Building
The Building Wizard creates architectural structures with full parametric control. Choose a footprint shape, then configure walls, roof, windows and doors, and surface materials.
BuildingThe Building wizard creates a fully parametric architectural structure — walls, roof, windows, doors, and per-face surface materials — directly on your garden plan. Choose from four preset footprint shapes (Rectangle, L-Shape, T-Shape, U-Shape) or draw a custom polygon to match an existing structure on site. Five wizard steps guide you from footprint to finished surfaces, and the 3D preview updates live as you make changes. Use it to document existing buildings accurately so the garden design reads in proper spatial context, or to design new outbuildings like sheds, garages, and studios.
Step 3 — Roof
Choose roof style: flat, gable, hip, shed, or mansard. Set pitch, overhang, and ridge position.
Step 4 — Openings
Add windows and doors to the building walls. Place openings by clicking on a wall face in the 3D preview. Set opening width, height, and sill height for each opening.
Step 5 — Surfaces
Set surface materials for walls, roof, foundation, window frames, and door surfaces. Each component slot uses the material catalog filtered by the appropriate category.
Configure the walls
Advance to the Walls step and set the Wall height (in meters or feet, depending on your project unit system) and Wall thickness. These values apply uniformly to every wall. Individual wall heights can be adjusted later in the Structure Edit workspace from the Inspector.
Choose the roof style
On the Roof step, select a style: Flat, Gable, Hip, Pyramid, or Shed. Set the Pitch angle in degrees and the Overhang distance. For Gable roofs, choose whether the ridge runs along the Width or Depth axis. The 3D preview reflects every change instantly.
Add windows and doors
On the Openings step, click a wall in the 3D preview to select it, then click Add Window or Add Door. Set the Width, Height, Sill height, and style variant — windows can be Single, Double, Arched, or Sliding; doors can be Single, Double, Sliding, or Garage. Each opening appears in the wall immediately. Drag the position slider to move an opening along the wall.
Assign surface materials
On the Surfaces step, each material slot — Wall exterior, Roof surface, Foundation, Window frames, and Door surface — has a swatch you can click to open the material catalog. Pick a photoreal material (brick, render, timber, roofing tile, etc.) or set a solid color. Material assignments appear on the 3D preview in real time.
Apply and place the building
Click Apply on the final step to commit the building to the plan. The structure appears as a selectable entity in both 2D and 3D views. Select it at any time and click Parameters in the Inspector to re-open the wizard and adjust any setting non-destructively.
Use the Building tool to document existing structures on site — neighboring houses, garages, and sheds — before starting the garden design. Detailed building footprints let you check clearances, shadows, and sightlines in 3D without guessing.
The building is exterior-only — it models walls, roof, openings, and external cladding, not interior rooms or floor plans. For detailed architectural documentation, export the plan to a DWG-compatible format and continue in a CAD application.
Switching the footprint preset after adding openings will reset the wall list and remove all windows and doors, because opening positions are linked to specific walls. Add openings only after finalizing the footprint shape.
Key Parameters
| Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint preset | Rectangle | Overall outline of the building. Custom lets you draw any polygon. |
| Wall height | 3.0 m | Height of all exterior walls from ground to eave. Individual walls can be overridden in Structure Edit. |
| Roof style | Gable | Roof form applied to the building footprint. |
| Pitch | 30° | Slope angle of the roof surface. 0° is flat; 30°–45° is typical residential. |
| Overhang | 0.5 m | Distance the roof extends beyond the outer wall face. |
| Ridge direction | Width | For Gable roofs, the axis along which the ridge runs. |
| Opening kind | — | Type of wall opening. Windows have single/double/arched/sliding styles; doors have single/double/sliding/garage styles. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit the building after placing it?
Yes. Select the building on the canvas, then click Parameters in the Inspector panel. The wizard re-opens with all your previous settings intact. Every step — footprint, walls, roof, openings, surfaces — is fully editable non-destructively.
How do I match an irregular building outline that doesn't fit a preset?
Choose the Custom footprint option. Click points on the canvas to trace the outline of the actual structure, then close the polygon. The walls and roof follow the polygon exactly. If you have a site plan as an underlay image, calibrate it first so the polygon snaps to real-world dimensions.
Can I give individual walls different heights or materials?
Set a uniform wall height in the Walls step, then select the building and open the Structure Edit workspace from the Inspector. There you can override the height and surface material on individual walls without affecting the rest of the building.
Is there a mansard or curved roof option?
Not in the Building wizard. The available roof styles are Flat, Gable, Hip, Pyramid, and Shed. For a complex or non-standard roof form, place the building with the closest available style, then open the Mesh Editor from the Inspector to sculpt the roof geometry by hand.
Why did my windows disappear after I changed the footprint preset?
Windows and doors are attached to specific walls. When you change the footprint preset, the wall set is rebuilt and all opening assignments are lost. Finalize the footprint shape before adding openings to avoid redoing that work.