Shell aspect (Walls, rooms, openings & stairs)

The Shell aspect is the primary architectural authoring mode in Jodu where you draw native walls, define rooms, place doors and windows, and connect storeys with staircases.

It is the starting foundation for everything else: Structure, Facade, Finishes, Schedules, BOQ, and 3D visualization all derive from the geometry you author in Shell. Persisted construction data and derived construction outputs also use this model geometry.

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Prerequisites

• An active Plan storey in the header (Ground Floor exists by default in every new project).
• A structural wall type selected in the Wall options bar (e.g. 230 mm Brick masonry).

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Core tools & shortcuts in Shell

Shortcut	Tool	Primary Function	Standard Residential Usage
W	Wall	Chain-draws straight wall segments	0.23 m (9") exterior walls, 0.115 m (4.5") partitions
R	Room	Encloses & labels spaces with area calculation	Living, Kitchen, Bedroom, Toilet, Balcony
D	Door	Places single, double, or sliding doors	1.2 m × 2.4 m main entrance, 0.9 m × 2.1 m internal doors
N	Window	Places exterior windows with sill levels	1.2 m × 1.2 m standard (sill 0.9 m), 0.6 m × 0.45 m ventilators (sill 2.1 m)
P	Passage	Doorless clear opening or archway	Dining-to-kitchen or corridor openings
T	Stair	Connects storey to an existing upper floor/terrace	Dog-leg (U-shaped) or L-shaped RCC staircase

Note: The tools above are armed by shortcut only while Shell is the active aspect. Editing tools (Select / Esc, Dimension / M, Trim / X, Offset / O, Mirror / F, Corner close / C, and Reference Image / I) are available across all aspects.

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Step-by-step residential drawing workflow

Using our standard 9.0 m × 7.5 m G+1 house example:

1. Draw the exterior shell:
   • Press W, select 230 mm Brick masonry.
   • Click a start point, type 9.0 m, press Enter.
   • Move down at 90°, type 7.5 m, press Enter.
   • Complete the 4-sided rectangular boundary to auto-close the shell.
2. Draw interior partitions:
   • In Wall options, choose 115 mm Brick wall.
   • Use Offset (O) or press W to draw room divisions (e.g. Living Room, Bedroom 1, Kitchen, Attached Toilet).
   • Use Corner close (C) to close near-miss corners.
3. Place rooms:
   • Press R, select room preset (e.g. Living Room), and drag inside the enclosed space.
4. Place doors & windows:
   • Press D, hover over the wall, click to place doors. Flip swing orientation if needed.
   • Press N, hover over exterior walls, click to place windows.
5. Place staircase:
   • Press T, click in the stair hall, cycle the proposals with arrow keys (← / →) or pick one in the stair panel, then press Enter.
   • If no upper level exists, choose Add upper level…, select Floor or Roof terrace, review and apply it, then review the stair proposal again.
6. Add dimension lines:
   • Press M to place outer overall and inner clear room dimensions.

How do I furnish a room?

Rooms can hold fixtures — beds, wardrobes, and other placed items:

1. Select a room and choose Room contents in the properties panel.
2. For a bedroom, pick a Bed size (Best fit, Queen, Double, Single) and a Storage level (Best fit, Standard, Compact).
3. Choose Furnish room (or Rearrange room if the room already has items). Jodu prepares the arrangement and shows a preview with variants; review it and choose Apply. Nothing is placed until you apply.
4. Adjust afterwards: select an item to Rotate 15°, Replace its variant (queen/double/single bed, standard/compact wardrobe), or Delete it. Clear room contents removes everything.
5. Place item manually arms manual placement: choose a catalog item, set its rotation and mount height, and click to place. Done adding items exits the mode.

Placed fixtures appear on the Plan canvas, in the fixture schedule, in quantities and BOQ, and in 3D.

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How do I add a loft?

A loft is a storage slab hosted on a wall inside a room, drawn dashed above the plan cut:

1. Select a room and choose Add loft in the properties panel.
2. Click the wall that should host it. The loft runs along that wall.
3. With the loft selected, set Depth, Height (above the finished floor), and Length in the properties panel, and pick its structural specification there.
4. Use the delete action in the same panel to remove it.

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Related

• Plan aspects overview — how all Plan aspects interact
• Precision input — typed metrics, snapping, and modifier keys
• Structure aspect — adding columns, beams, and slabs to the shell
• Facade aspect — exterior elevation styling and chajjas in 3D