Story View and Hierarchy Navigation
Story View and Hierarchy Navigation
Section titled “Story View and Hierarchy Navigation”The 3D viewer organizes building data in a structured hierarchy displayed in the left panel.
Building hierarchy structure
Section titled “Building hierarchy structure”The viewer uses a four-level hierarchy:
No Selection (Default)└── Story (Building Level/Floor) └── Room (Space) └── Building Element (Wall, Floor, Ceiling, etc.)Each level provides progressively more detailed control over building elements.
Left panel
Section titled “Left panel”The left panel displays the building structure as an expandable tree:
Panel features
Section titled “Panel features”- Expandable Tree View: Click arrows to expand/collapse levels
- Visual Hierarchy: Indentation shows parent-child relationships
- Selection Indicator: Active selection highlighted in panel
Navigating the tree
Section titled “Navigating the tree”Expanding Levels:
- Click arrow icon next to story name to expand
- View list of rooms on that story
- Click arrow next to room to expand
- View building elements in that room
Collapsing Levels:
- Click expanded arrow to collapse that branch
- Hides child elements from view
Story level
Section titled “Story level”Viewing stories
Section titled “Viewing stories”The top level shows all building levels/floors:
- Story Name: “Level 1”, “Level 2”, “Ground Floor”, etc.
- Elevation: Height above datum (optional display)
- Element Count: Number of elements on each story
- Status Indicators: Completion or validation status icons
Selecting a story
Section titled “Selecting a story”Click on a story name to:
- Select entire story as current scope
- Display all rooms on that story in hierarchy
- Show story overview in properties panel (right)
- Focus 3D view on that floor level
Story-level operations
Section titled “Story-level operations”When a story is selected:
- View all elements on that floor
- Apply bulk properties to story scope
- Export story data
- Toggle story visibility in 3D view
Room level
Section titled “Room level”Viewing rooms
Section titled “Viewing rooms”Expand a story to see rooms within:
- Room Name/Number: “Living Room”, “Room 101”, etc.
- Area: Floor area in square meters
- Building element summary: Count of walls, floors, ceilings
- Thermal properties: Heating status, temperature setpoint
Selecting a room
Section titled “Selecting a room”Click on a room name to:
- Select room as current scope
- Display building elements that define the room
- Show room properties in right panel
- Highlight room in 3D view
Room-level operations
Section titled “Room-level operations”When a room is selected:
- Edit room properties (name, type, area)
- View boundary elements (walls, floors, ceilings)
- Calculate room metrics (volume, surface area, heat loss)
- Assign materials to all room elements
Building element level
Section titled “Building element level”Viewing elements
Section titled “Viewing elements”Expand a room to see building elements:
- Element type icons: Wall, floor, roof, window, door
- Element ID/Name: Unique identifier or description
- Area: Surface area in square meters
- Material: Assigned construction type
Selecting an element
Section titled “Selecting an element”Click on an element to:
- Select element as current scope
- Show element properties in right panel
- Highlight element in 3D view with color
- Display edge dimensions as labels in 3D
Element-level operations
Section titled “Element-level operations”When an element is selected:
- Edit element properties (area, orientation, inclination)
- Assign materials and thermal properties
- View/edit B-factor (thermal reduction factor)
- Split element into multiple parts
- Add openings (windows, doors)
- Edit geometry (move points, reshape)
- View dimensions on edges
Synchronization: hierarchy ↔ 3D view
Section titled “Synchronization: hierarchy ↔ 3D view”The hierarchy panel and 3D canvas are bidirectionally linked:
Selection from hierarchy → 3D
Section titled “Selection from hierarchy → 3D”When you click an item in the hierarchy panel:
- 3D view focuses on that element
- Element highlights in 3D with color
- Camera may reposition to show element
- Properties panel updates with element details
Selection from 3D → hierarchy
Section titled “Selection from 3D → hierarchy”When you click a mesh in the 3D view:
- Hierarchy panel highlights the corresponding item
- Parent tree expands to show selection
- Properties panel displays element info
Layer controls
Section titled “Layer controls”Control visibility of different types of content in the 3D view.
Accessing layer controls
Section titled “Accessing layer controls”Location: Bottom-left corner of the 3D canvas
Click the layers button (stacked layers icon) to open the layer controls menu.
Available layer categories
Section titled “Available layer categories”The layer controls are organized into three categories:
Toggle visibility for note types:
- Condition - Condition assessment notes
- Electric - Electrical installation notes
- Building element - Building element notes
- Material - Material-related notes
- Other - Other notes
- Technical installation - Technical installation notes
Building elements
Section titled “Building elements”Toggle visibility for building elements:
- Ceilings - Show/hide ceiling elements in 3D view
Toggle visibility for additional information:
- Projections - Show/hide projected measurements
- Labels - Show/hide measurement labels
- Measured areas - Show/hide area measurements
Using layer controls
Section titled “Using layer controls”To toggle a layer:
- Click the layers button in bottom-left corner of 3D canvas
- Check or uncheck the layer checkbox
- Changes apply immediately to the 3D view
Layer behavior
Section titled “Layer behavior”When a layer is hidden:
- Elements are not rendered in 3D canvas
- Elements are still visible in hierarchy panel
- Can still be selected from hierarchy panel
- Properties can still be edited
Coordinate axes and orientation
Section titled “Coordinate axes and orientation”The viewer displays coordinate axes to help with spatial orientation:
Axis display
Section titled “Axis display”Located in the 3D canvas:
- X/Y/Z Axes: Visual gizmo showing coordinate system orientation
- Spatial Reference: Helps maintain awareness of 3D space layout
Distance labels and measurements
Section titled “Distance labels and measurements”Edge labels
Section titled “Edge labels”In certain contexts, edge dimensions may display:
- Length in Meters: Shows measurements for specific elements
- Label Position: Positioned along edge in 3D space
- Scale Adaptive: Labels remain readable at any zoom level
- Contextual Display: Shown selectively based on element type and selection
Ruler tool
Section titled “Ruler tool”Use the Ruler tool for custom measurements:
- Select Ruler from tool palette
- Click first point in 3D view
- Click second point to complete measurement
- Distance label appears between points
- Measurement persists until tool is changed or canceled
Limitations
Section titled “Limitations”Based on the actual implementation:
- No drag-and-drop reordering: Cannot move elements between rooms/stories
- No multi-selection: Select one item at a time (use parent level for bulk scope)
- Fixed hierarchy levels: Cannot add custom hierarchy levels
- No custom grouping: Grouping limited to story → room → element structure
Keyboard shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard shortcuts”The current implementation does not include keyboard shortcuts for hierarchy navigation. Navigation is performed via mouse clicks in the panel or 3D view.
Related Topics:
- Navigation - 3D viewer camera controls
- Selection - Selecting elements and using tools
- Multi-Select - Working with multiple elements
- B-Factors - Thermal visualization and properties
- Editing Elements - Modifying element properties