From a lot to a massing

This walkthrough takes about five minutes. It uses the lot lookup, which needs a lot with parcel and zoning data. See Current coverage on Lots and zoning for where that data exists today. Without it, start from Open sample project: the sample has a lot and zone rules of its own.

Start a project on the lot

1. Open the project picker and choose New project on a Miami lot….
2. Type the lot's street address in Address. Studio looks it up when you stop typing, as a job with progress and Cancel.
3. Check the preview: the parcel, its folio, the County's lot area, the zone and any overlays.
4. Leave Start in Design chosen, and click Create project.

The project opens with the parcel as the lot, its sides typed (front, side, rear), and the zone's rules loaded. The rules bar over the view sums the checks.

Clip

Draw a massing

1. Press H for Mass.
2. Drag a rectangle on the lot for the footprint (or click its corners and press Return for a polygon).
3. Type a Height, for example 30', and press Return.

Or sketch the rooms

1. Press R for Room.
2. Click where the room's corner goes, type its width, press Tab, type its depth, press Tab, type a name, and press Return. Or drag a rectangle.
3. Draw the next room against the first: corners snap to corners within ten pixels, else to the nearest inch.

Each room shows its name and area in plan.

Read the rules as you draw

Press ⌘2 for the Regulation tab. Lot coverage and the other rules are measured from the rooms and masses and update with every edit. A failing rule is listed under what needs attention, with its limit, the measured value and its source.

Note. The rule values are provisional: they have not been checked against the code in force. Studio never says a design complies.

Next

• Turn the rooms into walls, slabs, doors and windows: The handoff to BIM.
• Ask the agent to change the layout: Ask the agent for a change.
• More room tools (split, merge, door and window marks): Design mode.