Buchan

Thanks for your responses. In Australia, "battens" are used both for tiled rooves and metal rooves (as "roofing battens"). With the metal rooves they would be at 450 or 600mm spacings. Battens morph into purlins, when the rafter spacing spreads perhaps beyond ~1 to 1.5M, and the between rafter span requires a larger cross section dimension. Battens are also often used to carry the internal ceiling plaster, instead of attaching to the ceiling structural members. If I was building a shed with portal frames or trusses spaced at 4M I would use "purlins" So without the battens listed on the roof, the sheeting will be shown in fact to be around 35 to 50mm lower than it actually is, which might catch you out with the sills when fitting dormer windows etc. The same applies to the ceiling plaster (or dry wall as you call it). The ceiling height will be 25 to 35mm lower in reality. Anyway, you have answered my query promptly, so thanks. I will put the information into the mix. Regards

I am looking to purchase HD Pro, and have gone through the tutorials to see what it does and doesn't do. Mostly does everything, but apparently it doesn't put battens onto the roofing rafters as far as I can see. I would have considered this odd as most roofing here (Australia) would use battens in one form or another, and would assume that to be the same in the USA. Also I assume that with the HD Pro, being used in the southern hemisphere, deals with the sun being in the northern skies? I also assume that there is a mechanism to orientate the house to the north. Not talked about in the tutorials. Thanks.

Does the HD Pro do shadow lines related to sun angles/months/shadows for the southern hemisphere. My daughter has been using the Suite (may be 2 years old). and has told me the sun lighting/shading "was difficult and cumbersome to calculate sun angles for shadows etc as it is a northern hemisphere product although it was doable". Is the Pro any better? Cheers