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Overlaying plans and models


Advantage of overlaying plans and models

By overlaying PDF plans with the model, information can be integrated that is either only available in the plan or would involve a great deal of effort to model in the 3D model. This includes, for example, labels, symbols, details or spatial information that is missing from the model. In this way, additional content is added to the model, which increases the information content and improves clarity.


The overlay of plans and models is currently still being introduced on buildagil and is only available in the preview version. As this is a development status, there may still be changes until the general release.



Adding a PDF plan in the model viewer

A PDF plan can be added to the model in the model viewer. Once added, the plan is processed by the system. Only PDF files are supported for overlaying plans.


Only the first page of the PDF is processed. For multi-page plans, the pages must be uploaded separately.



During processing, the model can be saved as a model compilation. For more information on creating model compilations, please refer to the following article: Creating model compilations.



As soon as processing is completed, a notification is displayed in the Reporting center.



Positioning a PDF plan

After processing, it is displayed in the model compilation that the plan has not yet been positioned. Positioning can be started via the plan options and the plan can be renamed, opened or removed from the model compilation.



The scale is defined at the start of positioning. The starting point can then be determined in the model. This can be set at any point and aligns the plan with the selected surface on which the starting point is set. To make positioning easier, the model can be cut to the desired position or certain elements can be hidden. If defined in the model, floor plan views can also be used.


In order for the overlay to be displayed correctly, the plan must be at the correct scale.



In the next step, the plan is roughly aligned in the model. It can be moved horizontally and vertically and rotated. The arrow keys are available for fine alignment. The plan can be rotated using "Shift + arrow keys".



Saving the position and scaling

The position and scaling of a plan are saved project-wide. This means that once a plan has been positioned, it automatically appears in the same position and with the same scaling when it is used in another model compilation of the same project. This means that the same plan can be reused in other model compilations of the same project.


The positioning and scaling is only applied to new plan versions. If a plan is downloaded and uploaded again, this information is lost.


Changes to the position of a plan affect all model combinations in which this plan is used. The positioning can be reopened and adjusted at any time using the options. You can also change the scale or set a new starting point. The positioning can be canceled or saved at any time.



Editing and display options for PDF plans in models

PDF plans that have been added to a model compilation can be filtered, searched and colored in the model viewer, analogous to the models. Further information on filtering & searching models can be found in the following article: Filter & search models.


The display of the plan can be adjusted using the options in the viewer: If "Ignore cuts" is activated, only the model, but not the plan, is cut. If the setting is deactivated, the plan is also cut. The "Background transparency" setting can be used to change the transparency of the plan. This setting is only saved when a view is created. You can find more information on creating model views in the following article: Creating model views.



Effects of changes to the PDF

Comments and drawings added to the PDF plan via online editing or in the local PDF program are transferred to the plan and also displayed in the model viewer. After changes have been made to the PDF, the system processes them again. During this time, the plan cannot be displayed in the model. Further information on editing PDF documents can be found in the following articles: Online editing of PDF documents, Editing PDF documents with local programs.


Updated on: 31/10/2025