Roof Tools Troubleshooting¶

Use this page when Roof Surface Zones, Roof Outline or Gutter Caps does not produce the expected result.

Roof Outline Cannot Be Run¶

Message: Roof Outline can only be run from a plan view.

Roof Outline must be started from a Revit plan view.

Open the plan where the roof outline is required, then run:

Flow → Model → Roof → Roof Outline

No Revit Roofs Were Selected¶

Roof Outline ignores selected elements that are not Revit roofs.

Run the command again and select one or more Revit roof elements before clicking Finish.

No Roof Footprint Profile Curves Were Found¶

The current Roof Outline implementation supports Revit Roof by Footprint elements.

Other Revit roof creation methods do not currently provide the footprint information required by this workflow.

Use Roof Outline with Roof by Footprint elements.

The Exterior Boundary Could Not Be Determined¶

Flow combines the selected roof footprint profiles and analyses the resulting geometry to determine the exterior boundary.

If an exterior boundary cannot be determined:

1. Check that the required Roof by Footprint elements were selected.
2. Make sure all roofs contributing to the intended overall perimeter were included.
3. Check the roof footprints for unusual, disconnected or overlapping geometry.
4. Run Roof Outline again.

The Roof Outline Is Not What I Expected¶

Roof Outline treats the selected roof footprints as a combined boundary network.

If the result is unexpected:

• confirm that all roofs contributing to the required perimeter were selected;
• check whether an unrelated roof was included accidentally;
• check the roof footprint geometry for unusual intersections or overlaps; and
• compare the generated Detail Lines with the roof geometry.

Complex arrangements should always be visually checked after generation.

My Existing Roof Outline Disappeared¶

This is expected when Roof Outline is rerun.

Before creating the new outline, Flow removes existing Detail Lines in the active view that use the Roof_Outline line style.

The Roof Outline Has the Wrong Line Pattern¶

Flow uses the Roof_Outline line style and looks for the ADa_Dash5 line pattern.

If ADa_Dash5 exists, it is assigned to the Roof Outline style. If it is unavailable, Flow can still create the outline but cannot apply that pattern automatically.

My View Template or View Range Changed¶

Roof Outline temporarily changes the active plan's view settings while processing the roof geometry.

The original View Template and View Range should be restored automatically when the operation finishes or roof selection is cancelled.

If the view does not return to its previous state after an unexpected failure, review the View Template and View Range manually.

Gutter Caps Cannot Find a Roof Plan¶

Message: Gutter Caps requires a roof plan view. No suitable Roof Plan view could be found.

Gutter Caps requires a non-template plan view whose name contains:

Roof Plan

If you are not already in a matching view, Flow searches the project and switches automatically.

If no suitable view exists, create or rename the required Roof Plan and run Gutter Caps again.

I Can't Select the Gutter¶

Gutter Caps only accepts Revit Gutter elements during the gutter-selection step.

If the gutter is difficult to highlight, use Tab to cycle through nearby roof elements until the gutter is highlighted, then click to select it.

You can also preselect exactly one gutter before starting Gutter Caps.

Gutter Caps Used the Wrong End¶

Flow uses the suitable gutter end nearest to the point you click.

If the wrong end is processed, run the tool again and click much closer to the physical end you intend to cap.

A Gutter Cap Was Not Created¶

The selected end may already have a recognised generated Gutter Cap.

Flow checks for an existing cap near the selected end and skips creation when a duplicate is detected.

Review the completion summary. If Skipped existing increased, inspect the gutter end closely before trying again.

The Gutter Cap Shape Is Unexpected¶

The cap geometry is derived from the actual gutter-end profile.

Complex or unusual gutter profiles can require additional visual checking.

Inspect the result in a suitable 3D view. If the generated profile is clearly incorrect, remove the generated cap and report the gutter type/profile used.

I Can See a Line Between the Gutter and Cap¶

The generated cap is a separate DirectShape element. It is not geometrically joined to the native Revit gutter.

A visible junction or internal edge can therefore remain between the gutter and cap in some model or 3D display conditions.

This does not necessarily indicate that the cap geometry is incorrect.

The Cap Is a Generic Model¶

Flow first attempts to create the generated DirectShape using the Revit Gutter category.

Where Revit does not permit that category for the generated geometry, Flow falls back to Generic Models.

This is expected fallback behaviour.

The Cap Material Does Not Match¶

Flow attempts to resolve and apply a matching gutter material to each generated cap.

If no usable material can be resolved, the cap can still be created. The completion summary reports how many newly created caps received a material.

How Do I Finish Gutter Caps?¶

Press Esc after processing the required ends of the selected gutter.

During end picking, Esc finishes the current run. Caps already created are retained.

Flow then selects the newly created caps, attempts to bring them into view and displays the completion summary.

To cap a different gutter, start Gutter Caps again.

Roof Surface Zones Cannot Find the Material¶

Message: The material '…' was not found in this project.

The material name entered in Roof Surface Zones must match a material that already exists in the current Revit project.

Check the spelling and punctuation of the material name. The default is:

*ROF.SHEET_Flashing

Create or load the required material, or enter the name of another suitable project material.

No Qualifying Flashing Edges Were Found¶

Flow creates automatic flashing only on recognised ridge, hip and gable/verge conditions.

Check that:

1. At least one flashing type is enabled.
2. The selected roof contains planar upper faces.
3. The required boundaries are straight roof-profile edges.
4. All associated roof parts were selected where combined analysis is enabled.

Valleys and horizontal eave boundaries are not automatically treated as flashing edges.

A Flashing Edge Is Missing¶

For a roof made from several elements:

1. Enable Analyse associated roof parts together.
2. Enable Review and correct combined result.
3. Select every roof element contributing to the physical roof.
4. Select the affected roof plane.
5. Use Add Flashing Edge on the omitted roof-profile edge.

The added flashing uses the Manually added flashing width.

If Revit does not expose a usable roof-profile edge at an unusual wall or upper-roof junction, the condition may not be correctable through the editor. Use an appropriate manual Revit modelling or material-based workaround.

An Incorrect Flashing Edge Was Created¶

Select the affected roof plane in combined review, then use:

• Remove Edges when the source roof-profile edge can be selected; or
• Remove Preview Piece when it is easier to click the unwanted flashing fragment directly.

Use Reset Plane if you need to discard the plane corrections and return to the automatic result.

A Wall Edge Has Fascia Overhang or a Gable Downstand¶

The edge may have been classified as an exposed gable or fascia condition.

During combined review:

1. Select the affected roof plane.
2. Select Set as Wall Abutment.
3. Select the roof-profile edge meeting the wall.
4. Finish the Revit selection.

A wall-abutment edge has no fascia overhang or gable downstand.

The Gable End Is Open¶

Select the affected roof plane, choose Gable Downstand, and select the exposed gable edge.

The result uses the configured fascia overhang and gable downstand depth.

The Flashing Mitre Is Unexpected¶

Roof Surface Zones derives mitres from the detected roof-face and roof-profile geometry.

Check that:

• all associated roof parts were included;
• incorrect valley or shared edges have been removed;
• wall-abutment edges are classified correctly; and
• the source Revit roof and wall junctions meet cleanly in plan.

Some unusual junctions, particularly where a hip or roof plane terminates against an upper-level wall without a usable roof-profile edge, may require a manual modelling workaround.

Existing and New Flashings Are Both Visible¶

When existing Flow flashings are detected, select Replace existing before entering the preview editor.

Flow removes the existing generated flashings while the replacement is reviewed. Cancelling the workflow restores the originals.

Choose Keep and add only when both the existing and newly created flashings are required.

I Cannot Change Revit Views While Editing¶

Revit does not allow changing views while an active selection operation is running.

Use Navigate View to orbit, pan or zoom the current view. Press Esc to return to the editor.

If another view is required, cancel the workflow, open the required view and run Roof Surface Zones again.

Material Keynotes Cannot Select the Flashing¶

Roof Surface Zones creates Generic Model DirectShape geometry. Although the selected material controls appearance, Revit cannot reliably attach a native material keynote to the generated tessellated faces.

Use a suitable user-keynote or manual annotation workflow where the flashing must be referenced in documentation.

Lines Appear Through the Flashing¶

The generated flashing is raised slightly above the roof surface to reduce Revit display-line interference.

If lines are visible only at particular zoom levels, this may be a Revit display effect rather than incorrect geometry. Check the result at the intended documentation scale and in a suitable plan or 3D view.

Related Help¶

• Roof Tools
• Roof Surface Zones
• Roof Outline
• Gutter Caps