Add Surface To Roof

[Jim S.]

I clipped an opening into a roof for a dormer.  The dormer size was adjusted and now I need to modify the opening in the roof.  I made a 2d polygon for the piece of the roof I want to add back, selected both the shape and the roof, then modify and "add surface" command.  Nothing changes. 

 

The clip surface tool can cut a hole in the roof but the add surface tool can not add anything back? There is no "modifiers" option that I can find like working with openings in a slab. Do I really have to get any roof openings perfect the first time or make the roof from scratch when something changes I have to be missing something here...

 

My roof is a simple gable roof with a shed dormer I cut a hole in the roof for. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Jim S.

[Jim S.]

UPDATE:

The add surface command works just fine for a roof face but not for a roof made with the "AEC Create Roof" tool.  I can convert the roof to a group which gets me a series of roof faces so I can modify the opening I cut in the roof BUT this means I lose the functionality of the roof as it was created by "Create Roof".  No nodes to click to adjust overhangs, slope, ect.  For a simple roof I guess this is fine but for any complicated roof having a collection of separate roof faces seems pretty messy.

 

Is this really how VW approaches this? 

[Tom W.]

I was just about to say that (about roof face). I agree, it seems crazy you can't get rid of a hole in a roof object once you've made it.

 

When you insert a window in a roof + create a dormer that way it makes the hole in the roof automatically but you are making your own dormer?

[Jim S.]

Tom I find the dormer tool to be one of he most frustrating things to work with in VW and I gave up on it a long time ago.  Plus the Windows you use to make the dormer no longer populate schedules and the wall of the dormer has no components.

Edited February 11, 2021 by Jim S.

[Tom W.]

@Jim S. not sure if this is practical or not but any 3D symbol that has 'Insert in Walls' enabled can be inserted in a Roof + will automatically clip the roof to the outside dims of the symbol. So in this way a 3D symbol of an Extrude can be used to function like 'Subtract Solids' by inserting it into a roof + selecting 'Do not insert symbol' in the 'Edit Roof Element' dialog box. The volume of the extrude will be subtracted from the roof. You can then edit the 3D component of the symbol to change the size of the hole if desired, move it's position on the roof by editing the offsets in the Edit Roof Element dialog + remove it completely by selecting 'Remove Object'. So is essentially a way of clipping a hole in the Roof but having a fair degree of editabililty afterwards

 

Good points about the dormer tool

[Tom W.]

On 2/11/2021 at 4:08 PM, Jim S. said:

The clip surface tool can cut a hole in the roof but the add surface tool can not add anything back? There is no "modifiers" option that I can find like working with openings in a slab. Do I really have to get any roof openings perfect the first time or make the roof from scratch when something changes I have to be missing something here...

 

I just saw this post + have learnt there IS a very simple way to clip holes in Roof objects + be able go back + edit/remove the hole afterwards if desired:

 

So instead of using Clip Surface on the Roof object, run the 'Edit Group' command on the Roof + in the edit mode draw a 2D shape in Top/Plan over the roof then exit the edit mode + the shape will have clipped the roof. Then at any time simply edit the group again to make adjustments to the shape or remove it completely. This is the first time I've ever heard of this!