Masses are free-form solid objects for the parts of a building that aren't walls, slabs, roofs or spaces: sunshades and fins on a facade, a pergola over a terrace, a built-in reception desk, or any other custom element. You draw a mass like any other object, give it a mass type so it is categorised correctly, and then shape it with the standard editing tools.

Before you start

Mass types are part of BIM Mode, which is available on Pro, Organization and Enterprise plans. Free and Starter plans don't include BIM Mode.

Choose a mass type

Every mass has one of four types. The type describes what the mass represents, so masses stay organised by purpose.

Mass type	Use it for
Facade Element	Sunshades, fins, projections, cladding features and other elements that shape the building's facade.
Furniture	Custom, in-place furniture such as built-in counters, benches or reception desks that you model to fit the design.
Pergola	Pergolas, trellises and other open shading structures.
Generic	Anything that doesn't fit the other categories. You can give generic masses their own labels.

Note: Parking objects are created as the Furniture mass type. Their stalls therefore don't show labels in Present Mode. When you copy or array a parking object, the parking object is kept and its stalls are copied with it, and stall materials are preserved.

Draw a mass

Pick a drawing tool from the top toolbar, such as Line (L) or Arc (A).
In the drawing options, set the object type to Mass.
Choose the mass type: Facade Element, Furniture, Pergola or Generic.
Draw the footprint or profile of the mass on the canvas and close the shape.

Tip: You can change the object type or mass type between shapes without leaving the drawing tool. When you finish drawing a mass, the right panel stays where it is instead of switching to the Areas tab.

Shape and edit a mass

Once a mass exists, edit it with the same tools you use on other objects:

Push-Pull: drag a face to extrude or cut back the mass. Use it to set the depth of a sunshade or the height of a pergola post.
Edit (P): move vertices and edges to reshape the profile.
Offset (F): click an edge of the mass, then move the cursor or type a distance to offset it.
Align and Replace with: both work on masses, so you can line masses up with other objects or replace selected masses.
Move (M) and Copy/Array (C): repeat elements such as facade fins or pergola rafters along a facade.

Change a mass's size

Masses don't have a Thickness field in the Properties panel. To make a mass thicker or thinner, use Push-Pull on the relevant face, or edit its vertices and edges directly.

Combine or cut masses with Boolean operations

Boolean operations work on BIM mass types and are available from the Right-click menu.

Select the masses you want to combine or cut. As with Boolean operations on spaces, selection order matters: the first object you select is the target.
Right-click and choose the Boolean operation you need.

Tip: Select objects one at a time rather than with a marquee or Ctrl + A (Cmd + A), so you control which object is the target.

Tips

Pick the most specific mass type you can. A sunshade typed as Facade Element is easier to identify than one left as Generic.
In Present Mode, plan views have a Facade/Mass category in View Settings, where you can set line color, weight, type and fill for masses.
Use masses for one-off, in-place elements. For furniture or components you will reuse across projects, use Families / Parametric Components instead.

Push-Pull and Edit tools
Boolean Operations
Families and Parametric Components
View Settings in Present Mode
Managing Licenses and Billing

Mass Objects (Facade Elements, Pergolas, In-Place Furniture)