Combine the RAFTER WIZARD combined with the ROOF selector into a ROOF WIZARD

[wile e coyote genius]

Most of the building designs I create are for show of the outside of the structure. But now I need to create a structure with  all the details. In this case the design requires that I create a roof with all of its components (rafters, blocking, plywood sheathing, underlay, etc.). I have included a picture (simple single plane roof) as an example. It shows that a roof is made of many parts. While AC can create such a roof it can be tedious. As an example you can make the roof type just 3/4 inch plywood but then you need to create the various layers either as a "skin" or a thin slab with a surface attached to it. The problem with skins and slabs it that AC only counts them as a single item instead of the number of, say shingles, that will be needed. What I propose is as follows;

1. Instead of opening a specifications window/box similar to those used for other objects, double clicking the roof selector opens a window with many tabs (roof type, rafters, trusses, sheathing and so on).

2. Each tab would provide all the options needed regarding the tab's function.

3. Once everything is selected the user clicks OK.

4. AC next guides the user to select the peripheral points of the roof and when done creates a complete roof with all of its components.

An example of a tab (shingles say), the user is asked to provide the shingle size, layout and amount of overlap, type of shingle (asphalt, steel,ceramic, etc.) and other related specifications.

One of the big purposes of BIM is to be able to provide information on  all of the building components but AC is lacking that ability when it comes to some roof components. Just my observation.

Regards.

[Barry Kelly · Accepted solution]

Unless you model each shingle one by one, Archicad will not be able to count them.

As you mention for your wizard, you would input the size and overlap of the shingles to determine the number of shingles per area.

You can do exactly the same with any roof.

Assign the roof a 'Classification'.

Assign a 'Property' to that classification - therefore, the roof will get the property automatically.

Use an 'Expression' in the Property to calculate the number of shingle per m² (or what ever unit you use) and multiply it by the area of the roof.

Now you can schedule that resulting property, and you will have the number of shingles.

Of course you will need to learn about classification, properties and expressions in properties.

There are quite a few posts here about it.

Barry.

[wile e coyote genius]

Hello Barry:

Thanks for the response and information. Just a note, I posted in the wishes forum to promote a desire to make creating roofs easier for the user and not having to do all of the tasks you indicate but instead have the wizard do that automatically for the user. It would still require the user to input the needed information but would do so from a single location. As we all know, the purpose of "Wizards" is to simplify the operations the user must perform when creating (in this case a roof) and track the number of all components that make up the roof and automatically create a "schedule" that lists all the parts and how many of each. One less step the user has to do.

Regards,

Mike