How to add doors and windows and define access between rooms

Written for Architect 3D 26 for Windows. The Mac edition has similar tools, though some menu names differ.

Doors and windows decide how people move through a house and how much light gets in. In Architect 3D you place them straight onto a wall, choose from a large catalogue of styles and set their exact size.

Step 1: Place a door

1. On the Floor tab, click the Door tool, then click Door Style on the Properties tab to open the catalogue of doors.
2. Choose a door and set its properties: Width, Height, Elevation and Trim. Press Enter after each value.
3. Drag along the wall to position the centre of the door.
4. Release the mouse and move the pointer to one side of the wall or the other to set which way the door opens.
5. Click to place the door.

Note: Architect 3D remembers the size of the last opening you placed. Check the properties before placing the next one.

Step 2: Change the swing direction

1. Click the Select tool, then click the door.
2. On the Properties tab, use Flip Hinge Side and Flip Swing Side until the door opens the way you want.

Step 3: Move an opening

1. Click the Select tool, then click the door or window.
2. Drag it along the wall and click to drop it in its new position.

Step 4: Place a window

1. On the Floor tab, click the Window tool, then click Window Style to open the catalogue of windows.
2. Choose a window, then set its size and grille style. Press Enter after each value.
3. Drag along the wall to position the centre of the window and click to place it.

Tip: open the 3D View window so you see the plan and the 3D model together. It is the quickest way to judge where a door or window really belongs.

Save your project to keep the openings in place.