Behind the build · 3D · August 15, 2026 · 1 min read
How we turn a patio-cover quote into a build set in one click
The parametric pipeline behind AwningBuilder, from tube direction to cut list.
A patio cover has maybe a dozen dimensions that matter. Width, projection, height, post spacing, beam size, rafter direction. Every one of them changes every other one. For years that meant a drawing, a spreadsheet, and a phone call to the fabricator to check the cut list.
Make the dimensions the source of truth
AwningBuilder starts from the idea that the design is the numbers. Set the width and projection, and the model builds itself: posts placed by span rules, beams sized by load, rafters at the right spacing. Change one number and the whole thing re-solves.
Tube direction is the hard part
Whether the beam runs along the house or out from it changes the length of every extrusion. We made that a toggle. Flip it, and the component sizes grid re-computes — including the rotated tubes that used to get cut wrong.
The build set is a byproduct
Because the model already knows every component's size, the cut list and bill of materials aren't a separate step. Export produces a five-page build set the crew opens on a phone: plan view, elevations, materials, notes. Plus a 3D file for renders or the customer's own software.
What this means for the customer
A quote with a drawing, in the driveway, before we leave. If you build anything with a parametric shape, the same approach applies. See AwningBuilder or our 3D work.