ARCHITECT’S GUIDE

TO 3D MODELING

1 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
Introduction
As technology advances, the availability
of digital tools aimed at streamlining the
AEC Industry has drastically increased.
Architectural and mechanical engineering
designs that are manually produced have
long been challenging to represent and
are known to be a cumbersome process.
Using 3D modeling tools, one can develop
a detailed digital representation of a
building design with efficient workflows
and accurate data. This e-book aims to
provide some guidelines on 3D modeling
and its various use cases specifically for
building performance analysis. It starts with
sharing some information on applications of
a 3D model in various stages of a project.
Then it dives into how cove.tool facilitates
geometry data collection for building
performance analysis in different ways with
a particular focus on drawing.tool. The final
section provides clarity on drawing.tool’s
role in different cove.tool workflows.
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Types of 3D Modeling for Architects:
The evolution of 3D modeling was fueled by
the development of CAD design technologies
in the 1960s. These 3D models can be used
for documentation, visualization, simulation,
rendering design, and more. In the Architecture,
Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry,
3D modeling can be broadly classified into
CAD models and BIM models.

CAD MODELING
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) applications
were generally utilized as drafting tools to
create project design and documentation in the
early days. They facilitate the digital creation of
drawings and plans and the storage of editable
information. In CAD, it is possible to produce
both 2D and 3D design representations.

BIM MODELING
Building information modeling (BIM) is a more BIM is often the link between the construction
advanced and adaptive form of 3D modeling that process and CAD because it takes full
facilitates collaboration between architects, advantage of the accuracy of computer-aided
engineers, and construction experts on a design and applies it to physical dimensions
project. Using BIM, architects may create a 3D and specifications.
model of the building that depicts its functional
and structural details. BIM uses 3D models that
are not only geometrically accurate, but can
also generate detailed time/planning (4D), cost
(5D), environmental and sustainability analysis
(6D), and facility management (7D).

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Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
3D Models Through Phases of Design:
There are several methods for addressing the
modeling process, depending on the function
of the model and the design stage in which the
model is used for.
The table below outlines the critical information
that should be included in each model as per
Level of Development (LOD) and during the
phases of a project. Starting from the Schematic
Design phase, a massing model serves as a means
of defining the exterior shape of the building
and its relation with surrounding context, site,
terrain, landscape, roads, etc. Further in the
design development phase, more information
is added to the model to better represent the
design advances. This logic is carried forward
through all the design phases with the addition of
construction documentation and specifications
included as a part of the package. During the
construction process, where coordination
between disciplines and trades is integral, the
model continues to evolve and become sources
for fabrication and informs the schedule and
logistics. Also, building performance analysis
requires specific information in a 3d model
which varies depending on the level of accuracy
aimed for the analysis. For instance, a 3D model
used for compliance-level energy modeling
is more complicated than one for early-stage
energy modeling and benchmarking. Once the
project is complete, the model becomes a virtual
record comprising of various data, which can be
used for facility operations and maintenance
purposes.
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Benefits of 3D Modeling:
The benefit of working in a three-dimensional
space over traditional drafting is that it allows
architects and engineers to understand the
conditions of a design more clearly. Moreover,
3D modeling aids in the reduction of design
time and costs.

Here we break down the fundamental benefits

of using 3D modeling in architecture:

1. Accuracy: Models can be created with

the greatest accuracy.
2. Iterations: Changes can be made rapidly,
and various models can be compared
simultaneously.
3. Production: Development of
comprehensive design documentation
can be developed.
4. Efficiency: 2D spaces can be translated
quickly and efficiently.
5. Detailing: Building details can be
introduced (I.e., structural and thermal
properties).
6. Visualization: Realistic visuals of
detailed features, such as tiles, textures,
and lighting can be generated.
7. Collaboration: Enable the clear
representation and coordination of
building services and systems.

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Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

Commonly Used 3D Modeling Applications in the

Industry:
There are quite a few tools that are already
available in the market, each with a robust
and unique set of features which can be used
depending on the stage of the project. As
mentioned earlier, use of modeling applications
depends on the purpose of the model.

The following matrix shows a variety of BIM

supporting and CAD tools along with their
functionalities.

*Limited Functionality
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Geometry in cove.tool:
Geometry exported to cove.tool can be used
in multiple ways to analyze early-stage design
iterations. As mentioned earlier, depending on
the project phase, model geometry consists
of information in various forms, from napkin
sketch models in the Pre-design phase to
detailed level BIM models for Construction
Documentation. Therefore, geometry in cove.
tool is likewise divided based on Level of Detail
and can be used in all phases through three
modes:
MANUAL MODE:
Allows users to enter geometry information
without a 3D model by manually estimating
the building area to get sufficient information
to generate early-stage energy targets and
results.
7 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
DRAWING.TOOL:
Create models from scratch, trace over floor
plans or import geometry natively on the cove.
tool platform to create analysis ready closed
room geometry.
3D MODE:
Interoperability is a common challenge in the
AEC industry as unique software solutions do
not always communicate well with each other.
With various plug-ins available in the app store,
cove.tool helps translate architectural models
made in third-party 3D modeling software and
exports them to the web app. These dedicated
plugins are developed to provide the most
efficient translation of geometric information
into cove.tool.
In the next section, more details will be
provided on drawing.tool and how it can be
used for building performance assessment.
Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

What is drawing.tool?
drawing.tool is a 3D modeling tool that provides
a user-friendly platform for drawing early-
stage models natively on the cove.tool web
application. It allows users to effortlessly
create their geometry for building performance
assessment with a set of intuitive tools. It also
allows users to bring in their geometries directly
from a suite of traditional 3D modeling platforms
and make changes to them in cove.tool.

THE GOAL BEHIND

DRAWING.TOOL DEVELOPMENT:
The goals behind developing drawing.tool and
its connection to other parts of the tool such
as analysis.tool, loadmodeling.tool, assembly
builder, embodied carbon, and costestimating.
tool are listed below:

• Generate quick massing studies and

mock-ups inside the app and compare
the options.
• Import from existing BIM platforms
through plugins and edit the imported
geometry in app based on the analysis
results.
• Utilize Revit room-based import for
smooth geometry translation.
• Easily define occupied/unoccupied areas
for LEED room by room results.
• Automate room definition for compliance
level energy and load calculation.
• Iterate through shading strategies
dynamically and assess their
performance.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE
DRAWING.TOOL INTERFACE:
This section goes over the drawing.tool
interface and various functions available in the
tool. drawing.tool has a simple interface with
several features to model geometry. The main
parts of the interface are are listed on the right
and shown in the figures below.
• Design Toolbar (Top center, horizontal
toolbar)
• Application Menu (Left, vertical toolbar)
• Navigation Bar (Right, vertical toolbar)
• Snap Controls (Bottom left toolbar)

9 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
DESIGN TOOLBAR:
• 3D/2D: To switch back and forth
between 2D and 3D mode.
• Curves: To draw lines and polylines.
• Extrusion: To Push and pull planes
created by curves to model primitive
masses.
• Building Elements: To draw building
elements such as walls and air walls,
doors, openings, windows, roofs,
spandrels, and skylights by selecting
the respective icon.
• Transform Tools: To select a room,
existing roof, or plane and convert it
into a roof or outdoor floor element.
Select “make building” to convert a
mass to a building.
• Camera: To save a PNG file of the scene.
• Saving Views: To save preferred 3D
views and re-use it.
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APPLICATION MENU:

The application menu on the left allows users to change default settings, and select, view, or edit default
building elements. The menu includes:
• Settings: To edit Floors, Object 3D objects such as doors, windows,
Visibility, and Default Settings. furniture, etc. that users can use to
• Building Elements: To see and edit the model.
properties of rooms in the geometry. • Booleans: To combine primitive shapes,
• Assembly Builder: To Select, customize, navigate to the booleans menu.
design, and share building assemblies. • Saving Project: To save changes.
Assemblies can be assigned to elements • Import, Upload, Export
within the drawing.tool.
• Catalog: To select specific object types
to use. The catalog contains all the

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Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

NAVIGATION BAR:

To assist with navigation, users can select icons

on the navigation panel in the upper right-
hand corner. The panel includes Zoom in/out,
Compass, Move, Rotate, Scale. Note that users
can reset the orientation toward the North by
clicking on the compass button.

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SNAP CONTROLS:

Snap controls are at the bottom of the 2D mode.

When drawing a line, there will be multiple
points to snap to on-screen at any given time.
Users can snap onto endpoints, lines, grid points,
projection snapping (ortho) objects (Osnaps),
and along a constrained axis (angles).

Read more about drawing.tool and its capabilities

in the resources attached to section 5 of this
guide.

13 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
drawing.tool’s Role in the cove.tool Workflow
As mentioned earlier, drawing.tool is a 3D
modeling tool that provides a FREE user-
friendly platform for drawing early-stage
models natively on the cove.tool web app. This
will result in faster early-stage modeling for
building performance analysis by removing the
geometry export step.
Geometry modeled in drawing.tool is central
to the cove.tool workflow and can be used in
several tools within cove.tool. The following is
the description of drawing.tool’s role in different
workflows possible within cove.tool:
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drawing.tool within analysis.tool’s Workflow
analysis.tool is the main product line with core
building performance features, like early-stage
energy modeling, daylight analysis, 3D and site
studies, water calculator, climate report, and
a parametric tool for optimizing energy, cost,
and carbon. Here is the general workflow for
analysis.tool:

15 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
The analysis.tool requires four components DRAWING.TOOL TO 3D ANALYSIS
for setup: Building Type, Location, Energy
Code, and Geometry. One of the three ways After modeling the geometry in drawing.
tool, users can export the geometry to the
of entering geometry info to the tool is by
3D analysis page to see the following results
modeling it in the drawing.tool. Therefore, using (views, daylight, glare, radiation, sun hours,
drawing.tool is an optional step in the analysis. shadow, and covid).
tool workflow. Users can assign assemblies to
their geometry and run different types of 3D
analysis, energy simulation, water calculation,
and cost vs energy optimization based on the
geometry they modeled in drawing.tool. The
following sections describe drawing.tool’s role
in different cove.tool workflows.

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ENERGY SIMULATION
To better account for different assembly types
in the building and increase the accuracy of
energy results, users can use assembly builder
(accessible within the drawing.tool) to build
assemblies layer-by-layer and assign them to
their geometry in drawing.tool. Each assembly
comes with an effective R or U value, cost,
embodied carbon, and other data points which
17 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
will be used in different parts of the app. After
exporting the geometry to the 3D analysis
page and then baseline energy page, an area
weighted average performance value will be
calculated based on the assigned assemblies
and will be used as envelope inputs for energy
simulation with ISO engine.
Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

MASSING STUDIES AND

COMPARISON
Another benefit of drawing.tool is enabling
users for in-house massing studies and
quick comparison of geometries for the best
performance. With primitive commands such
as lines and extrusions, users can quickly
mockup a volume and turn it into a building
upon clicking on a button. By creating multiple
copies of the same project and changing the
geometry in each copy, users can create a
side-by-side comparison report to identify the
option with the best performance to proceed
with. Note that this process is much faster than
creating a geometry in a third-party application
and going through the export process.

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COST ESTIMATING
Cost estimating is a new feature coming soon
that will empower design teams with real-time
cost visibility at every design stage. It includes
many parts like bill of quantity, automated
report, cost library, and more which allow
design teams to simulate the project budget
with historical construction data and soft cost
calculator. The cost of the products come
directly from the cove.tool product database,
which is accessible via the assembly builder and
19 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
can be applied to geometry via the drawing.
tool. The costestimating.tool uses the bill of
quantity taken from drawing.tool geometry
and cost of assemblies to calculate the overall
project cost. Another thing to mention is that
the drawing.tool allows geometry to become
the source of input alongside the product
database, showcasing the true value behind
virtual design and construction practice.
Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

EMBODIED CARBON
This is another feature coming soon that helps
design teams to estimate the carbon footprint
of their project based on detailed structural,
enclosure, and interior material quantities
taken from the building geometry. To use
this tool, users can assign assemblies to their
model inside drawing.tool. Upon opening the
embodied carbon tool, these assemblies would
translate into actual product Environmental
Product Declarations (EPDs) that come
from EC3 database and provide the project
embodied carbon profile. Operational carbon
is also calculated from the energy simulation
results on the baseline energy page based on
location specific grid composition.

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drawing.tool within loadmodeling.tool’s Workflow
loadmodeling.tool is a load modeling and
system design tool that uses the EnergyPlus
engine for detailed, room-by-room load
calculations and HVAC sizing. The feature is
aimed at mechanical engineers for advanced
modeling capabilities. The loadmodeling.tool
requires the same four components for setup
as analysis.tool, however, drawing.tool must
be used for the geometry method. Individual
21 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
rooms are required to be defined and assigned
assemblies in drawing.tool, hence geometry
must be either imported to the drawing tool or
drawn in drawing.tool. Unlike in the analysis.
tool workflow, the use of drawing.tool is
required in the loadmodeling.tool workflow.
The workflow within loadmodeling.tool can
follow a linear or circular fashion depending on
the project stage.
Once the geometry is defined, teams can
proceed to the Load Modeling Dashboard to
perform all required tasks to define templates,
schedules, thermal zones, air systems, and
mechanical plants. Then, they can simulate and
view load results for the mechanical design of
the project.

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Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling
Conclusion
To conclude, drawing.tool is a fast 3D modeling
tool for rapid prototyping and translating 3D
models from any source into analysis-ready
geometry. It helps users with saving hours of
remodeling for early-stage building performance
analysis and allows for collaboration across
platforms and teams. As cove.tool evolves,
drawing.tool will become a central point of
connection between different tools, and the
team at cove.tool keeps working on this feature
to make it perfect. Future developments to
drawing.tool include:
• Improved import translation from Revit
to drawing.tool
• Robust catalog items for furniture and
other building products.
• Added geometry categories to enhance
level of detailing
• Elaborate bill of quantities from building
geometry
• Integration with Assembly builder for
accurate embodied carbon, energy
simulations, and cost optimization
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Additional Resources About drawing.tool
Introduction to the drawing.tool interface

How to make a building in the drawing.tool?

Introduction to drawing and modeling in cove.tool - drawing.tool

Modeling using a 2D drawing in drawing.tool

How to Create a Basement in drawing.tool

Detailed Baseline Energy Model via drawing.tool

DXF to drawing.tool Import

Occupied vs Unoccupied rooms and LEED Report

Understanding snap toggles on drawing.tool

What is drawing.tool?

Check out a drawing.tool webinar

24 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

 Architect’s Guide to 3D Modeling

covetool

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