BIM Roofs

Walter Vardanega

 I am starting to use Bricscad BIM. I like what I have tried so far. My only real difficulty is modelling roofs.

This is a question to see how other users of Bricscad BIM model roofs. So far I have been modelling roofs in Sketchup and then importing the roof into Bricscad.

The type of roofs that are commonly modelled here include a mixture of hip, gable and skillion roofs. Roof supports can be at different levels in the one roof also.

Any advice and tips will be greatly appreciated.

Walter

Walter Vardanega

 Also, are there any plans for BIM roofs that can model the above roofs in Bricscad?

Walter

Hans De Backer

Hello Walter,
have you had a look at http://bricsys.tv/m/?creating-roofs-in-bricscad-bim-m190 ?

It is important to be aware that the BIMCONNECT command also works on inclined roof slabs: just select two slabs you want to connect and pick the connect tool from the quad menu.
Another help when creating roofs is using the Shift key to lock the dynamic UCS to the desired face, and often also use it to lock a tracking line at a certain angle, although that can also be achieved by filling in any desired angle value in the dynamic dimension field.

Hope this sets you on the way. If you happen to come across a roof that seems impossible to model using BricsCAD, please file a support request and attach some image or sketch, we'll be glad to look into it.

Walter Vardanega

  Thank you Hans

In this case I am trying to model a hip roof like the one in the First image above. Is it a matter of drawing short lengths of each of the roof slabs and then using BIMCONNECT? 

Hans De Backer

While modeling a skillion roof I noticed that the Direct Modeling version of the Extrude command, DMEXTRUDE, does not have a Direction option, it always extrudes perpendicular to the selected face. So, to indicate that the base face of the skillion roof should be extruded vertically, one currently has to revert to using the 'regular' EXTRUDE command and the Direction option. Thanks for making us realize this weakness.

Hans De Backer

@walter vardanega:

  Thank you Hans

In this case I am trying to model a hip roof like the one in the First image above. Is it a matter of drawing short lengths of each of the roof slabs and then using BIMCONNECT? 

Yes, basically it is.

Walter Vardanega

 Thank you Hans

Jason Bourhill

Hi Walter,

Attach a couple of experimental methods for generating a Hip style roof

Simple house 01
This has a set of parametric roof panels, inserted using BMINSERT (not BIMINSERT!!), which you can adjust the settings of (pitch, building width/length) from the property bar. Once you have the basic form you would open the Mechanical Browser (yes Mechanical) and first dissolve the parametric block to its parts, then remove the related constraints.  Having done this you would use BIMCONNECT, as suggested by Hans. To get the connection you expect you may need to use BIMDRAG to re-position the roof panels. Also I found I had to use BIMDRAG to complete the hip. See short video clip attached.

Simple house 02
This has a full parametric hip roof (I think), again inserted using BMINSERT. This one is intended to be left as a block, making adjustments via the property bar only. This of course would only suit a rectangular style dwelling. You would need to create additional ones to cover other building layouts.

The constraints used above override attached BIM compositions. I think you would need to update, or reapply once the block has been dissolved and the constraints removed.

Regards, Jason Bourhill CAD Concepts 

HipRoof.gif

SimpleHouse-01.zipSimpleHouse-02.zip

Walter Vardanega

Thank you Jason

I will have a look at your suggestions.

Walter

Walter Vardanega

 Any idea as to why I might be getting this result when I select BIMCONNECT

Walter

20150714_215645.jpg

Walter Vardanega

 I think I know? If I used BIMDRAG to extend each of the roof panels so that they crossed each other then BIMCONNECT will work as I expected.

20150714_220429.jpg

20150714_220332.jpg

Walter Vardanega

 I then used BIMDRAG to close the hole

Walter

Ken Taylor

Hi All

Just had a conversation with jason Bourhill.....he is a very helpful guy
Anyway as a practising architectural designer I have been using Acad solid modelling since 1986 and Bricscad since V12 and its time to offer something back

So on the subject of roofs
1. For a hip roof of constant soffit height draw a bounding polyline and extrude it at an angle (pitch angle). You can subtract a roof void if you wish.
2. You can convert hip ends to gables with the rotate face option, and vice versa. Edit roof pitch with the quad....needs a bit of tidying to get upper/lower faces rotate.
3. Other roof shapes can easily be made by drawing a cross section and straight extrude or extrude along a path. Chop using the section (solid) command or just subtract a shape.
4. The various solid operations Bricsys offers can do most things, even without the quad.
5. I have many simple lisp routines dating back to early 90's for extruding a whole building in one move....you can pick off the faces as regions and assign to layers eg clad, fasia,soffit etc.
6. For "funny" roofs eg hyperbolic parabaloids etc we now have decent lofting
7. I suspect a routine similar to BIMSERT can put a skylight into a roof.
8. Now we have much more flexibility with regions you can do lots of things quickly like roof and wall faces with holes in them.....you can measure them as elements for quantities. You can derive regions directly from 3d solid.
9. Generally I keep my roof as bits on separate layers to allow material/layer assignment, measure quantities, render etc.
10. The above allows drawing roof cladding distinct from framing, soffit lining, ceiling lining etc.
11. For sections I use a section plane produced from DVIEW with clipping planes and a couple of one liner lisp routines. If you set a UCS on the section plane you can quickly and easily hatch, thicken, callouts, letter up very quickly using separate layers. 30 years in CAD has taught me a simple robust selection of tools is much quicker and more flexible than a bells and whistles procedure.  You can use this section technique for plans also....clip just below FFL and just below door heads. The big advantage of using sections like this is everything (lines, 3d faces etc) shows in the viewport, and can be controlled by layers....usually preset. You can render/shade/hidden etc with sections and viewports. You can also show as much detail as you want, and it updates automatically.

Lastly to see what Bricscad could and should be able to do architecurally have a look at these web sites for other products.
a. www.1001bit.com Download the v2 professional manual. Its from Sketchup. There is a free version....I helped beta test this years ago.
b. www.cadmimage.com for some Archicad stuff written her in New Zealand (same country as Jason!) and included with all purchases of Archicad seats worldwide.
c. www.valiarchitects.com for instant roof, walls, landform etc. Sketchup, dirt cheap, and amazing you can even edit drawn objects.

Its probably a bit naughty (but nice) v 16 allows you to import SU eometry and makes a pretty clean fist of it

So c'mon you younger developer guys....this old geezer has written his last C++, VBA and good ole LISP

Cheers

Ken Taylor
Designshop Architecture

Jason Bourhill

Creating roofs in BricsCAD V18 has become a whole lot easier. Simply draw the outline of the roof in plan view, then use EXTRUDE from the QUAD and enter an angle (needs to be the complimentary angle to the desired roof pitch), press ENTER and BricsCAD takes care of the rest.

Here's an example:
BricsCAD - Creating Hip Roofs

Regards,
Jason Bourhill
CAD Concepts

Tom Foster

@Hans De Backer said:
BIMCONNECT command also works on inclined roof slabs

This is so fundamental, and unique to BricsBIM, makes just about anything possible without hideous workarounds. Well, unique amongst all the other mainstream BIMs anyway, not sure about SU and clever add-ons.

To be more accurate, other BIMs can join ends of inclined roof slabs (made as walls - workaround) but then can't proceed to join bottoms to walls, tops to another roof slope of different pitch (e.g. mansard roof). Or vice versa - it can do the tops and bottoms (made as walls stood on end - workaround) but then not the ends. Try even more multi-intersects and you're really stuffed.

BricsBIM's uniqueness is that its BIM solids are just standard dwg solids with all faces pretty much equal status so all can do 'anything', whereas other BIMs have special BIM solids which can only do the limited tricks that their non-architect geek developers could imagine decades ago. Ends, tops/bottoms and sides all behave quite differently - albeit with some speed and ease advantages in routine situations. BricsCAD now has optional simulation of some of those special behaviours, so those speed and ease advantages in routine situations is also available in BricsBIM.