tool in ACA.

If you can't access youtube, I have a page with the video's  http://ausaca.blogspot.com.au/p/roof-object-video-links.html

[E-Lavoie]

I know we can do gable and dormer with Roof, but its complex. Lot easyer with polyline extrusion converted to mass element, and its fast. I can send you a dwg file with a mass element roof if you want to look at them.

[ntellery]

“I know we can do gable and dormer with Roof, but its complex. Lot easyer with polyline extrusion converted to mass element, and its fast. I can send you a dwg file with a mass element roof if you want to look at them. “

yes would be happy to look at it. Perhaps if you include a few clues as to how you do it.
Part of the question is ‘yes it might be easy to construct but how easy is it to alter / adjust’?

You can either attach it here (WBlock it out of your drawing) or you can send me a private message with attachment. I’ll try to send you one with my email address.

[BillGlennie]

Yves - I would also be interested in seeing some of your roof constructions, so if you can post a drawing here that would be great.  If not, e-mail it to bill(dot)glennie(at)autodesk(.)com.

Thanks,  Bill

[JJKennedy03]

Bill,

I'll send you some roof setups if you like -

JJ Kennedy

[croc49]

I am an avid user of the Roof tool, and cling to it as long as I can in a project.
Once breaking up into roof slabs there's no going back.
A client will often change roof slope, shift walls, ad/subtract gables etc., and it can be a nightmare to edit/trim roof slabs (similar to mass elements in your case.)
Generally quicker to redraw with Roof tool from scratch.
The roof tool is easy to alter by using the grips, and the overall geometry is maintained.
I concur with Nathan's comments.
To add to the discussion, I wish I didn't have to break the Roof tool into roof slabs to tag and schedule for roof plane areas.
Builders love to use this to check up on roof contractors invoices.
I've added an example if anyone interested.

[E-Lavoie]

Mass element is faster, i tryed every way with roof and roof slab, but you cant beat working with mass element and boolean operation or trim/split by plane.

The great thing about mass element, it will do what you want it to do. Roof  and roof slab do random stuff half the time.

Good thing you all love your roof tool, you would be in my office and see me work with mass element you would probably drop roof for mass element.