> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://luw-ai.gitbook.io/luw.ai-studio/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://luw-ai.gitbook.io/luw.ai-studio/building/roofs.md). # Roofs Put a roof over your walls by drawing it or by clicking a room, then pick its type, pitch and overhang, trim it to fit, and add chimneys, dormers and skylights. In Luw\.ai Studio you don't pick a finished roof from a catalogue. You give it a footprint, either by drawing a rectangle or by clicking a room, and then shape the rest: the type, the pitch, the overhang, the trims and any extras such as a chimney or a dormer. ## Before you start: which level? A roof you **draw** sits on the floor of the level that's active when you draw it. So to cover the walls of the ground floor, draw the roof one level up: 1. In the level selector at the top left, click **+** at the top (**Add level above**). The new level becomes the active one, and the walls below stay visible. 2. Draw the roof there. Its corners snap to the walls on the level below, so it lines up with them exactly. A roof made **from a room** works differently: it sits on top of that room's walls by itself, so you don't need a separate level for it. {% hint style="info" %} A roof on its own level is easy to get out of the way. Select a level below it and the roof is hidden, because levels above the one you're editing are never shown. That leaves a clear view while you furnish the top floor. {% endhint %} ## Make a roof In the **Build** tab, under **Add to rooms**, click **Roof**. The tab then shows: * **Roof type**: **Hip**, **Gable**, **Shed**, **Flat**, **Gambrel**, **Dutch**, **Mansard** or **Conical**. **Gable** is preselected every time you pick the Roof tile. * **Create from**: **Draw** or **Room** (not shown for **Conical**). * **Features & extensions**: chimneys, dormers, skylights and other add-ons (see below). ### Draw the footprint With **Create from** set to **Draw**: 1. Click one corner of the roof. 2. Move the pointer. A preview of the roof stretches from that corner. 3. Click the opposite corner. While you draw, the corners snap to wall corners, midpoints, crossings and wall faces on both the active level and the one below. If no wall is close, alignment guides and then the grid take over. Press `R` to turn the ridge direction by 90°, and `Esc` to cancel. A footprint needs to be at least 1 m across. Don't be surprised that the preview always looks like a gable while you draw, whatever type you've picked. The two clicks work on the 2D floor plan too. There, a line across the rectangle shows which way the ridge runs, and it turns when you press `R`. Roof footprints are rectangles square to the grid. Diagonal or curved walls don't offer snap points for them. ### Use a room With **Create from** set to **Room**, hover a rectangular room on the active level or the level below. Its walls light up and the preview turns green. Click, and the roof lands on top of the walls. In 2D, click inside the room. ### A round roof on a curved wall Choose **Conical**, then click a curved wall. The roof takes the wall's radius and arc. This is the way to cap a round tower or a curved bay. New roofs are named **Roof 1**, **Roof 2** and so on. They start with a 40° pitch and a 0.3 m overhang. ## Roofs and roof segments A roof is made of one or more **segments**, and each segment has its own type and shape. That's how you build an L-shaped or T-shaped roof: one segment per wing. * **Add a segment**: right after drawing a roof, the new roof is still selected and the Roof tool is still active. Draw another rectangle and it joins that roof as a second segment. Keep going for more wings. To start a separate roof, click the **Roof** tile again first. * **Select a segment**: clicking a roof in 3D selects the segment under the pointer. * **Select the whole roof**: click the back arrow (**‹**) at the top of the segment's panel, or pick the roof in the **Scene** tab. ## Shape a segment The segment panel works from top to bottom: | Section | What you set | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Roof Type** | **Hip**, **Gable**, **Shed**, **Flat**, **Gambrel**, **Dutch**, **Mansard** or **Conical** | | **Trim** | **Edit footprint** to cut the roof back (below), and **Auto ridge vent** (not for shed or flat roofs) | | **Drainage** | **Auto gutters** | | **Footprint** | **Width** and **Depth** (or **Diameter** for a conical roof) | | **Wall Height** | How tall the walls are that the segment raises beneath its roof (slider **Wall**) | | **Pitch** | The slope **Angle**, from 0 to 60°, with four quick buttons for common slopes: **12/12** (45°), **9/12**, **6/12** and **3/12** | | **Shape** | Extra controls for the curvier types: **Kink Depth** and **Kink Height** for a gambrel; **Waist Width** and **Waist Height** for a mansard; those two plus **Waist Length**, **Top Rake Thick.** and **Top Rake Length** for a Dutch roof. A conical roof gets **Conical Shape** instead, with **Clipped version**, **Start Angle** and **Arc**. | | **Structure** | **Overhang**, plus the thicknesses **Wall Thick.**, **Deck Thick.** and **Shingle Thick.** | | **Position** | X, Y and Z, **Rotation**, and **-45°** / **+45°** buttons | | **Actions** | **Move**, **Duplicate** and **Delete** | You can also drag the pitch handle on the roof in 3D, which goes steeper than the slider allows. When you move a roof, `R` turns it by 45° one way and `T` the other. The whole roof's panel has its own **Position** setting: **Follows walls** keeps it on the walls below (the panel shows its current height), while **Custom** lets you set the height yourself. ## Trim a roof to fit Trimming cuts a roof back along any side, for example to tuck it against a taller wing or notch it around a chimney stack. 1. Select the segment and click **Edit footprint** in the **Trim** section. 2. Blue planes with handles appear on each side, plus diagonal handles at the corners. Drag a handle inwards. A red section shows exactly what is being cut away. 3. Click **Done editing** when it fits. **Reset** removes all trimming; double-clicking a corner handle resets just that corner. Trimming happens in the 3D view. ## Add chimneys, dormers and other features While the Roof tool is active, the **Features & extensions** grid lists **Canopy**, **Box Vent**, **Ridge Vent**, **Turbine Vent**, **Cupola**, **Eyebrow Vent**, **Chimney**, **Solar Panel**, **Skylight**, **Dormer**, **Gutter** and **Downspout**. Hover a tile to see its name. Pick one, then click the roof where it should go. A gutter goes on an eave. A dormer can be turned in 15° steps with `R` and `Shift + R` before you click. ## Doors and windows in roof walls Each segment is a closed volume: it stands on walls of its own, gable triangles included, built up to meet the roof. You can place [doors and windows](/luw.ai-studio/building/doors-and-windows.md) in those walls just like in ordinary ones. Windows also fit into the gable triangle and onto dormers. ## Paint a roof Open the **Paint** tab (or press `P`) and hover the roof: a small label tells you which part you're over. **Top** is the roof covering, **Edge** is the band along the walls and trim, and **Wall** covers the deck and soffit underneath. Normally a click paints that part on the whole roof; to paint one segment on its own, select it first. Until you paint it, a roof has terracotta tiles on top, a white edge band (in most cases) and soft white underneath. See [Materials and paint](/luw.ai-studio/items-and-paint/materials-and-paint.md). ## Copy or remove a roof * **Duplicate** (in **Actions**) copies the roof with all its segments and hands you the copy to place. * **Delete** in the roof's panel removes the whole roof. **Delete** in a segment's panel removes only that segment and selects the rest of the roof. * `Delete` and `Backspace` remove whatever is selected. Since a click on a roof selects a segment, that means one segment, unless you've selected the whole roof first. ## Related pages * [Floors and levels](/luw.ai-studio/building/floors-and-levels.md) * [Walls](/luw.ai-studio/building/walls.md) * [Doors and windows](/luw.ai-studio/building/doors-and-windows.md)