Help Files
Tutorials - Check that your roof model is correct
The process of checking is easy, obvious and essential if you are to produce reliable and professional quotations for your services. Follow these steps and you can be very confident that your information is accurate.
The first thing you do after modelling the roof is to check that you modelled it correctly. It might sound obvious, but looking at the picture is a good start. Check it out from various views - below is an ISO (as in isometric view). You will typically create the roof shape in plan or top view, but sometimes it is easier to modify the roof to add dormers and gables in an ISO view. Select View ISO from the pulldown or from the icon tertiary menu group:
The top left icon is view ISO and the bottom left icon is plan or top view. You can also select view spin and repaint from this menu set. Once you have checked the roof from all points of view, go back to the plan view to continue your checks.
The next thing you do is check the roof pitch. Most errors in quantifying a roof are caused by incorrectly specifying the roof pitch. The command is Tools | Show Pitch. The pitch may be displayed as degrees or slope (6:12). The prefix to the pitch is the roof storey number. This option is selected to turn the pitch on and re-selected to turn it off. It is a toggle command.
The next step in checking the roof model is to automatically dimension the roof. There are three typical options - Tools | Dimension | InsertAuto; Tools | Dimension | Lengths and Tools | Dimension | Insert Line to Line.
Tools | Dimension | InsertAuto - this option inserts overall roof dimensions from edge to edge. If the wall measurements were used to insert the roof outline, then the defined overhang has been added which will make the measurements larger by the amount of the overhang.
Tools | Dimension | Lengths - this option inserts dimensions for all the geometric roof features, up the slope of the roof. They are the true lengths of the lines that represent each roof feature - ridge, hip, valley etc.
Tools | Dimension | Insert Line to Line - this option allows the operator to add dimensions between parallel lines such as ridges and eaves. The ridge to eave measurement is the approximate sheet length, or rafter length if laying out courses for tiles or slate.
The pictures below show the dimensions in metric and feet/inches.
Auto-dimensioned in Metric
Auto-dimensioned in feet/inches
The next useful check is the actual geometric quantities - Tools | Tally quantities. This option displays the total lengths, total area and total roof volume. Compare these numbers to what you expected the roof to be. That is usually a good guide when you have lots of experience. You will usually know within a few metres or a few squares what the job should be. If it is way off, check further.
You are now ready to go to the next step, Exporting the roof data for the quotation/estimate to be created.
These tutorials will get you started - if you have a further question, please drop us a line - info@roofestimating.com