Wall materials & layers
Build walls from layered material stacks — the catalogue, presets, the layer editor, and the rules.
Every wall is built from an ordered stack of material layers, from its outside face to its inside face. The wall’s thickness is the sum of those layers, and the stack is the foundation for thickness, and future acoustic, thermal and RF behaviour.
The model
- A wall’s thickness = the sum of its layer thicknesses. There is no separate thickness field.
- A wall with no stack data falls back to the default stack: plasterboard 12.5 mm · timber stud 75 mm · plasterboard 12.5 mm = 100 mm.
- Layers are ordered outside → inside, with clear markers in the editor so you always know which face is which.
The material catalogue
The layer catalogue holds 47 material types spanning these categories:
- Masonry
- Cavity
- Insulation
- Structure
- Service zones
- Linings
- Finishes
- Membranes
The layer picker groups types by category. Choosing a type sets the layer’s material; you set its thickness separately.
Presets
Presets let you apply a whole assembly in one tap. They’re grouped by face:
- Outside-face envelope assemblies (external wall build-ups).
- Inside-face partitions (internal wall build-ups).
Applying a preset replaces the entire stack. It’s the fastest way to start, after which you can fine-tune individual layers.
The layer editor
Open a wall’s layer editor (Wall Edit Sheet) to build its stack. The editor shows:
- A Preset launcher (apply a whole assembly).
- The total thickness (updates live as you edit).
- An Outside marker.
- The layer list — each row shows the layer’s name and thickness, with up/down nudge, delete, and drag-to-reorder.
- An Inside marker.
- An Add layer button (appends at the chosen face).
Tap a layer row to edit its type and thickness on a detail screen.
The rules
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum layers per wall | 1 (the Delete button is disabled at one layer) |
| Minimum layer thickness | 20 mm (0.02 m) |
| Layer thickness slider range | 0.02 m – 0.50 m |
Editing the stack updates the wall’s drawn thickness immediately, and on linked walls the stack is mirrored to every partner so a shared wall stays consistent in both rooms (see Multi-room & floors). Wall-mounted lights and radiators shift to stay flush with the new inner face automatically.
What layers are used for
- Today: the rendered wall thickness, and accurate openings, measurements and the 3-D model.
- By design: the layer data is the contract for richer analysis — material-aware WiFi attenuation, U-values and heat-loss, and acoustic ratings.