Site Boundary
Click each corner of the plot and it is the site: its area and perimeter, its true north and datum, the setback a building must keep and the height it may reach, and a sun study across it on any day of the year.
Every property, and what it does
Open the site panel and these are its rows: the plot, the sun, the levels and the brush.
Plot
The plot and the rules it is measured to.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary, Area, Perimeter | The plot's outline and what it measures. | Read from the plan |
| True north | Which way north is, for the sun and the compass. | Degrees |
| Street side | Which edge of the drawing the road runs along. Work it out decides from a road if one is drawn, and from the front door if not. | Work it out, Bottom, Top, Right, Left of the plan |
| Datum level | The level the site's heights are measured from. | Metres |
| Setback | How far a building must stand back from the boundary. Zero states none. | Metres |
| Height limit | The tallest a building may be, above the datum. Zero states none. | Metres |
| Standards | Which rule book the site is measured to: bay sizes, aisle widths, setbacks. | International, United States |
Sun
Where the sun is, and where the shade falls.
| Field | What it does | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Latitude, Longitude | Where the site is, for the sun's path. | Degrees |
| Study day | The day of the year the sun is studied on. | Month and day |
| Paint it on the ground | A grid of samples across the plot: where the sun is, not just how much. | On or off |
| Shadows on the plan | Shadows drawn at one hour of the study day, in the 2D view. | On or off, and the hour |
| Sun at the middle, Daylight that day, Lost to shade | What the study reads for the middle of the plot. | Read from the sun |
How the Site boundary tool works
Open Site boundary
In the editor, open Site and choose Site boundary, or type SITEBOUNDARY (SITE).
Click each corner
Click each corner of the plot and press Enter to close it. There is one per project; drawing again replaces it.
Set its rules
Set true north, the datum, the setback and the height limit the building is checked against.
Study the sun
Set where the site is and the day, and paint the sun on the ground or draw shadows on the plan.
Site questions, answered.
How many site boundaries can a project have?
One. Drawing a new one replaces the old.
What are setbacks for?
A massing block or a building is checked against them: the panel says whether it stays inside the buildable area.
Can I see where the sun falls?
Yes. Set the latitude, longitude and study day, then paint sun hours on the ground or draw shadows on the plan at any hour.
Read on
- Site plan docs: Plot boundary, levels, terraces and retaining walls.
- Ground Levels: Spot levels, contours and breaklines.
- Massing: Test a building against the plot.