Design proposals let you develop and compare several design options inside a single project. Each proposal has its own layers, saved views and area metrics, while shared project settings such as tags and materials stay the same across all of them. Use proposals when you want to test alternative massing, layouts or programs without making copies of the whole project.
Before you start
Design proposals are available on all plans.
Proposals are built on layers. If you haven't used layers before, read Layers: Organize, Hide and Lock Your Model first.
Every project starts with one proposal, Proposal 1. Projects created before proposals existed open with all their content in Proposal 1.
Find the proposal selector
The proposal selector is the Proposal dropdown in the left panel, below the stories and views tree and just above Layers. It shows the name of the active proposal, for example Proposal 1. Everything you draw, edit or analyze in the canvas applies to the active proposal.
Create a blank proposal
Use a blank proposal when you want to start an option from scratch.
Open the Proposal dropdown in the left panel.
Click + New Proposal.
Choose Blank.
A blank proposal doesn't start from any existing proposal. Global project settings (tags, materials, the project library and building configurations) are still available.
Branch from an existing proposal
Use Configure to create a new option based on an existing one and decide, layer by layer, what it inherits.
Open the Proposal dropdown in the left panel.
Click + New Proposal.
Choose Configure.
Choose the existing proposal you want to start from.
For each layer, choose how it carries over:
Shared: both proposals use the same layer. Edits made in either proposal appear in both.
Duplicated: the new proposal gets its own copy of the layer, which you can change separately.
Excluded: the layer is left out of the new proposal.
Confirm to create the proposal.
Saved views, targets and FAR settings are carried over to the new proposal by default.
Tip: Share layers that should stay identical across options, such as the site context or a fixed core, and duplicate the layers you plan to change. This keeps common elements in sync while each option evolves on its own.
Note: Topographies, PDFs, images and CAD underlays can't be duplicated into another proposal.
Share or move a single layer
You can also change how one layer relates to proposals after they are created.
In the Layers section of the left panel, open the action menu for the layer.
Choose whether to share the layer with another proposal or move it to another proposal.
Pick the proposal.
Switch between proposals
Open the Proposal dropdown in the left panel.
Click the proposal you want to work on.
The canvas shows the selected proposal's layers, and the Areas tab in the right panel shows its area analysis (for example, Proposal 1: Area analysis).
What belongs to each proposal
Per proposal | Shared across the whole project |
Layers (unless shared) | Tags |
Saved views | Materials |
Program data sheet | Project library |
Site analysis sheet | Building configurations |
Area metrics in the Areas tab |
Because area metrics are tracked per proposal, you can switch proposals and read each option's areas in the Areas tab to compare them against the program.
Use Program Mode agents with proposals
Most agents in the Program Mode agent dropdown, such as Interpret, Analyze Site and Generate, work on the active proposal. Research and Query (Enterprise only) don't depend on which proposal is active. Switch to the right proposal before you run an agent that changes the program or design.
Present proposals
Present Mode has its own proposal selector, so you can choose which option's views to place on a sheet.
Switch to Present Mode.
Use the proposal selector to choose a proposal.
Place views as usual.
Placed views are prefixed with the proposal name, so you can tell options apart on the same sheet. Auto-generated diagrams are created separately for each proposal.
Limitations
Topographies, PDFs, images and CAD underlays can't be duplicated across proposals.
Related articles
Layers: Organize, Hide and Lock Your Model
The Area Panel: Net, Gross, FAR and Targets
AI Agents in Program Mode
Creating Sheets in Present Mode
Snaptrude Plans: Free, Starter, Pro, Organization and Enterprise