The information in this article applies to:
When I try to create an automatic dormer, I sometimes get a warning message. What does the message mean and how can I avoid it?
The Automatic Dormer tools allow you to create either a structural or floating dormer complete with walls, roof planes, a roof hole, and even a window with a single click. However, both tools do require certain conditions before they can be created:
cannot intersect interior walls in the living space or attic space directly below.
must intersect knee walls running perpendicular to the slope of the main roof plane in the living or attic space directly below. must locate a roof plane at the lower front dormer wall and a ceiling at the upper back. Put another way, the part of the roof plane where the front of the dormer is found must be lower than the ceiling height of the living space behind the dormer.
This article discusses the causes and resolutions for the common warning messages that display when we try to place an Automatic Dormer in an incorrect location.
Requirement: An Automatic Dormer must be located completely within a single roof plane.
By definition, a hole in an object must be completely enclosed by that object - the hole cannot touch or extend past one of the object's edges. One of the objects included in every Automatic Dormer is a roof hole; as a result, Automatic Dormers must be completely enclosed by a single roof plane.
In fact, since roof planes have both a thickness and a pitch, Automatic Dormers have to be set back from the eave or ridge edges. The exact setback distance required will depend on the roof plane's depth and its pitch.
There are a number of Information or Warning messages that may display if you attempt to place or move an Automatic Dormer into a position that violates this requirement:
Requirement: Auto Floating Dormers cannot intersect interior walls in the living space or attic space directly below.
Auto Floating Dormers are non-structural dormers that bear on the roof and do not have supporting walls beneath them. They cannot have interior walls directly below them.
There are several messages which may display if you try to place or move an Auto Floating Dormer into a position that violates this requirement:
In some situations, you can move the interior wall that is preventing the dormer from generating, or you can place the dormer in a location where interior walls are not present. It might be best to place the Auto Floating Dormer in the attic space above the living area.
from the menu to remove it from your plan and copy it to the clipboard.
from the menu to go up one floor.
from the menu.
to confirm its correct location relative to walls and other objects on the floor below.
Requirement: Auto Dormers must intersect knee walls running perpendicular to the pitch of the base roof plane in the living or attic space directly below.
In order to place an Auto Dormer , which is a structural dormer with walls that extend down to the floor of the living area below, it is necessary to place a knee wall that runs perpendicular to the base roof pitch, or parallel to that roof plane's baseline. The space behind the knee wall must also be specified as an "Attic" room.
If you try to place an Auto Dormer at a location that does not meet these requirements, one of the these messages may display:
To learn how to place an Auto Dormer , please see the Related Articles section below.
Requirement: Auto Dormers must locate a roof plane at the lower front dormer wall and a ceiling at the upper back.
In order for an Auto Dormer to be placed, the program requires that the roof plane at the point where the dormer's front wall is placed be lower than the ceiling of the living space behind the dormer.
If you try to create an Auto Dormer at a location where the ceiling of the living space is too low relative to the roof plane on which the dormer is being placed, one of these messages will display:
Another way of looking at this situation is that the roof is too high relative to the ceiling in the living space. This warning is often encountered when we try to place an Auto Dormer in a roof plane with a baseline higher than the ceiling height of the living area below.
To resolve the situation, you can place the dormer in the attic space above; however, to create a structural dormer located in the living space, it is best to rebuild the roof planes at a lower height and then place the dormer.
Requirement: Automatic Dormers always face the eave of their base roof plane and the front dormer walls are always parallel to its baseline.
Neither of the side walls of a dormer can be aligned with a wall below them, even if the dormer is placed in an attic space. The only wall in an Automatic Dormer that can be positioned over a wall in the living space below is the front wall - but only if the wall below is perpendicular to the base roof plane's pitch. If you try to position an Automatic Dormer so that its front wall is located over a wall that is not perpendicular to the base roof plane's pitch, this message will display:
There are a number of ways to avoid the warning:
and place the dormer in the attic space above the living area. Notice, though, that the front dormer wall will always face the eave edge of the roof plane that it is placed on - it is not possible make it face another direction.
Requirement: Both types of Automatic Dormers must be placed far enough apart from other dormers that they do not share the same space.
While it is possible for some objects in the program, such as plants and CAD items, to share the same space, the components that make up automatic dormers, including walls and roof holes are not capable of doing so.
If you try to create a new automatic dormer or move an existing dormer too close to another one, this message will display:
To avoid this warning message, click further away from any existing dormers when creating a new one. Remember that the point where you click will be the center point of the front wall of the new dormer. If, for example, your default dormer width is 72" (six feet), you will need to click at least 36" (three feet) away from an existing dormer in order to have enough room for the new one.
