Assigning Materials to Building Elements

Assigning Materials to Building Elements

There are three ways to assign materials in Plans: individual element assignment through the Details Panel, material proposals in Export tables, and building-wide bulk assignment.

Individual element assignment

Assign materials to single building elements using the Details Panel.

1. Navigate to your project editing view
2. Select element in the 3D viewer or element list (left panel)
3. In the Details Panel (right sidebar), find the Material field
4. Type in the search box to filter materials, or click a quick-select pill below the search box
5. The material is immediately assigned

Material search

The material search field is a searchable text input that helps you find materials quickly:

• Type to search: Enter material name to filter the catalog
• Quick-select pills: Below the search box, you’ll see up to 5 recently used or shortlisted materials
• Recent materials: Shown with a clock icon
• Shortlist materials: Your shortlisted materials, shown with a dot points icon
• Automatic filtering: Only materials compatible with the selected element type appear

Material details

After assigning a material, its details expand below the search box showing:

• U-value (thermal transmittance)
• BI Classification
• Thickness
• Other thermal properties

Material proposals in export tables

Assign construction proposals to groups of elements via the Export pane.

1. In the Details Panel, click the Export tab
2. View tables showing building elements grouped by material:
   • Walls, Floors, and Ceilings table
   • Doors and Windows table
3. Click a table row to expand it
4. Select from available material proposal templates
5. Each proposal shows construction details and thermal properties

The proposals system lets you:

• View Proposal layers and construction details
• See thermal property badges
• Edit or clear proposals
• Apply standardized construction types to multiple elements

Building-wide bulk assignment

Apply materials to entire building element categories at once.

1. In the editor, click the Home icon button in the toolbar
2. The Building Materials dialog opens with predefined categories:
   • External Walls
   • Internal Walls
   • External Windows
   • External Doors
   • Floor Materials
   • Ceiling Materials
   • Basement wall towards ground
   • Basement wall towards air
3. For each category, use the search box to find and Select a material
4. Click Apply
5. Review the confirmation dialog
6. Materials are assigned to all matching elements in the entire building

Caution

Bulk assignment applies materials to the entire building, not individual stories or rooms. Review your selections carefully before clicking Apply.

Material assignment workflow

For single elements:

• Use the Details Panel when you need to assign materials to specific segments
• Best for individual corrections or unique elements

For grouped elements:

• Use Export table proposals when you want to apply standardized construction types
• Useful for applying the same construction to Walls, Floors, or Ceilings with similar properties

For entire categories:

• Use bulk assignment when setting up materials for a new project
• Quickly establishes baseline materials across all element types

Troubleshooting

Material search not showing results

• Check your search term spelling
• Try a partial match (e.g., “brick” instead of “brick wall”)
• Material catalog may still be loading - wait a few seconds

Wrong materials in search results

• Materials are automatically filtered by element type
• Wall elements only show Wall-compatible materials
• Window elements only show Window-compatible materials

Quick-select pills not appearing

• Pills only show if you have recent or favorited materials
• Start assigning materials to populate recent list
• Add materials to your shortlist for quick access

Bulk assignment not available

• Ensure you’re in the editor (edit-home route)
• Look for the Home icon button in the toolbar
• Check that the project has been uploaded from iOS