Help with scale tool please

[Dave R]

Here's a quick example. It would work with the roof you show in your screenshots, too. Note that there is no scaling of the rafters involved for this so the spacing will remain constant as will the roof pitch.

Two copies of the same rafter center lines. Different floorplan footprints:

Extrude the footprint up so the edges just intersect with the rafters. The smaller footprint needs to be extruded farther to meet the rafters, of course.

Select the rafters above the extruded height of the footprint and see the total length in Entity Info.

If you are only testing different options, you can hit Undo back to before extruding the footprint to restore the rafters.

[danna]

@pbacot said:

If you are looking for a way to estimate rafters. How about find a figure for rafters lf for area of roof face? So using a simple plan -roof model you can work it out. Maybe with the floor area there' formula you can work out.

Thanks for your input but could not follow.

[danna]

@dave r said:

Here's a quick example. It would work with the roof you show in your screenshots, too. Note that there is no scaling of the rafters involved for this so the spacing will remain constant as will the roof pitch.

Two copies of the same rafter center lines. Different floorplan footprints:
Extrude the footprint up so the edges just intersect with the rafters. The smaller footprint needs to be extruded farther to meet the rafters, of course.

Select the rafters above the extruded height of the footprint and see the total length in Entity Info.
If you are only testing different options, you can hit Undo back to before extruding the footprint to restore the rafters.

Dave thanks very much for putting this together and I follow what you are doing.

I think my problem will be having the irregular shaped base staying centered under my rafter copies.

I'll surely try it when back to that computer.

Thanks

[Dave R]

If you use Offset, there should be no problem keeping it centered.

[pbacot]

@danna said:

@pbacot said:

If you are looking for a way to estimate rafters. How about find a figure for rafters lf for area of roof face? So using a simple plan -roof model you can work it out. Maybe with the floor area there' formula you can work out.

Thanks for your input but could not follow.

At a given pitch, roof area should be proportional to the floor area. At a given spacing the lineal feet of rafters to cover a roof area should be proportional to the area they cover

[danna]

@dave r said:

If you use Offset, there should be no problem keeping it centered.

Offset ... that's it, never thought of it.

Thanks Dave

[danna]

@pbacot said:

At a given pitch, roof area should be proportional to the floor area. At a given spacing the lineal feet of rafters to cover a roof area should be proportional to the area they cover

Yes ... that's what I ran the test for. (square bases so far)

I want to test more typical floor plan layouts, but do not want to redraw everything.

I have the charts for pitches 1 through 24.

Examples :
roof pitch 4/12, rafter lft approx 53% of floor area
roof pitch 8/12, rafter lft approx 60% of floor area
roof pitch 12/12, rafter lft approx 71% of floor area

(hip roof line - for gable you could add 2% to above percentages)

For estimating purposes, the soffit or overhang is figured and added to floor sq ft area.
I do not want to deal with the overhangs for my testing, that's why I'm attaching rafter to a base only.

Thanks.

[pbacot]

I guess what I am getting at is that, you can use the roof area as your test module, not draw the rafters at all if you use a standard LF= (x)* (roof surface SF) figure; because this parameter doesn't change. Then you just scale different models with surfaces. Read the roof area rather than the length of rafters.

[danna]

@pbacot said:

I guess what I am getting at is that, you can use the roof area as your test module, not draw the rafters at all if you use a standard LF= (x)* (roof surface SF) figure; because this parameter doesn't change. Then you just scale different models with surfaces. Read the roof area rather than the length of rafters.

I would sure like to try it.

My ole eyes have a tuff time seeing the sign after the (x) ... is that the multiply sign ?

What does (x) stand for ?

[pbacot]

Sorry that asterisk is meant for "Multiply" X is the amount you must multiply roof surface area by to give Lineal feet of rafters.

[danna]

@pbacot said:

Sorry that asterisk is meant for "Multiply" X is the amount you must multiply roof surface area by to give Lineal feet of rafters.

Thank you.