Welcome to our comprehensive guide on drawing external walls in cadvilla. First of all, this specific tutorial explains how to effectively use the “Polygonal with numerical input” function to enter your floor plan outline. Furthermore, you will accurately learn how to define wall thicknesses, assign reference points, and automatically transfer properties to other building elements. Consequently, this step-by-step workflow guarantees highly precise CAD models. Finally, implementing these numerical tools will drastically improve your overall drawing speed.

Note: Starting with version 10, the “Polygonal with numerical input” function was removed from the standard menu, as the newly optimized numeric polygonal input is often much more comfortable. However, you can still easily reactivate this specific function by adjusting its visibility directly in your software settings.

Recommendation: Please note that, essentially, inputting with the support of guidelines remains our explicitly recommended input method for truly dimension-accurate drawings. Therefore, a corresponding video tutorial titled “Outline input via guidelines” is readily available.

The following tutorial precisely demonstrates the outline input using the example of a model home and its dedicated input wizard.

1. Selection of the Function and Wall Thickness

[01:23] Selecting the Function

• To start, we need to create external walls with a dedicated thickness of 30 centimeters.
• Therefore, navigate to the top menu and accurately select Building > Walls > External Wall > Polygonal with numerical input.
• However, before you place your very first point, you must define the essential properties of this wall.

[01:52] Defining the Wall Thickness

• In the 2D view, simply click the right mouse button and select Properties.
• As a result, the Properties 'Walls' dialog opens. Here, you adjust the Thickness exactly to 0.30 m.
• Once you are finished, confirm your entry by clicking OK.

2. Schematic Entering of the Outline

[02:37] Sketching the Rough Shape

• During this initial step, the outline only needs to be drawn roughly (schematically) via mouse clicks. The exact measurements are completely irrelevant for now because they will be defined numerically later.
• Important Tip: By pressing and holding the CTRL key during your input, you activate the angular grid. Consequently, this forces the lines into predefined angles (e.g., 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 90°). Thus, it becomes incredibly easy to draw lines 100% vertically or horizontally.
• Trace the general L-shape of the building by sequentially placing your corner points.

[03:42] Finishing the Schematic Input

• As soon as the rough shape of your building is successfully sketched, you must finish the drawing mode.
• To achieve this, simply press the right mouse button and select Cancel from the context menu (alternatively, you can just press the ESC key).

3. Numerical Definition of the Wall Segments

[03:51] The “Tool options” Window

• Right after canceling the schematic input, the Tool options window automatically appears for your numerical post-editing. This window can also be hidden or activated by pressing the W key or the Space key.
• The currently selected wall segment is prominently marked by a red line inside your floor plan.

[05:00] Defining Length, Angle, and Reference Point

• In this specific dialog, you can exactly define every single wall of the recently drawn polygon:
• First, look at the Relating to section. Here, you define to which specific part of the wall the measurements apply (e.g., Wall axis, Left wall area, or Right wall area). The dynamic red marking jumps accordingly.
• Next, type the exact length (e.g., 13.00 m) and the angle (e.g., 0.00 degrees) into the respective input fields.
• Afterward, click on the edit next wall button to apply the values and immediately jump to the subsequent wall segment. (You can also use the edit previous wall button if needed).
• Repeat this exact process for all remaining walls of the floor plan (e.g., entering 5.50 m at 90.00 degrees, or 8.30 m at 180.00 degrees).

[06:23] Closing the Wall Contour

• Once all walls are correctly defined, click on Close wall contour to securely complete the shape.
• Finally, click on Complete to finish the wizard. Consequently, the software recalculates and perfectly generates the floor plan based on your definitive numerical inputs.
• (Note: At [07:29], the video provides a brief textual summary of all the previously performed steps.)

4. Displaying the Floor Area

[08:49] Preparing the View

• First, exit the wall input mode entirely by pressing ESC two or three times.
• Then, to ensure the whole project is visible, select View > Show all (or press the Home key).

[10:01] Showing Floor Area (Square Meters)

• To visibly display the calculated square meter area directly in the plan:
• Select the room with a left-mouse click (the room turns red).
• Open the context menu with the right mouse button and select Properties.
• Navigate directly to the Labeling tab.
• Check the checkbox explicitly located next to Floor area. In the text field right beside it, you can enter a prefix, for example, “FA”.
• Confirm with OK. As a result, the floor area is perfectly displayed (e.g., FA 143.99 m²).

5. Adjusting Material and Transferring Properties

[10:47] Changing the Wall Representation (Fill Style)

• Suppose you want to change the visual cross-hatching to a solid filled color:
• First, select the target wall, click the right mouse button, and choose Properties.
• In the properties dialog, go exactly to Layer construction and precisely click on Material.
• Inside the Building materials window, navigate to 2D Display. Here, change the Fill color (e.g., to Silver) and confirm three times with OK.

[12:03] Transferring Properties to Other Walls

• To highly efficiently transfer this new silver fill style to all other external walls:
• First, select the previously modified silver wall.
• Press the right mouse button and select Transfer properties.
• In the upcoming window, forcefully deselect General. Ensure that exclusively Layer construction remains selected, and click Next.
• In the target selection dialog, verify that On current layer and External walls are firmly selected.
• Finally, click Finish. Automatically, the software transfers the new silver properties to all remaining external walls in the project. Press ESC to finish.