Documentation

Using the Mouse

Click

Point the cursor to a given object (e.g. click a button) quickly press and release the mouse button. You can left-click or right-click. If we just say “click”, click the left button.

A single left click only changes what is selected, so it is safe to click around a busy design while you find the right part.

Double-click

Click the left button twice in quick succession. The mouse shouldn’t be moved while clicking.

Dragging

Point the cursor to an object, press a suitable button and keep it pressed. Now you can, without releasing the button, move the mouse. You can drag with the right or the left button. Dragging with Shift, means dragging while pressing the Shift key at the same time.

Selecting more than one object

Hold Shift + Ctrl and keep clicking. Each item you click is added to the selection instead of replacing it. Anything you can do to one object you can then do to all of them at once, so a run of doors can take one material assignment rather than twenty.

Opening element properties

Left click an object to select it, then right click it. The element properties open, and that is where you change dimensions, construction, materials and part names.

The order matters. Right clicking without selecting first gives you the general context menu rather than the properties of the part you are looking at.

Zooming in and out

Roll the wheel forward to zoom in, back to zoom out. This is the fastest way to move between an overall view of the room and a close look at a single joint.

Zooming only changes what you see. It has no effect on the model, the drawings or the cut list.

Terminology

The terms “Element” and “Object” are used interchangeably. The terms “Materials” and “Textures” are also used interchangeably and they mean the same.

Hot Keys

Undo / Redo

You can undo any operation you are not happy with by using “Undo” from the “Edit” menu or CTRL + Z. If you reverse too far, you can use “Redo”. The program lets you undo all the commands since the beginning of your work with a project.

When you select a command from the menu, try to find it on the toolbar; most commands have their equivalents there. It will probably have an icon representing the command. Using the buttons from the toolbar will speed up your work up to three times.

SHIFT + ARROW KEYS

With an object or element selected, hold Shift and press an arrow key. The part moves in that direction by a fixed step. This is how you make small corrections without dragging and without opening a dialog, and it is more accurate than the mouse when you are working close in. Select a group with Shift + Ctrl first and the whole group moves together, keeping the spacing between the parts.

ALT + D

This will help align one object to another. The alignment is exact, which means the dimensions that reach your shop drawings and cut list are exact too.

CTRL + I

This operation will let you choose and pick a color. Also known as the color picker. It lets you match a finish across cabinets, panels and trim without hunting through the material library.

ALT + C

While dragging the measuring tool, these two keys will give you the center axis of the selected object. Use it for anything that has to land dead center, such as a sink base under a window or a divider in a run of uppers.

SHIFT + RIGHT CLICK

This action will auto focus your 3D rendering display. It is important to set it right depending on the room size to ensure realistic panorama. On a large kitchen you will want a different focus point than on a reach-in closet, so set it deliberately before you send a render to a client.

SHIFT + SCROLL WHEEL

Hold Shift and roll the wheel, or hold Shift and drag with the left button back and forth. Both set how the virtual room is proportioned around your design. Getting this right matters before you render, because a room scaled badly will make an otherwise accurate design look wrong.

Quick reference