Navigation
HVAKR is organized into sections that follow the natural HVAC design workflow.
Project Structure
Section titled “Project Structure”Each project contains the following sections, accessible from the left sidebar. At the top of the sidebar, a Search button (Cmd/Ctrl + K) opens the command menu. The menu covers more than this project: it lists every page in the project you have open, your other projects, templates, the rest of the app, and each Settings section, and it can start a New Chat or a New Project. The button is hidden while the sidebar is collapsed — the shortcut still opens the menu. The sections are:
Basis of Design
Section titled “Basis of Design”Configure project-wide settings that affect calculations:
- General - Project information and metadata
- Weather - Design conditions and weather station
- Building Data - Envelope properties (walls, windows, roof, slab)
- Space Types - Occupancy, equipment, and lighting loads
- System Types - HVAC system configurations
- Sheet Library - Floor plan uploads and management
Building Model
Section titled “Building Model”Define the physical building:
- Sheets & Maps - View and navigate floor plans
- Spaces - Draw and configure spaces
- Envelope - Assign walls, windows, and other envelope elements
- Zones - Group spaces into thermal zones
- Systems - Create and configure HVAC systems
System Design
Section titled “System Design”Design the HVAC systems:
- Configuration - Central and terminal equipment
- Air Balancing - Per-space supply, return, exhaust, outdoor air, and transfer airflows
- Layout - Duct routing and sizing
Reports
Section titled “Reports”View and export calculations:
- Loads - Cooling and heating load results
- Energy (β) - Energy use and analysis
- Estimation (β) - Cost estimation
- Exports - Generated PDF reports and CSV exports
Below these sections, the sidebar footer links to the 3D Viewer, Present mode, and Settings.
Toolbar
Section titled “Toolbar”The top toolbar runs across the top of every project view:
- Project name - click to rename the project inline
- Save status - shows when your work is saved; HVAKR saves automatically, so there is no manual save button
- Undo / Redo - appear once you’ve made changes
- Collaborators - an avatar for each person with access to the project; a green dot marks who is in it right now. Click the avatars to open the Share panel
- AI - open the HVAKR AI assistant
- Chat - open project chat and comments
- Share - open the sharing panel
- Studies - switch between named what-if variants of the project; changes made in a study don’t apply to the live project until you choose Apply changes while that study is open
- Keyboard Shortcuts - the
?icon button opens the shortcut dialog - Fullscreen - toggle fullscreen mode (desktop only)
- Account menu - your avatar opens your profile, the help links (Documentation, Community, Watch Tutorials, Schedule Support Call, Send Support Email, Start Walkthrough), the theme setting, the Realtime Cursors toggle, Arcade, Settings, and sign out
Keyboard Shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard Shortcuts”Press ?, or the Keyboard Shortcuts button in the toolbar, to see the full list. Common shortcuts:
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle AI Chat | Cmd/Ctrl + J |
| Toggle Chat | C |
| Toggle Share | S |
| Toggle Annotations | A |
| Toggle Fullscreen | F |
| Close Sidebar | Esc |
| Toggle Navigation | \ |
| Command Menu | Cmd/Ctrl + K |
| Next Section / Previous Section | ] / [ |
| Present | Cmd/Ctrl + Enter |
| Center Viewport | Space |
| Zoom In / Zoom Out | Cmd/Ctrl + = / Cmd/Ctrl + - |
| Undo | Cmd/Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Cmd/Ctrl + Y or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| Delete selection | Delete or Backspace |
Sheet Navigation
Section titled “Sheet Navigation”When working with floor plans in the Sheets & Maps pane:
- Pan - Drag with the middle mouse button
- Zoom - Scroll wheel,
Cmd/Ctrl + =/Cmd/Ctrl + -, or the Zoom In / Zoom Out buttons in the toolbar - Center Viewport - Press
Space, or click the home button in the toolbar - Switch levels - Use the level controls in the toolbar to move between building floors
The scroll wheel only zooms under the default Zoom Mode for Mouse/Trackpad Controls. Switch that setting to Scroll Mode and the wheel pans instead — zoom then requires Ctrl/Cmd + scroll, a pinch gesture, or the toolbar buttons.
Real-Time Collaboration
Section titled “Real-Time Collaboration”When multiple users are working on a project:
- Changes sync automatically in real-time
- The collaborator avatars in the toolbar show who’s online
- Colored cursors can show where others are working. This is off by default, and each person turns it on for themselves with Realtime Cursors in the account menu
See Real-Time Collaboration for the full behavior.