Getting to Know the Sto Panel Designer Interface

Time Commitment:

Video: 5:15

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the STO Panel Designer interface.

TOOLBAR TABS

In Model View, six tabs are just beneath the menu bar: Building, Interiors, Landscape, Terrain, Analyze, and Help. These are toolbars displayed in tabbed format. They provide instant access to the tools you need when you need them.

BUILDING TOOLBAR

The Building toolbar contains the tools you need to build a home or any architectural structure. It includes tools such as Walls, Doors, Windows, and Roofs.

INTERIORS TOOLBAR

The Interiors toolbar contains the tools you need to furnish, decorate and equip the interior of your home. It contains tools such as Cabinets, Countertops, Appliances, Furniture, Lighting, and Plumbing Fixtures.

LANDSCAPE TOOLBAR

The Landscape toolbar contains all the tools you need to create a complete landscape plan for the exterior of your home. Tools include Plants, Fences/Gates, Decks, and Irrigation.

TERRAIN TOOLBAR

The Terrain toolbar contains tools you can use to recreate the topography of your building site, which is especially important in 3D views. Use the Import Site Data tool to import spot level points from a site recorder file and create an accurate triangulated mesh or shape the existing terrain using tools such as Hills/Valleys, Slopes, and Plateaus. Add hardscaping elements such as Paths, Pads, and Retaining Walls. Show the extent of the property with the Site Boundary tool.

ANALYZE TOOLBAR

The Analyze toolbar provides instant access to various tools that help you estimate or calculate information. You can view a project estimate, schedules (door, window, and member), and area and perimeter calculations for different levels, areas, or rooms in your model.

HELP TOOLBAR

The Help toolbar contains instant links to the

Program Help, Glossary of Terms, the Cadsoft website, and our Customer Care site. You can also control the display of the Tutor, which pops up when you use program tools and the Startup screen that you see when the program is started.

VIEW CONTROL TOOLBAR

The View Control toolbar contains several essential view-related tools.

The toolbar’s building location dropbox displays the current building location, which is important when inserting elements in your drawing.

The toolbar also lets you quickly switch between 2D view and 3D view and view and create elevations and sections.

A display mode button lets you choose the current display type for the view (wireframe, hidden line, patterned, etc.). The toolbar also provides instant access to the View Manager, where you can create new view windows.

ZOOM AND NAVIGATE TOOLBAR

Zoom tools on the Zoom and Navigate toolbar include Zoom In, Zoom Out, Zoom Realtime, Zoom Window, Zoom Previous, and Pan. The navigation features on the toolbar (Walk Around, Fly Around, Look Around, Reset Camera) are only active when you are in a 3D view. These tools let you change the view in real-time using your mouse.

NAVIGATOR

The most common viewing and navigation tools can also be found on the onscreen Navigator, which is like a video game controller. It lets you switch between 2D and 3D, zoom and pan, and navigate in 3D, all from a simple control panel displayed on the screen. Motion is controlled by clicking and dragging the central trackball.

COMMANDER

The Commander lets you enter precise values when inserting or editing elements. Initially, the Commander will look grayed out because it is inactive. It will become active when you insert or edit elements.

VIEW TABS

View tabs are displayed at the bottom of the interface.

When you open a new project, the Model view window is displayed. This is where you build, edit, and view your 3D model. You can also access the Sto Panel Design view where you will break the model drawn into panels and apply finish packages.

GRID AND GRID SNAP

By default, a grid is displayed in the drawing area. This set of vertical and horizontal lines is simply an on-screen visual aid that helps you orient objects to one another. The grid can be turned off if desired, and you can control the grid spacing and appearance in your program settings.

By default, the Grid Snap is also turned on. This feature snaps your pointer to an invisible grid when inserting elements. You can control the snap grid’s spacing and turn the Grid Snap off if you want to. You can also match the snap grid to the visible drawing grid by editing your program settings.

AUTO-SCROLL

If you are drawing an element such as a wall and need to scroll the drawing area to finish drawing the element, press and hold the CTRL key when your cursor is near the drawing area’s edge. This activates the Auto Scroll feature and scrolls the drawing area in the direction in which you move your mouse, allowing uninterrupted drawing.

CATALOG PANEL

The catalog panel displays the elements contained in the program’s Master Catalog or whatever catalog is currently open. This is where you select elements to insert into your drawing.

STATUS BAR

The Status bar is located at the bottom of the screen. It displays helpful prompts while you are working on your design project. For example, if you are inserting a wall, it may display “Pick first insertion point”. The Status bar also includes drawing aid buttons such as ORTHO and OBJSNAP.