The Roof Report is a PDF export available for drone photogrammetry captures processed from video or images. When the processed model contains a recognizable roof structure with distinct slopes, edges, and sections, the Roof Report tool will be available in the capture editor. It provides area totals, pitch data, edge lengths, and detailed per-section measurements that can be used for estimation and planning.
Plan Availability
The Roof Report is available exclusively for Enterprise customers.
| iOS | Web | Android | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Basic | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Pro LEGACY | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Business | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Enterprise | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Getting the Best Results
The Roof Report works best on typical suburban houses with standard hip, gable, or combination rooflines. Roofs with clearly defined planes and edges will produce the most reliable measurements.
It is not recommended for buildings with highly irregular or ornate rooflines, such as churches, cathedrals, or other architectural landmarks. Increased geometric complexity makes accurate automated segmentation significantly harder, and measurements may be unreliable.
What's Included in the Report
The exported PDF report is structured into several sections, each providing a different level of detail about the roof geometry.
Overview
A high-level summary of the entire roof: total area (ft²), section count, predominant and secondary slopes, total edge lengths, and the recommended material quantity with a 15% waste factor. An area diagram labels every section by letter for easy reference throughout the report.
Pitch diagram
A color-coded diagram showing the slope of every roof section in inches per foot. Arrows indicate the downward slope direction. Blue shading marks sections at 3/12 pitch or steeper; gray marks flat or near-flat surfaces (0–2/12). Labels may be omitted on crowded sections for legibility.
Edge types
A breakdown of every roof edge by type: Eaves, Rakes, Ridges, Hips, and Valleys, each highlighted in its own diagram. A summary table provides the count and total length per type, plus a grand total. Essential for estimating gutters, flashing, drip edge, and underlayment.
Sections
A dedicated page for each individual roof section, showing its area (ft²), slope, pitch, and azimuth, along with a detailed coordinate diagram with labeled vertices and edge lengths. A consolidated measurements table at the start lists all sections together for quick comparison.
How to Generate a Roof Report
A Roof Report is available for any photogrammetry capture that contains a building with a visible roof. Generation time is typically 3–5 minutes depending on the size of the capture and the number of roof elements.
1Upload and Process at Full or Raw Resolution
Upload your drone footage or images to Polycam. For the best report quality, process at Full or Raw resolution. Higher resolution produces sharper geometry and more accurate measurements.
2Rescale the Capture with a Known Measurement
The Rescale tool lets you set a known real-world distance on your model, which Polycam uses as a reference to calculate accurate measurements throughout the report. Without a known measurement, area totals, edge lengths, and section dimensions cannot be reliably determined. Use the Rescale tool in the capture editor to enter a known distance before generating the report. Once the capture has been rescaled, the Roof Report icon will become enabled.
3Open the Roof Report Tool and Configure
Click the Roof Report icon in the capture editor. Review and adjust the report formatting options before generating (see Report Formatting Options below).
4Generate and Download
Confirm your settings to start generating the report. Once ready, download the PDF directly from the page. Each section is cross-referenced by letter throughout the document, making it easy to navigate from the overview diagram to individual section details.
Report Formatting Options
Before generating, you can customize what appears in the report and how measurements are displayed.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The name shown at the top of the report. Defaults to the capture name. |
| Address | The property address printed on each page of the report. |
| Texture image on Overview page | Toggles a texture image on the overview diagram. Turn off for a cleaner, line-art style overview. |
| Texture image on Section pages | Toggles texture images on individual section pages. |
| Capture date | Shows or hides the date the scan was captured on each page. |
| Export date | Shows or hides the date the report was exported on each page. |
| Measurements | Switch between Imperial and Metric units. Under Imperial, choose from four display formats: Feet and inches (6 ft 2.00 in), Whole feet and inches (6 ft 2 in), Inches (74 in), or Decimal feet (6.16 ft). |
| Roof slope unit | Choose how slope is expressed throughout the report. Options are Pitch (X/12), Degrees, or Percent grade. |
Understanding the Measurements
The Roof Report provides both flat (projected) area measurements and slope-adjusted values. Here's a quick reference for the key terms used throughout the report:
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Area (ft²) | The total surface area of each roof section, used to calculate material quantities. |
| Pitch | How steep the roof is, shown as a ratio of rise to run (e.g. 12/12). |
| Slope (°) | The steepness of the section expressed as an angle. |
| Azimuth (°) | The compass direction the section faces (e.g. 0° = North, 90° = East). |
| Eave | The lower edge of the roof, where gutters are typically attached. |
| Rake | The sloped edge along the side of a gable roof. |
| Ridge | The peak of the roof where two slopes meet at the top. |
| Hip | A sloped edge where two roof sections meet at an outer corner. |
| Valley | An inward edge where two roof sections meet at an inner corner. |
| 15% Waste Factor | Extra material added to the total to account for cuts and overlaps during installation. |
Troubleshooting
The Roof Report icon is not showing on my capture
There are a couple of reasons the Roof Report icon may not appear.
First, the capture must be a photogrammetry capture. Roof Reports are not supported for Space Mode or Floorplan Mode captures, so the icon will not appear for any capture processed using either of those modes.
If your capture is a drone photogrammetry capture and the icon is still not showing, it means our system has not detected a roof element in the capture. To resolve this, navigate to your capture details, click the pencil icon next to the capture name, and add the tag roof or roof residential. Once the tag has been added, our system will recognize the capture as containing a roof and enable the Roof Report icon for you to generate.
No roof found in this capture
This message can appear when the capture quality is too low for the system to detect and process the roof geometry. Low mesh fidelity makes it difficult to identify roof sections accurately, which prevents the report from being generated.
The roof also needs to be clearly visible in the capture. Trees or vegetation overhanging or touching the roofline can confuse edge detection, causing the system to fail to recognize the roof structure. When capturing, make sure to fly at sufficient altitude clearance to keep the roofline unobstructed, and capture from multiple angles to ensure full coverage of all roof surfaces.
To resolve this, make sure you are following drone best practices when capturing the building, and process your footage at Full or Raw resolution. Higher resolution processing produces a denser, more accurate mesh, which gives the system enough detail to detect and measure the roof correctly.