> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.strata.hendersonengineers.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.strata.hendersonengineers.com/workflows/workspace/canvas-view.md). # Canvas view Draw, edit, and organize spaces on a floor plan. The Canvas view is the drawing surface. Draw space boundaries directly on an uploaded floor plan. Tools and actions live in the **action bar** — the floating toolbar at the bottom-center of the workspace. > 📸 **Screenshot — Canvas view with the action bar** The canvas with a floor plan and a few drawn spaces, and the action bar annotated: undo/redo, fit-to-screen, Select, the **Draw** dropdown (Polygon/Rectangle/Plop Fill), the create/group buttons, and (when a space is selected) the **Cutout** dropdown, Duplicate, and Delete. *** ## The action bar The action bar is a floating, pill-shaped toolbar centered at the bottom of the design environment. It's **context-sensitive** — what it shows depends on what's selected. It appears in both Canvas and Data views, across all disciplines, so the same actions are always in the same place. **Always available:** * **Base tools** (whenever a floor plan or model is loaded) — Undo, Redo, Fit to Screen, Select, and the **Draw** dropdown. * **Share Feedback** (bug icon), at the right end. **Changes with your selection:** | Selection | What the action bar offers | | ---------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Nothing selected** | Create buttons for the discipline's hierarchy — e.g. mechanical **Create Zone** / **Create Source**; electrical **Add Branch** / **Add Distribution** / **Add Source**. If any equipment is unplaced, a **Place Equipment** action appears with a count. | | **One item (or a groupable set)** | The create buttons become **Group into …** (e.g. Group into Zone, Group into Branch), bundling the selection into a new parent. A **Duplicate** action (`Ctrl + D`) and **Delete** also appear. A **Clear Selected** pill appears at the left. | | **Mixed / incompatible selection** | Grouping is hidden; the bar falls back to the plain create actions. Duplicate reads **Duplicate Items**. | The **Duplicate** label reflects what's selected — "Duplicate Space(s)", "Duplicate Zone(s)", "Duplicate Branch(es)", and so on. > **Quick create from the tree.** The left-sidebar hierarchy tree also has inline create/group buttons on each row. With exactly one item selected they act as **Create** (spin up the next level up — e.g. a zone from a space); with several selected they act as **Group**. The action bar is hidden while calibrating scale. *** ## Prerequisites A floor plan must be loaded before drawing. See [Floors](/workflows/workspace/floors.md). Without one, the design environment shows the start prompt instead. *** ## Activating Canvas view Select **Canvas** in the view switcher in the top nav bar. The center switches to the drawing surface and the action bar shows the canvas tools. *** ## Drawing tools Tools are in the action bar. **Draw** is a dropdown (Polygon, Rectangle, Plop Fill); **Cutout** appears as a dropdown once a space is selected. | Tool | Shortcut | Description | | ------------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Select | `S` | Select, move, and resize spaces | | Polygon | `P` | Draw a space as a freeform polygon. Click to place vertices; double-click, or press `Enter`, to close. | | Rectangle | `R` | Draw a space as a rectangle. Click and drag. | | Plop Fill | `F` | Flood-fill an enclosed region on the floor plan to create a space boundary | | Cutout Rectangle | `Alt + R` | Subtract a rectangle from the selected space (requires a selected space) | | Cutout Polygon | `Alt + P` | Subtract a polygon from the selected space (requires a selected space) | | Copy Spaces | `Ctrl + C` | Copy the selected space(s) to the clipboard | | Paste | `Ctrl + V` | Paste the copied space(s) onto the current floor and discipline | | Duplicate Selected | `Ctrl + D` | Duplicate the selected space(s) | | Delete | `Delete` | Delete the selected space(s) | While placing a previously-created (unplaced) space, the action bar shows *Drawing geometry for "\[space name]"* so you know which space you're drawing. *** ## Snapping and edge controls While drawing, edges and vertices snap to nearby geometry automatically — including wall edges detected from the floor plan image. | While drawing / editing | Behavior | | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Hold `Alt` | Bypass snapping | | Hold `Shift` | Lock the segment to 90° | | Hold `Shift` while dragging an edge | Parallel edge drag — keeps the edge parallel to itself and locks adjacent edges to their current direction | Existing polygon vertices can be added or removed after a space is drawn. *** ## Selection * Select a single space: click it * Add to / remove from selection: `Ctrl + Click` * Deselect all: `Esc` When spaces, zones, or sources are selected, the right panel shows their details for editing. Selected spaces can be copied and pasted — onto the same floor, another floor, or another discipline. See [Copy and Clone Spaces](/workflows/workspace/copy-and-clone-spaces.md). *** ## Undo / Redo | Action | Shortcut | | ------ | ------------------------- | | Undo | `Ctrl + Z` | | Redo | `Ctrl + Y` (Mac: `⇧ ⌘ Z`) | Also available on the action bar and via hamburger menu (≡) → **Edit**. Note: the undo/redo history is cleared when you switch floors or disciplines. *** ## Zoom and pan | Action | How | | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Zoom In / Out | Zoom controls, or hamburger menu (≡) → **View** → Zoom In / Out | | Fit to Screen | Fit-to-screen button on the action bar, or (≡) → **View** | | Pan | Click and drag on the background | Zooming in is unbounded — keep going and the canvas keeps magnifying, which is useful for placing vertices precisely on a dense plan. Zooming out stops at the point where the whole plan is in view. When a selection is made from outside the visible area (e.g., from the left Layers tree), the canvas automatically pans to bring it into frame. > Canvas scale is imperial only. Metric units are not yet supported. *** ## Scale calibration Area calculations depend on a correct scale. If a floor plan's scale is **Unknown**, Strata prompts you to calibrate before you can draw accurately. You can also recalibrate any time via hamburger menu (≡) → **Edit** → **Calibrate Scale**. The calibration bar has two modes: * **Manual** — click two points on a segment of known length, enter the real distance (ft / in), then select **Calibrate**. The bar guides you: select the first point → select the second point → confirm. * **Preset** — pick a standard architectural scale from the **Current scale** list. > 📸 **Screenshot — Calibration bar (Manual mode)** The calibration bar in Manual mode with a reference line drawn between two points on the floor plan and the distance field ready to enter. Select **Cancel** to exit without saving (unless calibration is required because the scale is Unknown). Floors created from a Revit model are already to scale and are not calibrated. *** ## View options Toggle **Space Labels** and **Equipment Labels** via hamburger menu (≡) → **View**. On-canvas overlays — the zone and source maps for mechanical, and the branch and distribution maps for electrical — are toggled from the overlay views button in the top nav bar. *** ## Deleting spaces Select a space → press `Delete` (or use the toolbar). The space and its geometry are removed. *** ## Related * [Design Environment Overview](/workflows/workspace/workspace-overview.md) * [Floors](/workflows/workspace/floors.md) * [Copy and Clone Spaces](/workflows/workspace/copy-and-clone-spaces.md) * [Mechanical Planning](/workflows/mechanical-planning.md) * [Electrical Planning](/workflows/electrical-planning.md) * [Plumbing Planning](/workflows/plumbing-planning.md) * [Keyboard Shortcuts](/reference/reference/keyboard-shortcuts.md)