Creating Designs

Designs are created from CAD exported from most popular CAD software usually as FBX or 3DS format. Once a CAD has been imported into your design, you can then set inclusions, add landscaping, setup views and publish to the web for other users to style it themselves.

Export your CAD

SpecifierHub enables the creation of designs from files exported from a variety of CAD software. For more information on how to export CAD files using your favorite CAD software:

• Export from Revit
• Export from ArchiCAD
• Export from 3DStudioMax
• Export from SketchUp

Create a Design

Now you can create a new design by uploading your exported file:

1. From the sidebar within the Workspace page, click Designs.
2. Click the Create button in the upper right corner and choose Create Design.
3. Enter a Design name and click Next.
4. To setup Zones and Inclusions for you, Choose House Exterior, then click Next.
5. Click the CAD type of your file, then click Choose File.
6. Select the file from your device.
7. Once the file has been uploaded, click Next.

Choose CAD units

Adjust the CAD units to ensure the scale of your Design is correct.

1. From the dropdown, select the appropriate CAD units.
2. When you're done, click Close.

Viewing your design

You can now look around your design from any angle in 3D, to find out more on navigating your design see Navigating the Editor.

Hide Unwanted Surfaces

Sometimes CAD is imported with unwanted surfaces, such as a basic driveway or floating CAD units. You can hide these surfaces by selecting the surface and setting the type to Hidden from the toolbar.

Set Glass Surfaces

Next, you'll want to set any of the glass areas by selecting the surface and setting the type to Glass from the toolbar.

Assign Inclusions

You can assign inclusions by selecting one or more surfaces, then clicking on an inclusion from the Inclusions tab.

For more information see Working with Surfaces

Add Landscaping

To add landscaping to your design, follow these steps:

1. Open the Elements sidebar and select the Landscapes tab.

2. Choose a landscape that fits your design's needs based on the name:

• LH (Left-hand driveway)
• RH (Right-hand driveway)
• Single (Single driveway)
• Double (Double driveway)
• Select a frontage size, typically 12.5M works well.

3. Click the 3D view to place the landscape element in your design.

4. Rotate it correctly using the position and orientation tool by dragging the blue circle.

5. If needed, adjust its vertical position to align with your garage door's bottom by dragging the green arrow.

For more information see Working with Elements

Create some Views

To showcase your design from multiple angles, let's create front, perspective, and back views. Here's a simplified guide:

1. Front View: Adjust your design within the 3D view to present the front. If necessary, modify the lens angle for a better perspective by clicking the View menu and selecting Standard Lens. Once satisfied with the angle, open the Views sidebar, click the plus icon to save this angle as a new View, and rename it to Front by clicking on its name.
2. Side and Back Views: Repeat the process for the side and back views. Ensure each view is well-aligned and captures the essence of your design from that specific angle. After capturing each view, remember to rename them appropriately to Side and Back.

For more information see Managing Views

Publish your Design

Once you're done editing, publish your design to visualise it in a highly photorealistic manner.

1. Make sure nothing is selected, then from the toolbar, click Publish.
2. Review the checklist.
3. Click Publish.

For more information see Publishing Designs