417 — The slope calculator

Five ways of saying the same slope, and a way to move between them.

Note

This lesson also exists in the browser. Work it in ConstructiVision on the web — same steps, same values, so you can follow either and end up with the same panel.

Where it is

Utilities → Slope Calculator.

One slope, five notations

Rise and Run	how carpenters and roofers give it
Angle	how a drawing dimensions it
Percent	how civil and drainage work states it
Ratio	how a spec writes it

They are the same fact in different trades’ language. A roof described as 4:12 on the architectural sheet is 18.4° on a section and 33% to whoever set out the drainage — and somebody has to reconcile those before a panel is cut.

It converts; it does not decide

Look at the buttons: Close and Cancel. There is no Apply.

This tool does not touch your panel. It takes a slope in whichever notation you were handed and gives you the others, so you can type the right number into Slope Details or read a drawing that uses a different convention from yours.

Note

The slope is still your decision. The calculator converts between notations — it does not choose a fall, check one against a code, or confirm that a drainage design works. It is arithmetic you would otherwise do on paper, not an engineering judgement.

Why that is useful anyway

Most slope mistakes are not design mistakes. They are somebody reading 4:12 and typing 4%, or converting an angle in their head at the end of a long day. A converter that is always right about the arithmetic removes that whole category.

What to take away

Give it a slope in any notation and it gives you the rest. It changes nothing on the panel — which is exactly why you can open it mid-task without thinking about it.