Help Database

Chief Architect allows you to create a wide variety of roofs - including hip and gable roofs - automatically.  However, in some situations it is easier to create roofs by hand. This tutorial will introduce you to the basic tools used to create roofs manually. 

In this tutorial, we will show you how to set your defaults for building a roof, how to draw roof planes to create a hip roof, and how to create a roof planes for a gable roof. 

To create a hip roof 

1. Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall  from the menu and draw four connecting walls to form an enclosed area.  In this example, a simple rectangle is drawn. 
   
   
   
   Note: Always make sure you draw your walls in a clockwise direction. This tells Chief Architect where to put the siding, and where to put the drywall.

   
    
   
   

2. Select Build> Roof> Build Roof  from the menu to open the Build Roof dialog.
   
   This dialog also serves as the default dialog for roofs - settings here apply to manually drawn roof planes as well as automatic roofs.
   
   
   
3. In the Build Roofs dialog:
   
   
   
   
   • Set the pitch to equal the pitch you require.  In this example, we will use a pitch of 6 in 12.
     
     
   • You can also set the default overhangs here.  In this example we will again use program default of 18".
     
     
   • Click OK to close the dialog.
     
     
     
4. Select Build> Roof> Roof Plane  from the menu.
   
   
   • Starting on the left hand side of the plan, click and drag a baseline down along the outside surface wall's framing layer. 
     
     
   • When Object Snaps  are enabled, the program will snap the baseline there automatically. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
   • Release the mouse button and then click inside the room to identify the location of the ridge and create a roof plane.    
     
     
     
     
     
   • Repeat this process on along the three remaining sides of the building.
     
     
     
5. Click on the upper roof plane along its right hand side to select it.  Notice the edit handle that displays on the edge that you clicked on, indicating that it is the selected edge.
   
   
   • Click the Join Roof Planes  edit button.
     
     
   • Next, click the the upper side of the right roof plane to join the two edges together. 
     
      
     
     
   • Repeat this process for each edge of the remaining roof planes.
     
     
      
     
     
6. Click on the ridge edge of the upper roof plane to select it.
   
   
   • Click the Join Roof Planes  edit button.
     
     
   • Click the ridge of the lower roof plane to join them together.
     
     
     
      
     
7. Click on the ridge of the roof plane on the right side of the plan.
   
   
   • Click the Join Roof Planes  edit button.
     
     
   • Click on the right edge of the upper roof plane and drag it upslope, towards the main ridgeline.
     
     
     
     
     
8. Repeat this process for the roof plane on the left side of the bulding.  
   
   
   

To create a gable roof:

1. Select Build> Wall> Straight Exterior Wall  and draw four connecting walls to form an enclosed area.  Again, a simple rectangle is used in this example.
   
   
   
2. Follow the steps described in step 3, above, to create two roof planes on opposite sides of the building. 
   
   
   
    
   
3. Click on the ridge edge of the upper roof plane to select it.
   
   
   • Click the Join Roof Planes  edit button.
     
     
   • Click the ridge edge of the lower roof plane to join the two together. 
     
      
     
     
     
4. Select CAD> Dimension> Display Temporary Dimensions  and make sure there is a check mark beside Temporary Dimensions.  If there is not, click on this menu item to turn on Temporary Dimensions.
   
   
   
5. Click on the right side of the upper roof plane to select it.
   
   
   • Left-click on the temporary dimension between the roof plane edge and the wall.
     
     
     
     
     
   • In the text box, type a distance value of -18".  The 18 represents the desired gable overhang.
     
                      
     
     In Chief Architect X1 and prior versions, you need to enter this value into the Move Object Using Dimension dialog.
     
     
     
     
     
   • In this example, it is important that a negative number be used.  This directs the program to move the roof plane edge to the opposite side of the wall, rather than keeping it on the same side.
     
     
   • Repeat for the left edge of the upper roof plane.
     
     
     
     
     
6. With Object Snaps  enabled, drag the left and right sides of the bottom roof plane so that they snap to the respective sides of the upper roof plane.  As you drag each edge outward, move your cursor towards the side edge of the upper roof plane.  The program will locate the edge and snap the currently selected edge to it.