3D Visualization
HVAKR’s 3D visualization provides an interactive view of your building model, helping you understand spatial relationships and verify your design.
Accessing 3D View
Section titled “Accessing 3D View”From the Project
Section titled “From the Project”Navigate to the 3D view:
- Open your project
- Click 3D Viewer in the sidebar
- The 3D model loads automatically
System Requirements
Section titled “System Requirements”The 3D view renders with WebGL. For best results:
- Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Hardware graphics acceleration enabled
- Sufficient memory for large models
If your browser can’t create a WebGL context, HVAKR shows a message explaining that the 3D view is unavailable.
Navigation
Section titled “Navigation”Mouse Controls
Section titled “Mouse Controls”| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Rotate | Left-click + drag |
| Pan | Right-click + drag |
| Zoom | Scroll wheel |
Touch Controls
Section titled “Touch Controls”| Action | Gesture |
|---|---|
| Rotate | One-finger drag |
| Pan | Two-finger drag |
| Zoom | Pinch |
To return to the default camera angle, click the Home button in the toolbar.
Toolbar
Section titled “Toolbar”The toolbar in the corner of the view holds the controls:
- Home — reset the camera to the default angle
- Fullscreen — expand the view to fill the screen (desktop only)
- Auto-Rotate — slowly spin the model
- Download Image — save a PNG screenshot of the current view
- Performance Mode — drop shadows, reflections, and the grid for smoother navigation on large models
- Layers (eye icon) — toggle which elements are visible
Layers
Section titled “Layers”Open the Layers menu to show or hide parts of the model:
- Sheets — floor plan images placed in the scene
- Walls/Windows — the envelope, with glazing and doors
- Slabs — floor slabs
- Roofs/Skylights — roof planes and skylights
- Dry Side — ductwork, equipment, and other dry-side nodes
- Grid Floor — the reference grid beneath the model
- Sunlight Vector — an arrow showing the sun’s direction
When the model spans multiple levels, the menu also offers Filter by Level — enable it and use the slider to isolate a single floor.
Sun Study
Section titled “Sun Study”The controls along the bottom of the view drive the solar position:
- The month selector sets the design day
- The hour slider moves the time of day
Enable the Sunlight Vector layer to see the sun’s direction update as you change the month and hour.
Exporting
Section titled “Exporting”Screenshot
Section titled “Screenshot”Use Download Image in the toolbar to save the current view as a PNG. The screenshot captures the visible layers at the current camera angle.
Performance Tips
Section titled “Performance Tips”For complex buildings:
- Turn on Performance Mode
- Hide layers you don’t need from the Layers menu
- Use Filter by Level to focus on one floor at a time
- Close other browser tabs to free up memory