Defining Surface Areas
The surface editor first requires that a plane or surface area is selected in a 3D view. Only when an area has been defined can the surface be created. The definition can be performed in any view, so that, for example, tiled backsplashes can also be created in cross-sections. The surface area can be selected very simply with a left mouse-click. First choose one of construction tools, i.e. a rectangle, a polygon or a plane, and position the mouse cursor over the chosen element in a 3D view. When an element is detected, be it a wall, a roof plane, or a piece of furniture, its surface area is highlighted in red in the 3D view.
For the rectangle or polygon tool the first step is now complete and you can begin defining the surface area. For the plane option the ‘Surface’ dialog would now be automatically activated. If you wish to define several surface areas or planes using the plane option, for instance the complete façade as shown in the example below, then simply keep the ‘Shift’ key pressed and select further areas. The selection process is terminated with ‘Enter’.
Whenever a surface area is defined first all openings such as windows, doors or wall recesses, included in or under the surface, are detected and shown in the ‘Surface’ dialog.