Menu path
Cover > Estimate > Modify Blocks
The Modify Blocks menu provides a comprehensive set of commands for manually inserting and adjusting blocks in your panel estimation. If blocks are currently turned off, selecting any command from this menu automatically turns them back on.
In all cases, carefully follow the onscreen prompts.
🧾 Block insertion commands
Insert-Rect
Insert a rectangular block by digitising two points.
Select the roof plane to associate the block (d1)
Digitise two points to define the block extents (snap to existing roof geometry) at d2 and d3
the block is inserted, with full width sheets represented. The plane orientation sets the lay direction for this block along the edge at d4.
Before
After
The roof plane direction determines how sheets run across the block, affecting the calculated number and length of sheets. Block orientation is normally square to the screen (construction plane).
In this example we have a building with edges at 45.
Before
After
Insert-Rect
Inserts a block along the entire extents of the rectangle that encloses the selected roof plane.
Insert-Line
Insert a block by selecting an existing line (typically a hip or valley line) that defines the block boundaries.
Select a line to orient the block correctly
Enter the pitch for the block
Select the plane that the block is to be associated with
Select the side (line) that defines the coverage direction
🔧 Block modification commands
Extend-Edge
Resize a block by moving one of its edges.
Click on the edge you want to move - d1
Snap to a new point location - d2
The edge moves through the selected point and block annotations update automatically.
Rotate
Change which edge defines the coverage direction. Click on any block and the coverage direction rotates to the next edge. There's no functional difference if the coverage direction is on opposite sides of the block.
Before
After
Change-details
Modify block values without changing physical size.
Click on block hatch lines or window-select multiple blocks
In the Block Details dialog, adjust number of sheets and sheet length
Click [OK] to apply changes
⚠️ Important: These custom values revert to calculated values if you modify the block with other commands (Extend-Edge, Rotate, etc.).
Change-Lengths
Apply a specific length to selected blocks using the Change Block Length dialog.
Change-Pitch
Update a block's pitch, which recalculates the effective sheet length.
Select the block
Enter the new pitch value
Click [OK] to recalculate and update annotations
🛠 Specialised commands
Add-to-Verandah
Apply blocks to bullnose verandahs with curve calculations.
Draw the bullnose verandah
Insert blocks to cover each segment
Select the verandah, then the block to adjust
The block sheet length adjusts to account for the curved distance. Only perform this once per block.
Merge-Blocks
Automatically combines blocks that share a common edge and have the same coverage direction. This command checks all blocks in the current model and is performed automatically in the Auto-Block command.
Reduce-Runs
Removes excess sheets from blocks based on proximity to other blocks.
The command creates runs (sets of blocks that abut each other), calculates the overall physical length, and removes excess sheets starting with shorter length sheets. This is performed automatically in Auto-Block.
🔧 Display and management commands
Command | Function |
Show/Hide-Pitch | Toggle display of pitch values on block annotations |
Show-Blocks | Apply hatch patterns to visualise all blocks |
Hide-Blocks | Remove hatch patterns from blocks |
Verify | Display detailed information about a selected block in the prompt area |
Delete-One | Delete individual blocks |
Delete-All | Remove all blocks from the model |
Measure | Quick access to Tools > Measure dialog |
🛠 Copy and move operations
Mirror
Create a mirrored copy of a block around a selected line axis.
Select the block to mirror
Select a line to act as the mirror axis
Copy
Duplicate a block to a new position.
Select the block to copy
Select two points to define the move distance and direction
Move
Relocate a block to a new position.
Select the block to move
Select two points to define the move distance and direction
⚠️ Important: New blocks created through Mirror, Copy, or Move display values based on their physical size, not custom details from the original block.
💡 Tips for block modification
Text annotation size can be adjusted using View > Plot-Scale - larger values create larger text (1:100 scale works well for residential plots)
Use Show-Blocks to visualise and easily select blocks for modification
Run Merge-Blocks and Reduce-Runs after manually inserting blocks to optimise your estimation
The Verify command provides detailed block information for troubleshooting