Complex Roof Help

[aherrero]

I'm having a really hard time figuring out the best workflow for modelling this roof - my model feels super sloppy right now - what is the best methodology for this?

[ntellery · Accepted solution]

Well that is an interesting roof isn't it.   Is your example done with Roof Object or slabs?

There are several issues that you are faced with for this roof and I'm not sure what is supposed to happen on that front edge where the pyramid roof meets the gable but I will assume what you have shown is what you wanted.

Because of the limited ability to edit (for now) the roof object vertice you need to be able to plan your object up front to ensure you put enough vertice and edges in there up front.  I have shown how to add extra vertice and edges in my videos but it's not easy (for now) and depending on how much work you've done it might be easier to rebuild from scratch rather than edit.

Ok you have various flaps (i'll call them) where in plan view they are the same but at separate pitching height and pitch.

First you need to have a loop in between these planes to enable you to set each edge separately.  

I describe this 'gap' on video 3 here                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORDsL00OzTs

If you get this, it opens up a whole new serious of potential for the RO.

So you first need a perimeter line that traces up 'just off' your roof dormers (I use 10mm) which disappears in plan view at scale and then back hard against the dormer and across the front and back up the side again and back down.  This should be clear in the video !!!

Where pyramid hits hip, there will be another foldback in the perimeter line.

Now there is another trick in working out the pitch or pitching height to get both odd planes to meet at the ridge line at the same time.  I would suggest the dormers arrive a little earlier but perhaps it will work exactly.  I describe in video 13 how to use the roof tool itself to calculate the exact height or pitch required to make these meet.  It's not the same as your example but it will work the same way.

Now of course don't discount the use of slabs to do this roof.  I've never resorted to aecSlabs for anything more than a single flat roof because I appreciate how a roof object is clever and heals itself together but I have gone thru some pain to understand the little beast and how to tame it.  Slabs have edge style.  You will need to use a wall style (I do) or a structural object to do your gutter / eave.  For me I love how this gives you freedom but it's not automatic.  

I'll email you personally as well and you can send me the roof and I can have a go and post here for others to look at the solution if it's ok with you.

[ntellery · Accepted solution]

Well here is the almost finished roof showing a series of steps I took to get here.

I just ran out of time to resolve the pyramid roof running under the gable at the end, something I tried the quick obvious way and the whole roof object failed.  

[this was by added an overhang to the side of the pyramid facing the gable end. You can try it if you like and see the whole roof disappear.]

One of the main reasons I use the Roof Object almost exclusively is it's strength to self heal it's hips and valleys and it was obvious on this project that such a style roof might just be easier in slabs because there is less reliance on hips & valleys!  But it was great for the exercise in seeing what the RO can achieve.

The ridge line is jagged. This could be resolved by making the pitching heights & pitches of the 'flaps' more accurate. I get confused with Imperial so I didn't even try to adjust.  My video's show a method of using the RO tool dailague box in order to get a very accurate height over distance for given pitch or any combination of such in order to get very accurate with roof meeting roof.

There is not really anything new here that is not shown in my video series of tricks but it is different and challenging roof for the RO if you don't know the tricks.
Hope this is helpful.