Appearance
Plan aspects
The Plan workspace shows one aspect of the house at a time. An aspect is a layer of the same building — the walls you drew, the structure that holds them up, the way they are built, and how they are finished. You are always looking at one model; the aspect decides which part of it you can author right now.
What are the Plan aspects?
| Aspect | What you author here |
|---|---|
| Shell | Walls, rooms, doors, windows, passages, stairs |
| Facade | The outside of the house, worked on directly in 3D |
| Structure | Grid, supports, frame, lintels, slabs, foundations |
| Finishes | Surface finishes and their cost |
Site controls are not a separate aspect. Site Systems rides along with Shell, so plot and site context stay visible while you draw.
Switching between Plan aspects
Use the aspect switcher in the Plan workspace. Switching does not change your model — it changes which part of it you can edit. Your drawing stays on screen.
Why is a Plan shortcut unavailable?
A tool's shortcut only works while its aspect is active. If you press W for Wall while Structure is showing, nothing happens. This is deliberate: a shortcut for a hidden aspect must not silently arm a command you cannot see.
Some tools are always available, whichever aspect you are in:
| Shortcut | Tool |
|---|---|
| Esc | Select |
| M | Dimension |
| X | Trim |
| F | Mirror |
| O | Offset |
| C | Corner |
| I | Reference Image |
| (no shortcut) | Array |
Everything else belongs to an aspect. If a shortcut does nothing, check which aspect you are in first.
Starting with Shell
Start in Shell and draw the house. Structure, Facade and Finishes all describe a house that already exists, so they have little to work with until walls and rooms are in place. Construction data remains part of the model and derived outputs, but its dedicated Plan aspect is currently retired.