Building Model Overview
The Building Model section is where you define the physical characteristics of your building. This includes placing floor plans on the canvas, drawing spaces on them, assigning envelope elements, and grouping spaces into zones and systems.
Workflow
Section titled “Workflow”The Building Model group in the left sidebar lists its pages in workflow order:
- Sheets & Maps - Place uploaded floor plans (and an optional site map) on the canvas, level by level
- Spaces - Draw spaces on the placed floor plans
- Envelope - Assign walls, windows, doors, roofs, skylights, and slabs to spaces
- Zones - Group spaces into thermal zones
- Systems - Group zones into HVAC systems
Floor plans are uploaded and scaled in Sheet Library under Basis of Design before you place them here.
Sections
Section titled “Sections”Sheets & Maps
Section titled “Sheets & Maps”The Sheets & Maps pane is a canvas for laying out your uploaded floor plans. Use it to:
- Drag sheets from the Sheets list onto the canvas, or click Place On Canvas
- Move and rotate placed sheets so each level lines up
- Add a Roadmap, Satellite, or Hybrid site map from the Maps tab
Spaces
Section titled “Spaces”Create and edit building spaces in the Spaces pane, in Canvas or Table view:
- Draw polygon or rectangle boundaries on floor plans
- Assign space types
- Configure space-specific properties
- Use Auto Takeoff Spaces for automatic detection
Envelope
Section titled “Envelope”Define the building envelope in the Envelope pane, whose sidebar has Walls, Windows, Doors, Roofs, Skylights, and Slabs tabs:
- Assign wall types to exterior boundaries, or run Auto Create Envelope
- Add windows and doors to walls
- Assign roofs to spaces and place skylights on them
- Assign slab construction to spaces
Organize spaces into thermal zones in the Zones pane, in Canvas, Table, or Kanban view:
- Group spaces with similar conditioning needs, or run Auto Create Zones
- Define zone-level properties
Systems
Section titled “Systems”Group zones into HVAC systems in the Systems pane, in Canvas, Table, or Kanban view:
- Assign zones to systems, or run Auto Group Zones
- Configure system-level properties
Equipment, ductwork, and terminal units are configured under System Design.
Best Practices
Section titled “Best Practices”- Work floor by floor - Complete one floor before moving to the next
- Assign space types early - This enables load calculations as you model
- Use consistent naming - Name spaces clearly for reports
- Verify envelope - Check that all exterior surfaces have proper assignments
- Group logically - Create zones that match your system design intent