Story View and Hierarchy Navigation
The 3D viewer organizes building data by story, room, and building element. Use the story selector, breadcrumbs, navigation lists, and the right-side details panel to move through that structure.
Building hierarchy structure
Section titled “Building hierarchy structure”The viewer uses a four-level hierarchy:
No Selection (Default)└── Story (Building Level/Floor) └── Room (Space) └── Building Element (Wall, Floor, Ceiling, etc.)Each level provides progressively more detailed control over building elements.
Navigation and details panel
Section titled “Navigation and details panel”The viewer uses top controls and a right-side details panel instead of an expandable left tree.
Panel features
Section titled “Panel features”- Story selector: Use the dropdown in the top toolbar to switch between stories
- Breadcrumbs: Use the breadcrumb trail in the details panel to move back up from rooms or elements
- Navigation rows: Click room or element rows, or their arrow buttons, to move into the next level
- Selection Indicator: Active and hovered selections are highlighted in the list and 3D view
Navigating the structure
Section titled “Navigating the structure”- Choose a story from the story selector
- Review the Rooms list in the details panel
- Click a room row to open its room details
- Review building elements grouped by type
- Click an element row to open its element details
Story level
Section titled “Story level”Viewing stories
Section titled “Viewing stories”The story selector lists the available story types, such as Ground floor and First floor. Story-level validation messages can appear in the details panel when the current project has global validation issues.
Selecting a story
Section titled “Selecting a story”Click on a story name to:
- Select entire story as current scope
- Display all rooms on that story in the details panel
- Show story overview in the right-side details panel
- Focus 3D view on that floor level
Story-level operations
Section titled “Story-level operations”When a story is selected:
- View all elements on that floor
- Open rooms on that story from the room list
- Review story-level validation messages when they are present
Room level
Section titled “Room level”Viewing rooms
Section titled “Viewing rooms”Select a story to see rooms within it:
- Room Name/Number: “Living Room”, “Room 101”, etc.
- Area: Floor area in square meters
- Room heating type: Shown when a heating type is set
Selecting a room
Section titled “Selecting a room”Click on a room name to:
- Select room as current scope
- Display building elements that define the room
- Show room properties in right panel
- Highlight room in 3D view
Room-level operations
Section titled “Room-level operations”When a room is selected:
- Edit room properties including name, Volume, Heating type, and Construction year
- View disabled calculated fields such as temperature and Area
- View boundary elements (walls, floors, ceilings)
- Review room metrics such as Area and Volume
- Open individual room elements before assigning materials or thermal properties
Building element level
Section titled “Building element level”Viewing elements
Section titled “Viewing elements”Open a room to see building elements:
- Element type icons: Wall, floor, roof, window, door
- Element ID/Name: Unique identifier or description
- Area: Surface area in square meters
- Material: Assigned construction type
Selecting an element
Section titled “Selecting an element”Click on an element to:
- Select element as current scope
- Show element properties in right panel
- Highlight element in 3D view with color
- Display edge dimensions as labels in 3D
Element-level operations
Section titled “Element-level operations”When an element is selected:
- Edit element properties including Orientation and Inclination
- Review calculated areas in the element details
- Assign materials and thermal properties
- View/edit B-factor (thermal reduction factor)
- Split element into multiple parts
- Add openings (windows, doors)
- Edit geometry (move points, reshape)
- View dimensions on edges
Synchronization: hierarchy ↔ 3D view
Section titled “Synchronization: hierarchy ↔ 3D view”The navigation lists and 3D canvas are bidirectionally linked:
Selection from details panel → 3D
Section titled “Selection from details panel → 3D”When you click an item in the details panel:
- Selection updates to the clicked room or element
- Element highlights in 3D with color
- Focus control can reposition the camera on the selected item
- Details panel updates with element details
Selection from 3D → details panel
Section titled “Selection from 3D → details panel”When you click a mesh in the 3D view:
- Details panel selection updates to the corresponding item
- Breadcrumbs and detail lists show the current location in the structure
- Properties panel displays element info
Layer controls
Section titled “Layer controls”Control visibility of different types of content in the 3D view.
Accessing layer controls
Section titled “Accessing layer controls”Location: Bottom-left corner of the 3D canvas
Click the layers button (stacked layers icon) to open the layer controls menu.
Available layer categories
Section titled “Available layer categories”The layer controls are organized into three categories:
Toggle visibility for note types:
- Condition - Condition assessment notes
- Electric - Electrical installation notes
- Building element - Building element notes
- Material - Material-related notes
- Other - Other notes
- Technical installation - Technical installation notes
Building elements
Section titled “Building elements”Toggle visibility for building elements:
- Ceilings - Show/hide ceiling elements in 3D view
Toggle visibility for additional information:
- Projections - Show/hide projected measurements
- Labels - Show/hide measurement labels
- Measured areas - Show/hide area measurements
Using layer controls
Section titled “Using layer controls”To toggle a layer:
- Click the layers button in bottom-left corner of 3D canvas
- Check or uncheck the layer checkbox
- Changes apply immediately to the 3D view
Layer behavior
Section titled “Layer behavior”When a layer is hidden:
- Elements are not rendered in 3D canvas
- Elements are still visible in the details panel lists
- Can still be selected from the details panel lists
- Properties can still be edited
Compass and orientation
Section titled “Compass and orientation”The viewer displays a compass control to help with spatial orientation:
Compass display
Section titled “Compass display”Located in the 3D canvas:
- Compass indicator: Shows the current viewing orientation
- Compass menu: Provides actions such as reset camera, and orientation editing where available
Distance labels and measurements
Section titled “Distance labels and measurements”Edge labels
Section titled “Edge labels”In certain contexts, edge dimensions may display:
- Length in Meters: Shows measurements for specific elements
- Label Position: Positioned along edge in 3D space
- Scale Adaptive: Labels remain readable at any zoom level
- Contextual Display: Shown selectively based on element type and selection
Ruler tool
Section titled “Ruler tool”Use the Ruler tool for custom measurements:
- Select Ruler from tool palette
- Click first point in 3D view
- Click second point to complete measurement
- Distance label appears between points
- Measurement persists until tool is changed or canceled
Limitations
Section titled “Limitations”Based on the actual implementation:
- No drag-and-drop reordering: Cannot move elements between rooms/stories
- Fixed hierarchy levels: Cannot add custom hierarchy levels
- No custom grouping: Grouping limited to story → room → element structure
Keyboard shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard shortcuts”Hierarchy navigation is primarily performed with mouse clicks in the panel or 3D view. The viewer also includes general shortcuts such as Cmd/Ctrl+B for the Ruler tool, Shift for multi-select behavior, Escape for canceling active tools, and i for toggling the metadata panel.
Related Topics:
- Navigation - 3D viewer camera controls
- Selection - Selecting elements and using tools
- Multi-Select - Working with multiple elements
- B-Factors - Thermal visualization and properties
- Editing Elements - Modifying element properties