Arrows to show roof slope

[Kevin]

It would be nice to have an option in the roof object to show arrows to indicate slope. Every roof plan that I draw has arrows and it would be nice to have the computer do this for me.

Additionally, the option to have text that indicates the pitch would also be helpful.

[CipesDesign]

I agree.

[mike m oz]

An absolute must!

And while your about it the ability to apply global hatches which recognise the direction of roof slope and reorient themselves accordingly to the different roof slopes - like hatchs can do in walls if the option is checked in the hatch definition dialog box.

Then a roof tile or metal corrugation hatch could be applied quickly and easily to a roof with the result looking correct.

At the momemt the only way to do this is to ungroup the roof and apply separate hatches to each roof element. The downside of this is you lose the roof object's ease of modification, and you have to have different hatches for each roof slope direction. More often than not I end up drawing a separate 2D roof plan.

Another nice feature would be the ability to add other roof elements like eaves gutters and barges to different roof edges with a simple click on the roof edge. At the moment I do this manually but it takes forever. There would need to be options and of course the ability to apply different class finishes to the different elements.

I know want a lot, but I am more interested in the destination than the journey. Program 'intelligence' that will makes the journey quicker and easier has to be the prime objective.

[Travis]

On your roof elements point, would there be a way to have the Chain Extrude tool recognize the edge of a roof? Then we could design the profile (stepped fascia, gutters, corbels, whatever) and have them extruded around/along whatever edges of the roof were designated.

[mike m oz]

I currently use Extrude along Path to add eaves gutters and fascias.

- Trace the roof edge,

- draw the profile

- extrude along path; and then

- edit the profile to move it to the correct location relative to the roof edge

The problem is every time you make a change you have to redo most of the process:

- trace the roof edge again

- cut the polygon,

- double click on the object and select edit the path,

- paste the polygon into the path and move its start point to match the existing path nurbs curve

- delete the existing nurbs curve

- turn the pasted polygon into a nurbs curve

- edit the dialog box.

WHEW! - do you see my point? I want it to be easier than that?

A querstion for the NNA tech people

- why is a polygon okay in the original extrude along path operation, but not when you are editing the path?

or to put it another way

- If the initial operation includes code to converts the polygon into a nurbs curve why doesn't the edit process include that code?

[mike m oz]

I have to eat humble pie!

I have just discovered that you can reshape an extrude along path with the 3D reshape tool.

It tastes good.

[Kevin]

I like the chain extrude idea.