Building Architect

Introduction

The Building Architect is a tool that allows users to procedurally create and modify buildings directly within the engine.

Begin by selecting your desired shape, then customize it by adding and configuring various modular pieces through the Elements toggle section.

Additionally, you can set up roofs, change materials, and explore other exciting features.

---

Tool Window Overview

The tool window is divided into four main parts:

click to zoom

• Shape Type
  Choose the basic building shape to start with.
• Scope
  Select a specific building part where changes will take effect.
• Material and UV
  Apply and configure materials to the structure.
• Elements
  Toggle modular pieces ON/OFF and set them up.
  Available modular pieces are limited in this version.

At the bottom of the window, available keyboard controls are listed for quick access.

---

Main Functions

Shape Type

The Shape Type section is the primary interface users interact with. It defines the default shape used to start building creation and offers various customization options.

Shape

There are six main shapes users can choose from:

• Square
• Hexagon
• Diamond
• U-shape
• T-shape
• X-shape

Usage

1. Select a Shape
   Left-click on a shape to select it. The selected icon will be highlighted, indicating active selection.
2. Place the Building
   Left-click on a spot in the map viewport to place the building.
   • Spawn Point
     The building spawns with its front-most left corner positioned at the clicked location.
3. Default Dimensions
   Generated buildings have default dimensions of 10x10x5.7 meters upon spawning.
   • Features:
     2 floors, a set of placed windows, a door, and a flat roof.

Save

Save button will allow user to store the work done with Building Architect in a .json file that will be placed in the active level path in an automatically generated …/bat/ folder. When Save button is pressed a window will opens up asking user to give a name to the scene file. Remember that save the scene through World Editor menu File > Save level won’t save the Buidling Architect session.

Load

Load button let user load a previously saved Building Architect .json file session and continue to edit it.

Export

When in Building Scope, users can select the entire building and press the Export button to save a Collada (.dae) file. This file can be opened in Blender or other software, allowing further customization or optimization.

---

Scope

Scope is the core functionality that controls how elements and parameters are updated on the building. Each scope has its own parameters that apply specifically to that scope.

click to zoom

Before exploring the different scopes, let’s understand interactions and general functions.

---

Interactions

Understanding interactions with building parts is crucial. Once a building is placed in the scene, the first step to activate Scope selection is to click on any wall of the building. This action grants access to Scope selection, visualized by a yellow edge selection around the chosen building part.

click to zoom

By selecting a Scope, users can modify corresponding elements directly on the building, making the scope’s parameters available for adjustments.

---

General Functions

There are specific controls shared across all scopes.

Corner Drag

Function	Modify the building’s shape by dragging its corners.
Usage	Hover over a corner, click, and drag to reshape.

Split

Function	Subdivide walls or roofs to create new selectable elements.
Usage	Press and hold the Alt key, hover over a wall or roof to create a preview line, then left-click to split.

Multiple Polygons Selection

Function	Select multiple building parts simultaneously.
Usage	In Floor, Wall, or Side Scope, press and hold the Ctrl key and left-click on multiple parts.

Wipe-out

Function	Delete all placed buildings in the scene.
Usage	Press Ctrl + X

New Building

Function	Place a new building using the last selected shape.
Usage	Press Ctrl + in the scene.

Building Selection

Function	Select and modify a specific building when multiple buildings are present.
Usage	Left-click on the walls of the desired building to activate it. All subsequent changes will apply to the selected building.

Delete

Function	Remove a specific building or a specific building floor.
Usage	Press Delete

Snap

Function	Perfectly align extruded/moved walls or cut roofs using existing walls as snap guide.
Usage	Refer to the video example below:

---

Building Scope

When selected, parameters in the Building Scope affect the entire building’s walls but not the roof.

Parameters:

X, Y, Z

Function	Move the entire building along the respective world axis.
Usage	Enter numeric values to adjust position.

X/Y Scale

Function	Scale the building’s dimensions along the X or Y axis.
Usage	Move the slider to adjust scale. All applied elements update accordingly.

Rotation

Function	Rotate the building around its center.
Usage	Adjust the rotation value. All applied elements update accordingly.

Floors

Function	Add or remove floors from the selected building.
Usage	Use the add/remove floor buttons. Added floors are cloned from the floor below.

Basement Toggle

Function	Add a basement beneath the ground floor.
Usage	Toggle the basement option. The basement is treated like a floor with specific characteristics.
Behavior	Once toggled, the Scope automatically switches to Floor.

---

Floor Scope

When selected, parameters in the Floor Scope affect the selected floor’s walls.

Parameters:

Height

Function	Adjust the height of the selected floor.
Usage	Enter a numeric value to set the desired height.

Extrude/Intrude

Function	Extrude or intrude the entire floor.
Usage	Use the extrude/intrude buttons to modify floor geometry.

Rotation

Function	Rotate the floor around its center.
Usage	Adjust the rotation value. All applied elements update accordingly.

Clone

Function	Duplicate the selected floor.
Usage	Select a floor and press the Clone button to copy it above with all modifications intact.

---

Wall Scope

When selected, parameters in the Wall Scope affect the selected wall.

Parameters:

Extrude/Intrude

Function	Modify the selected wall’s geometry.
Usage	Use the extrude/intrude slider.

---

Side Scope

When selected, parameters in the Side Scope affect the building’s side walls as a whole.

Parameters:

Extrude/Intrude

Function	Modify the entire side of the building.
Usage	Use the extrude/intrude slider.

---

Top Scope

The Top Scope is the most complex, offering extensive functions and parameters. Changes in this scope affect the top part of the building above the last floor.

Parameters:

Margins

Function	Control the extension of the roof sides.
Usage	Adjust the margin value to extend or retract roof edges.

Thickness

Function	Adjust the roof’s thickness.
Usage	Enter a numeric value or use the slider.

Tip Height

Function	Set the maximum height of the roof’s peak.
Usage	Adjust using the slider.

Rotate

Function	Rotate the roof.
Usage	Available only for Shed and Gable roof types.

Roof Types

1. Flat:
   A simple, flat roof covering the building.
2. Pyramid:
   A pyramid-shaped roof. Compatible with multiple building sides.
3. Shed:
   A single-sloped roof. Compatible with multiple building sides.
4. Gable:
   A classic triangular roof with two sloping sides.

---

Special Toggles

Ridge

Function	Adds a ridge to the roof. Not all roof shapes support the Ridge Toggle yet.
Features	Flat Top Toggle: Flattens the ridge based on ridge thickness. Flat top toggleRidge Thickness: Defines the thickness of the flat ridge section on the roof’s shortest side. Slope inclination is determined by the Tip Height value. Ridge toggle

Border

Function	Creates a procedural border mesh around the roof base. Applicable only to Flat roof types.
Controls	Border Width: Adjusts the border’s width, measured from the central point on the XY axis. Border Height: Adjusts the border’s height, measured from the central point on the Z axis. Border In/Out: Moves the border inside or outside the building’s wall limits. Border Lifting: Moves the border up or down.

---

Material and UV

This section is extensively used during building customization, defining the materials applied to the building’s walls and roofs.

Material

A dropdown menu lists available materials. The Material window is sensitive to the selected Scope, adjusting the list of available materials accordingly.

• Behavior:
  • If the Scope is set to building walls, only wall-specific materials appear.
  • If the Scope is set to the roof, only roof-specific materials appear.

UV and Scale

Three parameters are available to adjust the building’s texture mapping:

1. UVu: Moves the UV map along the U-axis.
2. UVv: Moves the UV map along the V-axis.
3. Scale: Adjusts the scale of the UV map based on the selected Scope.

---

Elements toggle

The Elements Toggle is a consistent part of Building Architect’s functionality. Elements refer to all modular building parts that are not procedurally generated but are placed procedurally on the structure.

---

Workflow Example

Scenario:
You have a square building with the default setup: 2 floors, windows on both ground and first floors, and a door on one side of the ground floor. You want to move the door to another side.

Steps:

1. Select Wall Scope
   Navigate to the Wall Scope to modify specific walls.
2. Select the Wall with the Door
   Click on the wall where the door is currently placed.
3. Toggle Door OFF
   Press the Door toggle to remove the door from the active side. This action turns OFF the door on the selected side but keeps it ON for the other three sides.
4. Select the Desired Wall
   Click on the wall where you want to place the door.
5. Toggle Door ON
   Press the Door toggle to add the door to the newly selected wall.

Element selection

All elements applied to the building are selectable. Users need to select the appropriate element(s) to access their corresponding parameters. Below are the available elements and their functions.

---

Window

Once toggled or window meshes are selected, users can access window parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the window module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

Bottom Margin

Function	Adjust the window’s position along the Z-axis, considering the bottom of the window mesh.
Default	1 meter.

Left Margin

Function	Move the starting position of window rows from the left side.
Usage	Adjusting this value can change the number of windows applied to the building walls.

Spacing

Function	Change the distance between windows.
Usage	Adjusting spacing can also affect the number of windows on the walls.

Scale

Function	Modify the scale of the window mesh.
Usage	Adjust using the scale parameter.

Single Element Selection

When in wall Scope the user can cycle through selection of multiple or single window by left click on the window. Like this will be possible to update a single window with another type

---

Door

Once toggled or door meshes are selected, users can access door parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the door module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

Position

Function	Move the door to the next position on the wall and reorder other elements accordingly.
Usage	Adjust using the position parameter.

Bottom Margin

Function	Adjust the door’s position along the Z-axis, considering the bottom of the door mesh.
Usage	Enter a numeric value or adjust using the slider.

---

Balcony

Once toggled or balcony meshes are selected, users can access balcony parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the balcony module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

Bottom Margin

Function	Adjust the balcony’s position along the Z-axis, considering the walking plane of the balcony mesh.
Usage	Enter a numeric value or adjust using the slider.

Scale Width

Function	Scale the width of the balcony.
Usage	Adjust using the scale width parameter.

Balcony Spacing

Function	Define the spacing of balcony meshes.
Parameters	From Left Corner: Sets the starting position of the first mesh from the left side of the wall. Next Spacing (1): Defines the number of empty positions before the next visible mesh. Next Spacing (2): Defines additional empty positions, cycling from the first Next Spacing value.

click to zoom

---

Corner

Once toggled or corner meshes are selected, users can access corner parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the corner module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

---

String Course

Once toggled or string course meshes are selected, users can access string course parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the string course module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

Bottom Margin

Function	Adjust the string course’s position along the Z-axis, considering the bottom of the string course mesh.
Usage	Enter a numeric value or adjust using the slider.

---

Pillar

Once toggled or pillar meshes are selected, users can access pillar parameters.

Mesh

Function	Change the pillar module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

Spacing

Function	Evenly space the pillars starting from the center of the wall.
Usage	Adjust using the spacing parameter.
Match Width Button	Function Lock external pillars to the wall corners. Usage Press the button to enable this feature.

In-Out

Function	Move the pillars group inward or outward.
Usage	Adjust using the In-Out parameter.

Z-Span

Function	Adjust the height of the pillar base to fit the terrain when the Basement toggle is active.
Usage	Enter a numeric value or adjust using the Z-Span parameter.

---

Stair

Once toggled or stair meshes are selected, users can access stair parameters.

Functionality:

• Stair Toggle can only be activated for the ground floor if the Basement toggle is active.

Workflow to Activate Stair Toggle:

1. Go to Building Scope
   Select the Building Scope to modify overall building parameters.
2. Activate Basement Toggle
   Toggle the Basement option to add a basement.
3. Go to Wall Scope (or Floor, if applying stairs to all active doors on the floor)
   Navigate to the appropriate Scope based on where you want the stairs.
4. Select the Door Element
   Click on the door where you want to add stairs.
5. Activate Stair Toggle
   The Stair toggle becomes active. Selecting it will adjust the basement height automatically to accommodate stair height.

Mesh

Function	Change the stair module type.
Usage	Select from a dropdown menu.

---

Troubleshooting & Limitations

1. General Stability
   1. Building Architect is still under development. Various bugs not listed here may arise and will be addressed in future releases.
2. Performance
   1. High-Floor Buildings:
      Creating buildings with more than 7 floors may cause FPS issues on low-spec systems.
   2. Multiple Building Types:
      Working with more than three separate building types simultaneously can trigger FPS instabilities on low-spec systems.
3. Element Placement
   1. Unwanted Holes:
      Some elements may create unintended holes in walls due to procedural calculation inaccuracies. This can sometimes be fixed by re-scaling the elements or changing the mesh type.
4. Complex Building Shapes
   1. Roof Polygon Issues:
      Complex building shapes may cause the roof’s polygon structure to revert or break.
5. Roof System
   1. Limited Options:
      The roof system currently has limited customization options and may not work correctly with different shapes or configurations.

More important points to consider:

---

Testing Phase and Community Feedback

The Building Architect tool is being shared with the community in its current state to gather valuable feedback.

Your experiences and suggestions are crucial for refining and optimizing the tool in future updates.

---

Building Persistence

---

Recommendations for Modders

• Utilize BAT for Prototyping:
  At this stage of the production of Building Architect we suggest the modders to use the tool only to rapidly create building prototypes and explore various architectural designs.
• Export and Optimize:
  If modder wants to further customize the mesh after creating a building the best way is to export it and perform necessary optimizations in an external 3D software.
• Provide Feedback:
  Share your experiences, report bugs, and suggest improvements to help us enhance BAT in future releases.

We appreciate your patience and feedback as we continue to develop and refine the Building Architect tool.