increased dormer edit capability

[Cadplan Architecture]

There is little that can be done with a dormer after creation apart from changing the position. We need to be able to edit the windows, roof thickness, eaves, pitch etc, etc.

[bc]

Been on the wishlist for many years.

Thanks for bringing it back up.

I've been modeling my own now for so long I forgot the tool existed.

[PVA - Admin]

Adding this thread to the request.

[bc]

Jim,

If there would be only one change, please make it:

The ability to control eave profile, so that the dormer can match the rest of the roof (if it isn't otherwise a vertical miter).

Right now all we get is vertical.

Or leastwise since I last tried it...ha!

Edited April 6, 2015 by bc

[Kevin C]

Jim,

If you are looking at the dormer tool. Can you please look at it properly, including the following:

For example: A Dormer will nearly always have a window in it, so put one is as default and set at a predetermined height - don't care what it is as long as I can change it relative to the finished floor level. If I don't want the window - I can just remove it. This would also mean that you have to fix the laughable roof tool, which really is a bit of a joke.

On the edit roof element dialogue box:

Centre vertically - OK but from the dormer eaves level, not the top of the dormer - This is a turn out size depending on the width of the dormer, offset and roof pitch / type

Offset from top - Totally useless - Should be Offset from roof bearing level (and should relate to the top or cill like a standard window)

Height Offset - Should be from the roof bearing height (come back to later)

Also, if a standard window can be included in the dormer - it can be scheduled. It is currently impossible to schedule dormer windows. - Would also include roof lights in this as well, but you would then have to include them as standard windows (could easily be overcome by including standard window profiles)

The offset from corner should be from the building line - not the roof edge and should also be move dormers / roof-lights along a roof by a predetermined distance relative to a setting point of my choosing

Slopes: No problem

Width: No problem

Depth: No problem(never used it)

Height: Again - should have option to be relative to roof bearing level and not just the roof plane. Roof plane is really a turn out

Should have the option of being able to include a bargeboard (of my choice of size)

Things missing from the dormer tool:

Eaves detail - Facia / soffit - Also, will quite often not be the same as the main roof (defaults from main roof could be included - as long as they can be edited)

Also when installing windows in dormers, it again is very common to set the dormer with a 0 building line offset. In this scenario, the roof profile should by default be broken to allow the external wall to continue up the main elevation or we should have at least have the option of "breaking the roof".

Now the roof tool:

For all but the most basic of shapes and profiles the roof tool is pretty much useless. I am not talking about the freeform NURBS tools, which are great and the ability to create stunning parabolic roof shapes - which are all great. I am talking about being able to create a simple roof with a couple of simple features - like having a gable end on the same plane as the gable of the main roof - just fails. The only way to create that type of roof is to manually draw a polyline around the building and at the gables end create a dog leg which recesses by the same depth as the gable overhang, trace round the gable and rejoin. Doing this creates the roof but does not allow for facia's soffits etc plays havoc with dormers and if you dared to try and create a section - it just looks like a joke, it also messes up the bearing height (you now have created multiple eaves heights) and in plan view - you have additional roof junctions which don't actually exist - but show.

Another big problem with the roof is the requirement of having to create multiple hybrid objects so that I can show a roof and plan at the same time when designing (1.5 storey properties - which are very very common). Up till now, the only way I can display a 1.5 storey building is to draw roof and truss lines over the plans in an annotation viewport with a mask - very difficult to get VW to display what I want it to - not very model friendly!!

Sorry for the rant, but VW needs to still get a lot of the basics corrected before jumping into things like Microsoft HoloLens and the like.

Kevin.

[PVA - Admin]

No apologies for any rants, once I link these threads to the requests, the engineers are able to easily drill right to your comments and get more detailed and useful feedback than I could ever provide on my own, keep it up!