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Editing Building Elements

Building elements can be edited through the properties panel on the right side.

Accessing element properties

Section titled “Accessing element properties”

To edit a building element:

  1. Navigate to the appropriate story and room in the floor and room list
  2. Select an element from the building elements list or 3D view
  3. The properties panel appears on the right
  4. Modify properties as needed
  5. Field changes are submitted when you leave the field; use Save if the header shows Unsaved changes

Element properties fields

Section titled “Element properties fields”

Name

Section titled “Name”

User-defined identifier for the element.

Field Type: Text input

Building element type

Section titled “Building element type”

The category of building element.

Available Options:

  • Wall: Vertical or near-vertical surfaces
  • Floor: Horizontal walking surfaces
  • Ceiling: Overhead room surfaces

Field Type: Dropdown

Material

The construction assembly assigned to this element.

Material selection features:

Searchable Dropdown

  • Type to search by material name
  • Results include matching catalog materials and materials already added to the home
  • Search by name

Quick Select

  • Materials already added to the home can appear as quick-select results
  • Quick-select materials are marked with a dots icon
  • Up to five matching home materials are shown

Search Results

  • Type to search catalog and home materials
  • Results filter as you type
  • Filtered by element type automatically

Assignment Process:

  1. Click the Material dropdown
  2. Type to search or Select a quick-select material
  3. Review material properties (U-value, etc.)
  4. Click material to assign
  5. Material is applied to element

Area

Section titled “”

Read-only calculated areas for the selected element.

Displayed values:

  • Net internal area / Gross internal area
  • Net transmission area / Gross transmission area

Areas are calculated from geometry and child openings. To change an area, edit the element geometry.

B-factor

Section titled “”

The thermal reduction factor for the element’s adjacency.

Examples include:

  • 1.0 - Against external air
  • 0.7 - Against unheated room
  • 0.7 - Ground floor slab and basement floor
  • 0.0 - Not applicable

Field Type: Dropdown

The available options depend on the building element type. For doors, windows, and hatches, the value is inherited from the parent element.

See B-Factors for details on selecting appropriate values.

Orientation

Section titled “”

Direction the element faces, in degrees.

Available Values:

  • 0 to 360 degrees
  • 360 = north
  • 90 = east
  • 180 = south
  • 270 = west

Field Type: Number input Auto-calculated: Yes, but can be overridden

Inclination

Section titled “”

Angle from horizontal in degrees.

Value Range: 0-180 degrees

  • 0° = horizontal
  • 90° = vertical
  • 180° = opposite horizontal direction

Field Type: Number input Auto-calculated: Yes, but can be overridden

Editing element geometry

Section titled “Editing element geometry”

Element geometry can be modified using tools in the 3D viewer. Access these tools from the tools menu or toolbar.

Edit points

Section titled “”

Modify element vertex positions to reshape geometry.

How to use:

  1. Select the Edit points tool from the toolbar
  2. Select the element to edit
  3. Edit the geometry:
    • Drag points: Click and drag individual points to new positions
    • Add points: Cmd/Ctrl + Click on an edge to insert a new vertex
    • Delete points: Click a point to select it, then press Backspace to remove it
  4. Confirm or adjust the points

The element area and dimensions update automatically based on the new geometry.

Supported elements:

  • Wall
  • Floor
  • Ceiling
  • Door
  • Window
  • Hatches
  • Openings

Note: Elements must have at least 3 vertices.

Move

Section titled “”

Reposition an element without changing its shape.

How to use:

  1. Select the Move tool from the toolbar
  2. Select the element to move
  3. Drag the element to the new location
  4. Confirm or adjust the position

Split tools

Section titled “Split tools”

Divide elements into separate parts.

Available split tools:

  • Split horizontally: Places a horizontal split line
  • Split vertically: Places a vertical split line
  • Split freely: Draw a custom split line at any angle

How to split:

  1. Select a split tool from the toolbar
  2. Click the element to place the split line
  3. For free split, click and drag to define the split path
  4. The element divides into two separate elements

Each resulting element can be edited independently.

Snapping

Section titled “Snapping”

When editing geometry, points snap to nearby vertices and edges by default.

To disable snapping:

  • Hold Shift while positioning points
  • "Snapping disabled" appears when snapping is off

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Changes not saving

  • Check internet connection
  • Try refreshing the page

Material dropdown not loading

  • If you see All building elements with heat loss must have a material, contact support
  • Check your network connection
  • Refresh the browser

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