Selecting Building Elements
The 3D viewer supports hierarchical selection through a structured drill-down approach.
Selection hierarchy
Section titled “Selection hierarchy”The viewer organizes building elements in a four-level hierarchy:
- No selection - Default state with no element selected
- Story - Select an entire building level/floor
- Room - Select a room or space within a story
- Building element - Select a wall, floor, ceiling, or other surface
Drilling down the hierarchy
Section titled “Drilling down the hierarchy”Click elements in the 3D view or left panel to drill down:
- Click story → Selects entire floor level
- Click room → Selects room within story
- Click element → Selects wall/floor/ceiling within room
Drilling up the hierarchy
Section titled “Drilling up the hierarchy”Navigate back up the hierarchy:
- Use breadcrumb trail at top of viewer
- Click story, room, or parent building-element items in the breadcrumb trail
- Select parent element in 3D view
Selection methods
Section titled “Selection methods”Click selection in 3D View
Section titled “Click selection in 3D View”The primary selection method:
- Left Click on any mesh to select it
- Selection highlights with visual feedback
- Hierarchy panel updates to show selection path
- Properties panel (right) displays element details
Selection from left panel
Section titled “Selection from left panel”Select elements from the left panel:
- Click story name to select entire story
- Click room to select room
- Use grouped building-element lists to see elements by type
- Click element to select specific wall, floor, or ceiling
Selection feedback
Section titled “Selection feedback”When an element is selected:
- 3D Highlight: Selected mesh changes color or displays outline
- Panel Highlight: Active item highlighted in left panel
- Properties Display: Right panel shows element properties
- Breadcrumb Trail: Shows selection path (Story → Room → Element)
Hover states
Section titled “Hover states”Before clicking, hovering provides visual feedback:
- Mesh Hover Highlight: Element changes color when mouse hovers over it
- Cursor Change: Indicates clickable/selectable elements
- Preview Info: Tooltip may show element type and ID
- Interactive Feedback: Confirms element is selectable
Selection tools
Section titled “Selection tools”The viewer toolbar provides 11 non-picker tools for selection and editing workflows, while the picker remains the default selection tool:
1. picker (default tool)
Section titled “1. picker (default tool)”- Standard selection tool
- Click to select elements in hierarchy
- Default active tool when viewer opens
2. Ruler tool
Section titled “2. tool”- Measure distances between points
- Click two points to create measurement
- Distance label appears in 3D view
3. Move tool
Section titled “3. tool”- Select and reposition elements
- Drag element to a new location
- Updates building geometry in real time
4. Transform room tool
Section titled “4. tool”- Transform the selected room
- Confirm or adjust the room transform before applying it
5. Create segment tool
Section titled “5. tool”- Define new building surfaces
- Click points to outline surface boundary
- Creates new building element
6. Edit points tool
Section titled “6. tool”- Modify element vertex positions
- Click and drag individual points
- Reshape element geometry
7. Split horizontally tool
Section titled “7. tool”- Split elements horizontally
- Click element to place horizontal split line
- Creates two separate elements
8. Split vertically tool
Section titled “8. tool”- Split elements vertically
- Click element to place vertical split line
- Divides element into left/right parts
9. Split freely tool
Section titled “9. tool”- Draw custom split line at any angle
- Click and drag to define split path
10. Add window tool
Section titled “10. tool”- Add window openings to walls
- Click wall to position window
- Creates window element in hierarchy
11. Add door tool
Section titled “11. tool”- Add door openings to walls
- Click wall to position door
- Creates door element in hierarchy
12. Add hatch tool
Section titled “12. tool”- Add hatches (openings) in floors/roofs
- Click horizontal surface to place hatch
- Creates opening element
Visual features
Section titled “Visual features”B-factor color coding
Section titled “B-factor color coding”Elements display colors based on thermal exposure (B-factor):
- Red (B=1.0): Full exterior exposure - outside Walls, roofs
- Orange (B=0.6-0.9): Unheated spaces - Attic, garages
- Yellow (B=0.4-0.5): Ground contact - Basement, slab-on-grade
- Green/Blue (B=0): Internal - interior Wall between heated spaces
Distance labels
Section titled “Distance labels”When elements are selected:
- Edge Labels: Display length in meters on element boundaries
- Always Visible: Labels shown for selected element edges
- Automatic Scaling: Labels remain readable at any zoom level
Layer control
Section titled “Layer control”Control visibility of building element types:
Show/hide element types
Section titled “Show/hide element types”Toggle visibility of different building elements:
- Notes: Show/hide notes by category
- Building elements: Show/hide Ceilings
- Projections: Show/hide projections
- Labels: Show/hide labels
- Measured areas: Show/hide measured areas
Layer panel location
Section titled “Layer panel location”Access layer controls from:
- Layers Panel: Right sidebar or toolbar
- Quick Toggle: Checkboxes for each element type
- Select Hidden: Can still select from hierarchy when hidden in 3D
Selection information display
Section titled “Selection information display”Properties panel (right)
Section titled “Properties panel (right)”When element is selected, the right panel displays:
- Type: Wall, floor, roof, window, door, etc.
- Area and Transmission Area: Net and gross internal/transmission areas in square meters
- Orientation: Cardinal direction (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW)
- Inclination: Angle from horizontal
- Height: Vertical dimension or elevation
- B-factor: Thermal reduction factor
- Material assignment: Applied material with U-value
- B-factors: Adjacent spaces and exposure type
Left panel
Section titled “Left panel”Shows selection context in building structure:
- Story Level: Which floor the element is on
- Room Assignment: Which room contains the element
- Element Position: Location in building structure
- Element Details: Individual element properties
Multi-selection support
Section titled “Multi-selection support”The viewer supports selecting multiple elements from the filtered selection list:
- Checkbox or list click: Toggles segments in/out of selection
- Selection action bar: Shows the selected count and batch actions
- Click empty space to clear selection
See Multi-Select for detailed information about batch operations and hierarchy-based selection.
Selection limitations
Section titled “Selection limitations”- No Box Selection: No drag-to-select rectangle
- No Selection Sets: Cannot save named selection groups
Keyboard shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard shortcuts”General shortcuts
Section titled “General shortcuts”| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd/Ctrl + K | Open command menu (search/navigation) |
| Cmd/Ctrl + S | Save project |
| Cmd/Ctrl + B | Toggle ruler tool |
| ESC | Cancel active tool |
Selection shortcuts
Section titled “Selection shortcuts”| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Left Click | Select element |
| Click empty space | Clear selection |
Tool shortcuts
Section titled “Tool shortcuts”| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| A (hold) | Open tools radial menu |
| S (hold) | Open layers/model radial menu |
| D (hold) | Open stories/levels menu |
| R (while placing doors/windows/hatches) | Rotate frame 90 degrees |
| Shift (while positioning) | Disable snapping to grid |
| Shift + Click (in place frame tool) | Place multiple frames in sequence |
| Enter | Confirm placement (in place frame tool) |
Related Topics:
- Navigation - Moving around the 3D viewer
- Multi-Select - Selecting multiple elements
- Story View - Navigating building hierarchy
- B-Factors - Understanding thermal visualization
- Editing Elements - Modifying element properties