Step 4: Floorplan

Purpose – to add, orient (Origin) and outline floors to be panelized.

Preparations

• Add new pdf - when you first select Floorplan, you'll be prompted to create your first floor, where you’ll upload the pdf by searching or dragging and dropping.
  • Note: The name will be auto-populated as the name of the pdf or you can type it in.
• Scale - sets the scale (metric or imperial) for the given floorplan. You can either set the scale of the first plan so that the Panelizer keeps it for additional floorplans, or you can manually adjust the scale of the floorplans at any time.
  • Note: You can either choose one of the default scales or create a custom scale.
• Additional floors can be added using the plus button in the upper right corner. You will then be prompted to “Upload new file” or you can “Use existing file.”
  • Note: You can add all the floorplans and then go back to set the origin and draw the outlines on the floorplan or you can do it as you go.  It is the estimator's preference.
• Label/name the PDF - you can change the name of the floorplan at any time.

Editing the Floorplan

Toolbar

• Select (1) - selects an outline, allowing you to edit or delete control points of an outline by holding  down the ALT key.
• Outline (2) - outlines are indicated by a yellow line. 
  • Start with a single left-click and continue around the building with a single left-click at corners (90 degrees or non-90 degrees). You can use Backspace or Delete to remove the last point you drew. Note the blue lines appear when you are “square” or in line with previous points.
  • Zoom in to be as accurate as possible. Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out. Click and hold the right mouse button to drag/move the pdf.
  • When you plot your last point, you can press Enter to automatically complete the last line/close the polygon.
  • If your floorplan is similar to a previous one, you can use the “Copy outline from another floor” button on the right to quickly create the outline. The outline can then be adjusted to fit the new floorplan.
• Balcony (3) - balconies are indicated by a teal line.
  • Create a balcony by placing control points that start and end on the floorplan outline.
  • Balconies extend the slab.
  • Note: When you “Copy outline from another floor”, the balconies are copied as well.
• Origin (4) - the origin and its placement tell the Panelizer how to stack the floors. Therefore, the origin must be alligned through all floorplans.
  • Click on the Origin icon in the top left corner, then you can place the origin with a single click.
  • You can move the origin by left-clicking, holding, and dragging.
  • It is best to zoom in as far as you can and then place or fine tune the placement of the origin. Accuracy is important throughout the sheets/floors.
  • Note: If the floorplan is too large (multiple towers, large area displayed over multiple pages, or other), you will want to decide how to divide the building for panelization before loading & outlining. 
• Measurement (5) - to define two points to measure the distance between them. 
  • Note: Can be used to check the scale (but does not set a custom scale).
• North Orientation (6) - to set the north orientation of the project.
  • Note: The default setting is UP = north.
• Undo / Redo (7) - to undo or redo your last action.

Shortcuts & hot keys

• Backspace/Del – deletes the last drawn point.
• Hold Shift – forces drawing of orthogonal lines (at right angles, on the X & Y axis).
• Hold CTRL – ignores snapping into place.
• Hold ALT – adds or deletes a control point.
• Enter – closes the polygon connecting the first & last control points.
• Esc – clears the current operation.
• Space – recenters the view.

3d Model Options

• Force Update (1) – use this button to force the 3D model to update.
  • Note: If you edit the floorplans, the changes will not be automatically reflected in the 3D model. The 3D model must be updated.
  • Note: If at any time in a project there is no 3D model, please click Force Update.
• 2D <-> 3D button (2) – use this button to switch from the 2D plans to the 3D model.
  • Best practices: use mouse with scroll wheel to zoom, use left clicks to rotate and right clicks to drag.
  • Note: When you are in the 3D model you can choose between a perspective and an orthographic camera view.
• Info (gray) & Errors (red) (3) – indicates information and errors in the Panelizer.