How to add a front porch - newbie here

[emsaly]

I just bought the new Designer Architecht 2012... and maybe that was a BIG mistake. This does not seem so easy. I am trying to add a simple shed roof porch with 4 pillars, and also with a gable roof over the door. It's a typical 5-4 and a door two-story house, and all I want to do is add the porch?
I cant seem to get the roofs to work either.... HELP!

the porch should only go on the first floor of the house... THANKS in advance to any help! I am out a ton of money with this product if i cant get it to work.

I have searched the training videos and they give cursory help on gable roof and others. I mean very basic stuff... and Where is this free database of articles? i found this forum but that's it so far.
AND the whole point of buying this software for me was to make a picture of what is in my mind. I suppose you want me to hand sketch this and scan and upload it here...

No doubt one-on-one tutoring means more money.... yikes,by the time this is over, it might have been cheaper just to get a basic architect to do this.

My grandfather use to say the cheap way out usually costs twice as much, and boy do his words sound loud and clear now.

Here is a picture, I searched the database, to no avail.
The closest I got was how to make a screened in porch, but that focused on the screens not building the porch,
and
How to customize the porch, but that focused on editing millwork assuming you already had a porch...
I need a basic tutorial on how to make the porch.
Here is my picture.... sorry it's hand drawn, but if I had a picture from HD, I would not be posting on this forum to begin with... that is the problem...
I have tried A LOT on how to just add this, I get as far as the deck floor, but when I go to build the shed roof, the outcome does very crazy outputs. Like making a GIGANTIC Shed that starts at the posts... and goes to the for corner of the second floor, etc.

[Katalyst777]

You need to set the two side railings (yours will probably need to be set to No Rail and either Post to Ceiling or Post to Overhead Beam) of the Front Porch as Full Gable, then use the Break Wall tool to place breaks in the front railing, and upper wall on either side of the Window, and specify them as Full Gable as well.

You probably will also need to specify a lower pitch for the roof plane over the porch than what you have set for the default (I used 4/12 for this example) on the Roof tab of the front Railing's Specification dialog.

[emsaly]

Thanks Kat, You have given me practical information.
I did what you suggest, and when I change the pitch of the porch roof, it also changes teh pitch of the 2nd floor roof, even though I click ignore 2nd floor... actually by ignoring second floor it does some really funky combination of roofs over the porch.

So How do I change the pitch of just one roof?
Thanks in advance.

[Katalyst777]

You skipped a step from my original reply, but that's okay.

Don't change the Pitch in the Build Roof dialog when you just want to change one roof plane, that affects the whole structure. (You do NOT want to select to Ignore the 2nd Floor for your situation.)

Instead, open the front railing's Specification dialog, and change the pitch on the Roof tab there, and make sure to get rid of the (D) in the field or it will reset back to your Default value for the roof pitch.