Urbium Studio docs

How to install Urbium Studio, model a building on its lot, work with an AI agent and check the lot’s rules as you design.

Getting started

IntroductionWhat Urbium Studio is, what it does today, and where each part is documented.
Install and open a projectGet a build of Urbium Studio, install it on macOS, Windows or Linux, set up the agent, and open your first project.
The windowWhat each part of the Studio window is for: the header, the tool palette, the view, the inspector and the jobs.
KeysRun any command from the keyboard, find it by name, and change any shortcut to the one you are used to.

From a lot to a massingStart a project on a real lot, sketch a massing or rooms on it, and watch the lot's zoning rules measure it as you draw.
Ask the agent for a changeAsk the agent to change the model, see what it changed, compare before and after, and accept or discard it.

Moving around the modelOrbit, pan and zoom, switch between plan and 3D, select what you need, hide and lock layers, and snap and measure exactly.
Visual styles and rendersShade the model by class, material, line or see-through, colour it by rule status, and get a still render of the view.
Sections and sun studyCut the 3D view with a box or a plane, and see the sun and its shadows on any day and hour at the lot's location.
Sketch modeDraw a constrained 2D profile on a plane or a face, then extrude, revolve, sweep or loft it into a solid you can edit step by step.
Design modeSketch rooms and masses on the lot before any wall exists, with the zoning rules measured as you draw.
The handoff to BIMTurn the rooms you sketched into walls, slabs, doors and windows in one step, and see what it made and which rules it changed.
Walls, openings and elementsDraw walls, place doors and windows by type, and add stairs, railings, roofs, curtain walls, ceilings, fixtures, MEP devices and structure.
Modify tools and gripsMove, copy, rotate, mirror, scale, align, offset and array what you selected, trim and join walls, and reshape an element by its grips.
Parameters and configurationsName the dimensions that matter, drive the model from them, and keep design options as sets of values you can switch and compare.
The command line and macrosType commands with AutoCAD-style aliases, record a sequence of edits as a macro and run it again, and add plugins.

Agents and chatBring your own agent: ask it for a change in plain words, show it a sketch, and watch it edit its own copy of the model.
Review the agent's changesSee what a turn changed, compare the model before and after it, then accept the conversation's changes or discard them.
CommentsLeave a note on elements or a sheet, assign it to a person or to the agent, and track it until it is resolved.

Lots and zoningLoad a lot's parcel and zoning rules from its address, read the rule checks as you design, and set the values the rules are missing.
Setbacks, terrain and pavingSee the setback lines and the buildable area on the lot, build the ground from a survey, and draw driveways, walks and patios.
DXF and DWG underlaysBring a survey, a site plan or a consultant's drawing in under the model, snap to it, and trace its rooms, doors and windows.
Point cloudsBring a laser scan in as a point cloud, see it in 3D, and trace over it in plan at the cut height.
Import from ArchicadBring the project open in your Archicad into Studio as a new project, in one command, or by saving IFC from Archicad yourself.
Import from RevitBring a Revit project into Studio through IFC: Studio reads what a .rvt file is, and either asks your own Revit to export it or tells you how to export it yourself.

Sheets, layouts and title blocksDraw a sheet set from the model, annotate and redline it, lay out your own sheets and title blocks, and publish it as PDF.
Sections and interior elevationsCut building sections, wall sections and interior elevations from the plan, each on a sheet of its own that follows the model.
Quantities and costTake off counts, lengths, areas and volumes from the model as you edit, and get a rough order-of-magnitude cost.
Issues (BCF)Exchange issues with Revit, Archicad and other BIM tools as BCF topics that open at their viewpoint.
ExportWrite the model to IFC, DXF, DWG, PDF, STEP, IGES, SketchUp and mesh formats from one panel, and bring STEP solids in.
SketchUpBring a SketchUp model in as fixed elements, move or recolour them, and save the changes back into a copy of the .skp.

IFC and ifcxaHow Studio opens and writes IFC, keeps element IDs stable across exports, and stores its own model.
The control portLet Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or another agent drive the project open in Studio, through the same tools as the app's own agent.
Firm API keysUse the agent with a key your firm gives you, instead of your own Claude account.
Platforms, releases and updatesWhat Studio runs on, how it is packaged on each platform, and how it updates itself.
Usage data and privacyWhat Studio sends, to whom, and how to turn each one off.