Compound-pitched roof

[Travis]

I need to be able to create a compound pitched-roof, such as a gambrel (the one I'm working on is the obverse: it's steeper coming off the ridgeline and flares the last 16' or so).

I know I can do it with roof faces, but the edges don't seem to bisect well. Also, I can't add dormers to roof faces. . .and the dormers cross the line where the pitch changes.

Right now my "workaround" is to create the shallower-pitched roof, add dormers, then break apart and reduce the size of the roof faces. Then I can add the steeper, central roof faces, touch-up the dormer intersections and extrude "boards" for the fascia to hide the non-bisecting edges of the roof faces. Heaven forbid that the client should ask for a third dormer!

Any simpler ideas?

[Robert Anderson]

Here's a thought on compound pitched roofs (e.g. "gambrel" or "tiki" style). They could be created with two roofs. Draw a polygon to define the roof, and create an offset polygon for the base of the second roof. Copy this offset polygon and use it to create a hole in the outer roof. Use the 3D selection cursor (in a 3D view) to precisely snap the two roofs together.

[Travis]

Not only insights into VWA, but also client-handling techniques--how increasingly valuable is this board! (Chris, I'm still smiling some ten minutes later)

Robert, I'll try your approach. If it works to keep the "lower" roof in one piece, that will solve the insert-dormer problem. I've only ever created holes in roof faces, never yet in a roof object.

Thanks, both.