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Initial Roof Creation
Roofs are created whenever a block is created, but they are not visible at this stage. In the Design Settings, you can specify whether the roofs have gable, hip, or flat roof construction, the initial slopes of both the side panels and the hips, and the amount of overhang on each edge. Since these defaults are applied when blocks are created, it is important to set them at the beginning of a session, and not wait until immediately before you enter Roof Action.
Multiple Blocks
The initial roofs for multiple intersecting blocks are joined in the following fashion. The program finds all those blocks that cannot frame into another block in the sense that one of its sides is contained entirely within another block. For those blocks, it sets the ridge direction along the longest dimension. For all the blocks that can frame into another block, it sets the ridge direction to be perpendicular to the other block. It then resizes the block so that it abuts rather than overlaps, and sets the roof slope to be complimentary to the slope of the side of the other block. Figure 1 shows this configuration.
Figure 1 – Joining of Initial Roofs
For blocks that are diagonally intersecting, the program sets the ridge direction along the longest dimension and uses the design setting defaults to create the roof. Such roofs overlap, and can create redundant wind loads and seismic building masses.
Roof Block Dimensions
Roof blocks can be moved or resized from within Roof Action, either using the mouse to move the block or inputting the new dimensions in Roof Input Form.
Before the Roof Action is entered, the program also keeps track of the block that an exterior wall and its segments came from. If an exterior wall is repositioned in Wall Action, the roof block associated with that wall will be resized to match the furthest north, south, east and west exterior walls on that block. If you do not want the roof block to be resized, you can restore it manually.
Once roofs are made, the roofs and blocks are not resized when walls are moved.
Creating Additional Roofs
Once you have reached Wall Action, it is impossible to make additional blocks to use in the creation of walls. However, in the Roof Action it is possible to create additional blocks that are not associated with any walls for use in developing complex roofs, and to model roofs over outdoor spaces such as porches and carports.
Wind and seismic loads are generated using these roof blocks.