Elevations on Sheets

Add a wall elevation to a sheet viewport, then double-click in to edit heights and leaders without leaving the sheet.

An elevation renders a front-view of your layout from a viewpoint you set on the plan, showing the vertical position (Z height) of every object in the frame.

Setting the Viewpoint (2-Click Process)

The viewpoint defines where you're standing and which direction you're facing in the elevation. Watch the status bar for guidance:

1. On a sheet, select a viewport and click Add Elevation in its controls
2. Click on the plan where you want to stand (your eye position)
3. Click again in the direction you want to look
4. Hold Shift on the second click to snap to a straight-on view (0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°)

Viewpoint Controls

• Visual Indicator - Eye icon with a field-of-view (FOV) cone on the plan, showing what the elevation looks at. It is part of the drawing, so the icon, the cone and the arrow grow and shrink with the plan when you zoom. It shows on screen only and never prints
• Arrow Length - Extends to the exact click point

Editing Inside an Elevation

Double-click an elevation frame on a sheet to enter it — the frame gets an amber outline, and the status bar reads: "Inside the elevation — click an object to select it (click again for one behind it), drag it up or down to set its height (hold Alt to skip snapping), drag a label to move it. Press Esc to exit."

• Select - Click an object to select it. It highlights in the elevation and in the plan viewports at the same time, and the right dock shows its full property panel — the same dock that follows your selection into any entered frame, viewports included.
• Click Through - When one object hides another — a display over its backbox — click the same spot again within half a second to select the object behind it; keep clicking to go deeper, and past the last one it wraps back to the front. A click anywhere else, or after a pause, starts fresh from the front.
• Set Height - Press and drag the object up or down. A free drag moves in whole inches, clamped between the floor and the viewport's ceiling, with a live Z = 5' 0" readout in the status bar. When the object's top, centre or bottom comes close to another object's, it snaps to line up exactly — to the eighth of an inch, so the readout can show Z = 3' 10.25" — and a dashed guide runs across the frame at that height; a dashed vertical guide shows where its centre or edges already line up with a neighbour's. Hold Alt to drag freely without snapping.
• Move a Label - Drag a leader label (with MLeader Style turned on) to reposition it.
• Delete - Removes the selected object, not the frame. Press Esc to exit first, then Delete removes the elevation frame itself, same as any other viewport.
• Exit - Press Esc, or click outside the frame with the Select tool (with Pan or Space armed, a click outside pans the sheet instead).

Move, Align V, and Align H in the ribbon, and Duplicate in the selection footer, are disabled while you're inside an elevation — hovering any of them shows "Exit the elevation first (Esc) — this works in the plan." This is a deliberate limit while you're inside the frame; press Esc and they work again.

Saving: pressing Ctrl+S from inside a view that belongs to another floor saves that floor too — under its own name — and leaves the view, so save before switching tabs or unsaved edits on that floor are discarded.

Elevation View Features

• Orthographic Projection - Objects maintain correct size regardless of distance from viewpoint
• Accurate Aspect Ratios - Displays render with true width-to-height proportions
• Correct Spacing - Lateral separation matches real-world inches
• Bidirectional Selection - Click an object in the elevation to select it in the plan viewports too (and vice versa)
• Height Visualization - Shows Z position (height above floor) for all objects
• Grid & Scale - Height ruler in feet with gridlines every 12"
• Layer Filter - Select the elevation frame on the sheet, then choose All, Equip, or Elec on the sheet toolbar to show equipment and electrical together, equipment only, or electrical only (backboxes, junction boxes, data ports, conduits)

DXF Objects in Elevation

Imported DXF objects with an elevation view render their real DXF geometry in the elevation, not a placeholder box. Select a placed DXF object to configure its elevation display:

• Show Label - Display the object name label
• MLeader Style - Use a multi-leader callout for the label
• Show Height - Display a height dimension line
• Height Placement - Position the dimension at Center or Bottom
• Height Side - Place the dimension on the Left or Right
• Flip in Elevation - Mirror the object horizontally

CAD/Blueprint Mode

Elevations draw as black linework on a white background, on screen and on paper alike — screen and export use the exact same rendering, with no fills, images, or shading. The selected object's outline turns blue.

Exporting the Elevation

Elevations export as part of the sheet they're on. Use Export Sheet or Export All on the sheet toolbar to render a PDF on your active title block:

• Elevation cells sit alongside floor plan, ceiling plan, and electrical views on the same sheet
• Every frame — DXF objects included — is rasterized at 150 DPI and placed on the page

Photorealistic Rendering

Transform your elevation into a photorealistic visualization using AI-powered rendering:

1. Set up your elevation viewpoint (see above)
2. Select the elevation on the sheet and click Render in the sheet toolbar
3. Choose materials and options in the modal that appears
4. Click Generate Render to create the visualization

Render Options

Environment:

• Wall Finish - Paint colors, wood panels, acoustic treatments
• Floor Material - Carpet tiles, wood, concrete, vinyl

Furniture:

• Chair Material - Mesh, leather, fabric options
• Table Material - Wood, laminate, glass, stone finishes

Displays & Lighting:

• Display Glass - Standard dark, reflective, or ultra-matte
• Lighting Level - Very soft, soft, or neutral

Custom Instructions: Add specific modifications like "dark gray ceiling panels" or "warm lighting on back wall".

2D Orthographic Blueprint Mode

Toggle the 2D Orthographic Blueprint switch to generate a flat technical line drawing instead of a photorealistic render. This mode:

• Uses black linework on white background
• No materials, textures, or shading
• Clean, print-ready CAD-style output

Revisions

After generating a render, you can request revisions:

1. Type your revision request (e.g., "make the walls darker")
2. Click the revision button
3. The AI will modify the image while preserving geometry

You can iterate multiple times to refine the result.