Description

CONTENTS

13 paths to create and detail your thatched roofs

1 large thatch pattern

2 thatch hole objects

1 roof

WHY?

Trying to get a more weathered, worn & organic look to thatching by introducing paths.

TECHNIQUE

1. For the most realistic roofs, turn off snap
2. On Layer 100, use the “thatch eaves” path to create the perimeter of the roof, going counterclockwise. Add as many points as you like, in whatever shape you like.
3. Decide if you want hip roofs, gables, dormers etc. and use the “thatch ridge” path on layer 300. Set it to fade transitions and lay the ridges out. They don’t need to be in a straight line, make them wobble a bit. Note that with longer ridges, your fades will start to pull away from the eave, leaving a hole. To avoid this, draw your ridge in a couple of pieces. You may need to do that for the swathing in the next step below.
4. Set layer 200 and draw in your thatching, working from the bottom of the roof upward, counterclockwise. The “thatch swath horizontal” is a good default and will be able to turn 90 degree corners. For larger areas with a gable end, the “wide” version of that path may be a better option, or even the “Better Thatch” pattern (although it doesn’t have a nice fade transition). For narrow steep areas, use the “thatch swath vertical”.
5. Touch-up any valleys and hips by overlaying the relevant path (with shrink and grow transitions), starting from the eave and working up.
6. On layer 300 or 400, drop in the capping (the crisscrossing wood sticks that hold the thatching down) without a transition
7. Add in some exposed rafters under the eaves or holes in the roof

An alternate technique is to use the actual roof tool to create dormers, however DD by default shades the eaves with no transition, which cannot be toggled off. Sometimes I’ll use the tool to draw the dormers in quickly and then cover up the edges with the eave path. There are also three types of edges lines if you’d like to add extra detail.

OK, BUT I’D ALSO LIKE SOME SHADED OPTIONS

Coming soon.

That’s it and you should be on your way to creating some sweet thatched roofs.