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Building data · Wall Sections

Wall Sections overview

Build a wall or floor assembly layer by layer, see it drawn to scale, and check its R-value, dew point and code path.

Alpha tool. It's early and still changing: expect things to break, and keep your own copy of anything you can't lose. What alpha means

Wall Sections builds a wall or floor assembly as a stack of material layers, from the outside in. It draws the section to scale, works out the R-values and U-factor, runs a winter or summer dew point check, and checks the assembly against an energy code for its climate zone.

Each scheme is one assembly. The results are planning aids: check them against the code and have them verified by a licensed professional.

The main screen #

From top to bottom:

  • The toolbar. Project ▾, the assembly's name, Wall / Floor, Location, Zone and Code, the drawing style (Color / B/W) and Analysis. On the right: Overall (total thickness) and Assembly R (rated), then New, Import, Export ▾ and Share / Snapshots.
  • The material library on the left. Search it, then click a material to add it as a layer.
  • The section drawing in the middle. See The section drawing.
  • The side panel on the right, with four parts:
  • The bottom bar, which always carries the reminder to verify with a professional engineer and check the code tables yourself.

Assembly R (rated) in the toolbar turns green when the assembly meets a code path and red when it doesn't.

Start a new assembly #

From a project page #

  1. Open the project and click + New.
  2. Under Wall Sections, pick Blank or one of the templates:
    • 2×6 Wood Stud — Siding
    • 2×4 Wood Stud — Brick Veneer
    • Steel Stud + Continuous Insulation
    • Brick + CMU Cavity Wall

The tool opens on a new assembly that's already saved in that project. See Projects and schemes.

From inside the tool #

The tool opens on its home page. Under Start fresh, click + Blank or one of the templates. You can also click New in the toolbar to clear the screen, or pick a template from the empty drawing or from Templates: under the drawing.

New work starts on this computer only. Loading a template keeps your location, zone, code and design temperatures. To file the assembly with a project, open Project ▾ and click Push to a project…. The push warns you if the project's climate zone doesn't match the assembly's, and offers to use the project's zone.

Open existing work #

  • From the tool's home page. Click Tools in the top bar to get there. It lists the assembly you were last working on and the wall assemblies saved in your projects.
  • From Project ▾. The menu lists the wall assemblies in your projects. Click one to open it.
  • From a file. Click Import and pick a .walls.json file. It opens as new work on this computer.

Who can see it #

An assembly in a project is shared with that project's people. Viewers can open it and look, but can't change it. See People and roles. To share it with someone outside the project, use Share / Snapshots: see View-only links.

An AI assistant connected through the AI connector can read and edit your wall assemblies.