Floor plan¶
Step 1 sets the building's floor plan. In the main panel you pick one of five shapes and dimension it on the interactive 2D floor plan; the dimensions and special options are set on the right in the parameter panel.
Choosing a floor-plan shape¶
Five shapes are offered as cards in the main panel:
| Shape | Description |
|---|---|
| Rectangular | A simple rectangle from width and depth. |
| L-shape | A rectangle with a rectangular inset in one corner. |
| T-shape | A base with an attached stem. |
| U-shape | A rectangle with a rectangular cutout on one side. |
| Free | Any polygon you draw yourself — see below. |
Below the cards, the large 2D floor plan shows the current shape with its labeled edges. It updates immediately when you pick a shape or change a dimension.
Dimensions¶
Each shape has a fixed number of dimension fields in the parameter panel — one letter per field (A, B, C …) matching the labels on the 2D floor plan. Every dimension ranges from 0,5 to 30 m (in 0,1 m steps).
| Shape | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Rectangular | A width · B depth |
| L-shape | A width · B depth right · C inset width · D inset depth |
| T-shape | A base width · B base depth · C shoulder right · D stem depth · E stem width |
| U-shape | A width · B depth right · C shoulder right · D cutout depth right · E cutout width · F cutout depth left |
| Free | no dimension fields — the edge lengths follow from the polygon you draw |
For the L, T and U shapes the "Derived dimensions" block additionally shows the edges that result from your entries (e.g. the remaining width or the total depth).
Free floor plan¶
The Free shape replaces the fixed dimension fields with a drawing editor: instead of typing dimensions you draw the outline yourself and get any polygon that can be built cleanly.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Corners | 3 to 24 |
| Shortest edge | 1,00 m — below that there is no room for the corner connector |
| Edge direction | 15° grid (0°, 15°, 30° …) |
| Minimum area | 1,00 m² |
| Interior angle | at least 90° at convex corners, no needle-thin corners |
| Self-intersection | not allowed — the outline must close without crossing itself |
You draw with four tools (toolbar at the top left of the drawing area):
- Line — drag a run of lines: each click sets a bend, the direction snaps to the
15° grid, and you can type the edge length directly. A magnet closes the loop
cleanly at the start point.
Escends the run. - Scissors — removes a single line segment; hold
⇧to extend instead. - Extend — lengthens a line up to the next line (or its extension).
- Ring offset — offsets a closed loop in parallel inward or outward (fixed distance) — handy for even wall thicknesses or a courtyard.
"Apply floor plan" turns your lines into the polygon. If it breaks a rule, the "Check dimensions" block names the reason and the following steps stay locked.
Floors with their own outline¶
With Free, every upper floor may get an outline of its own — it doesn't have to follow the ground floor. This is how you build setbacks (the floor is smaller than the one below it) and cantilevers (it juts out beyond it).
- The ground floor always sits in the main polygon; outlines of their own start at Floor 1.
- Two floors stacked on top of each other must overlap by at least 1 m².
- The floor slab is created as the union of both outlines: above a cantilever it gets its floor, a setback follows the lower outline.
How the walls are joined to the slab there is described under Connectors; on propping up a cantilever see Extras.
Invalid dimensions lock the following steps
As long as the floor plan doesn't add up geometrically, all following steps stay locked. The "Check dimensions" block then tells you what doesn't fit — for example, the inset width (C) must be smaller than the width (A). Fix the highlighted fields and you can continue.
Mirror L¶
Only for the L-shape does the "Mirror L" toggle appear: off = the cross wing sits on the left (default), on = it moves to the right. For the other shapes it has no effect.