ROOF GEOMETRY → RAFTER LAYOUT → CUT LIST → DXF
Design your roof framing plan in minutes, and print your cut list
Lay out rafters visually, define ridges and roof intersections, and turn the geometry into a coordinated Roof Framing Plan and cut list—without calculating every rafter one by one.
Built for structural engineers, builders, framers, contractors, and homeowners planning custom roofs.
Generated output
From roof geometry to a cut-ready framing package.
Create the layout once and use the same geometry to organize the roof framing plan, identify repeated rafter cuts, count the pieces, and prepare a DXF you can review, print, or continue editing in CAD.
Roof framing + cut list
One model for the plan and the pieces you actually need to cut.
StructaCAD keeps the roof layout and rafter geometry connected, so the drawing and cut list come from the same source instead of separate field notes and spreadsheets.
- Roof Framing Plan organized from your geometry
- Distinct rafter cuts grouped with required quantity
- Bearing-seat and ridge-width geometry included in the DXF
Roof Framing Plan
Lay out the roof and see the framing relationships before material is cut.
Grouped cut list
Repeated rafters are grouped by distinct cut so you know what to make and how many.
Bearing-seat geometry
Include the bearing-seat condition directly in the rafter cut geometry instead of treating it as a separate note.
Ridge width accounted for
Ridge dimensions are reflected in the cut geometry so the rafter length and end condition stay coordinated.
Roof intersections
Use roof intersection lines as geometric limits so rafter endpoints can follow the actual roof shape, even when the limit is not perpendicular.
DXF package
Download a DXF containing the Roof Framing Plan together with each distinct rafter cut and the required quantity.
Visual roof layout
Work from the geometry you can see instead of a chain of manual calculations.
Automatic cut grouping
Identify repeated cuts and their quantities from the same framing model.
Faster planning
Move from roof shape to a printable framing package in minutes.
Built for real projects
Useful from engineering review through builder and homeowner planning.
Start with the roof
Build the framing from the geometry that controls it.
Instead of typing every rafter length into a calculator, establish the roof shape and let each rafter inherit its limits from the actual lines it intersects.
Use the roof boundaries, ridge, spacing, and framing direction to build a clean plan without measuring every piece independently.
For roof intersections and angled conditions, select the line that crosses the rafter. StructaCAD uses the actual intersection point as the rafter endpoint.
Process
Roof framing plan to cut list in five steps.
Keep the layout, the cut geometry, and the quantities connected from start to finish.
Define the roof geometry
Draw or establish the roof boundaries, ridge lines, and the intersections that control the framing.
Add the rafters
Place rafters using the geometry on screen and set their start and end limits from intersecting lines.
Review the framing plan
Check the rafter arrangement and roof relationships before generating the fabrication information.
Generate distinct cuts
StructaCAD groups matching rafter geometry and determines the quantity required for each cut.
Download the DXF
Export the Roof Framing Plan, cut details, bearing seats, ridge widths, and quantities in one editable drawing.
Cut list workflow
Stop turning the roof plan into a second manual calculation job.
The cut list should come from the framing geometry—not from remeasuring the same roof after the plan is already drawn.
Measure, calculate, write it down, repeat.
A traditional workflow often separates the roof drawing from the fabrication list.
- Measure individual rafter conditions one by one
- Track repeated cuts manually
- Count pieces in a separate list or spreadsheet
- Recheck the list every time the roof geometry changes
The framing model becomes the cut list.
Use one geometric source for the plan, cut details, and quantities.
- Group identical rafter cuts automatically
- Show the quantity required for each distinct cut
- Include bearing-seat and ridge-width geometry
- Export the plan and cut details together in DXF
What gets exported
A drawing that can move from planning to the shop or jobsite.
The cut-list DXF keeps the roof plan and fabrication information together so the geometry can be reviewed, printed, dimensioned, or edited in CAD.
DXF contents
Roof framing + rafter fabrication geometry
Use the same export for coordination and cut planning.
Roof Framing PlanDistinct cutsQuantitiesBearing seatsRidge widthsEditable DXF
Who it is for
Useful wherever a roof has to move from idea to framing.
StructaCAD is designed to make roof geometry easier to communicate before lumber is cut.
Lay out roof framing clearly and keep geometry coordinated with a drawing that can continue into CAD review.
Turn the roof layout into distinct rafter cuts and quantities without building a second manual cut schedule.
Review the framing concept and material pieces before work reaches the field.
Visualize a roof framing approach and produce a clearer package to discuss with a qualified professional or builder.
Why it matters
Roof framing gets slow when every piece becomes a separate calculation.
Once the roof stops being a simple rectangle, manual measurements, repeated cuts, and intersection conditions become harder to track.
StructaCAD uses the roof geometry itself to keep those relationships connected.
What StructaCAD helps reduce
- Repeated rafter-length calculations
- Manually counting identical cuts
- Separate sketches for bearing-seat conditions
- Rafter endpoints that do not follow actual roof intersections
- Rebuilding the cut list after a geometry change
Free roof tools
Need a quick calculation before opening the full framing workspace?
Use StructaCAD’s free roof calculators for quick checks, then move into the full roof framing plan when the project needs coordinated geometry and a cut list.
Calculate common rafter geometry, rise, overhang, birdsmouth reference, spacing, and an estimated rafter count.
Convert between roof pitch, angle, rise, and slope for quick geometry checks.
Calculate a rafter slope length from the basic roof dimensions.
Move beyond individual calculations and build the complete roof framing plan and cut-list DXF.
FAQ
Common roof framing questions.
What does the cut-list DXF include?
It includes the Roof Framing Plan, each distinct rafter cut, the required quantity, and cut geometry that accounts for bearing-seat and ridge-width conditions.
Do my rafter limits have to be perpendicular to the rafter?
No. A limit can be an angled roof-intersection line. StructaCAD uses the actual intersection between that line and the rafter to determine the endpoint.
Does StructaCAD group identical rafters?
Yes. Matching rafter cuts can be grouped as one distinct cut with the total quantity required.
Can I edit the drawing after export?
Yes. The roof framing and cut-list package is exported as DXF so it can continue into a CAD-based workflow.
Is this a substitute for structural engineering?
No. StructaCAD helps with roof geometry, framing layout, documentation, and cut-list preparation. Structural sizing, connections, loads, code compliance, and final construction decisions must be verified for the project by the appropriate qualified professional.
Who can use the roof framing workspace?
It is useful for engineers, builders, framers, contractors, and homeowners who need a faster way to organize roof framing geometry and communicate the required cuts.
Start framing
Build the roof plan once. Let the cut list follow.
Open StructaCAD, lay out the roof, place the rafters, and generate the plan and fabrication cuts from the same geometry.