Building Templates Coming
ComingThis feature is designed but not in DimSum yet. This page describes how it will work.
Reusable project skeletons (levels with elevations, sides, the Details folder name, default packs, custom project fields, default reports and settings) so every new project starts set up the way you work.
Overview
A Building Template (also called a Project Template) is the starting structure of a project. Instead of typing "Basement 0', Main Level 10', Second Level 19', Roof 28'" and loading the same packs on every job, you pick "2 Story w/ Basement" and it's done.
It holds:
- Plan Levels with elevations, plate heights, label prefixes and display order, edited in the Level Editor
- the Details Section name
- the building Sides (elevation faces)
- default Tool Packs to load
- custom project properties (Lot #, Subdivision, Truss Manufacturer…)
- default Report Template(s)
- default settings overrides (units, list defaults…)
Level names are always yours: one company says "Main Level", another says "First Floor". Nothing in DimSum depends on a level's name.
Building Templates are saved and shared as .bsum files. DimSum offers starter templates "Single Story", "2 Story" and "2 Story w/ Basement" during First-Run Setup.
Where to find it
- Tool Designer → Building Templates tab.
- Used in the New Project Process, step 2 (Choose Building Template).
- Libraries managed in Settings → Tools (Library files).
How to use it
Create "2 Story w/ Basement"
- Open the Tool Designer → Building Templates.
- Open or create a
.bsumlibrary (File → New / Open). - Click New Building Template and name it "2 Story w/ Basement".
- Plan Levels. Add four levels, lowest first, in the Level Editor (below): | Order | Name | Elevation | Plate Height | Label Prefix | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Basement | 0' | 8' 1 1/8" | B | | 2 | Main Level | 8' | 9' 1 1/8" | M | | 3 | Second Level | 18' 0 5/8" | 9' 1 1/8" | S | | 4 | Roof | 27' 11 3/4" | | R | (Illustrative numbers: 8' foundation, an 11 1/2" floor system and a 9' 1 1/8" wall give the second level at 18' 0 5/8". Every value is editable.)
- Display Order. Levels are listed lowest first by default (Basement → Main → Second → Roof), matching the bottom-up way you take off a building. Drag to change it.
- Optionally give each level a color tag and a level height.
- Details Section name. Keep "Details" or rename it (e.g. "Sheets & Specs").
- Sides. Name the sides the way you do on plans, e.g. Front Elevation, Rear Elevation, Side Elevation (Right), Side Elevation (Left), and change the count if needed.
- Default Tool Packs. Add "Framing Pack" and "Roofing Pack".
- Custom Project Properties. Add "Lot #" (Text), "Subdivision" (Text), "Truss Manufacturer" (Dropdown).
- Default Report Template(s). Pick e.g. "Material List" and "Takeoff Summary by Level".
- Default settings overrides. e.g. a different default row in the Waste % list for this building type.
- Save.
Use the Level Editor
Levels aren't a plain table: they're edited in a BIM Forge-style stack editor, a live section view of the building.
- Open Level Editor (in the Building Template, and in any project from the Project Tree or Project → Levels).
- The building is drawn as a vertical stack, lowest level at the bottom, dimensioned like a wall section.
- For each level you can type or drag:
- its elevation,
- its plate height,
- its floor-system thickness (sill plate + joists + subfloor),
- the gap to the next level.
- Everything above a value you change moves with it, so raising the foundation lifts the whole stack, and the dimensions redraw as you drag.
- Every value stays editable per project and per instance. The template is a starting point, not a rule.
Put one page on more than one level
A page can serve several levels — "Use this page on another level" duplicates it:
- Right-click the page in the Project Tree → Use this page on another level.
- Pick the level (e.g. put the foundation plan on both "Footing" and "Basement").
- You get a second page that shares the same source sheet but has its own takeoffs, its own scale and its own alignment.
That way you can take off footings on one copy and basement walls on the other, without the two sets of tools getting in each other's way.
Edit or duplicate a Building Template
- Select it in the Building Templates tab.
- Edit fields directly, or Save As to create a variant (e.g. "2 Story w/ Walkout Basement").
- Save. Existing projects made from it don't change.
Share Building Templates
- Save the
.bsumlibrary. - Send the file. Recipients import it in Settings → Tools (Library files).
Options & settings
Plan Level fields
| Field | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The level's name in the tree, formulas ({Level > Name}) and reports. Always user-defined. | Main Level / First Floor |
| Elevation | Height above the project datum (0). See "What a level's elevation means" below. Drives each tool's default Base Elevation and 3D stacking. | 10' |
| Level height (optional) | The level's height | 9' |
| Plate Height | Default top-of-wall plate height for the level; used by wall height and eave elevation defaults ({Level > Plate Height}). Individual walls can override it (e.g. a 12' great room). | 8' 1 1/8" |
| Label Prefix | Optional prefix for marks, e.g. M → M-B1 ({Level > Label Prefix}). Not used in default labels. | M |
| Display Order | Position in the Project Tree (drag to reorder) | Default: lowest level first |
| Color tag | A color to tell levels apart in the tree |
What a level's elevation means
- Elevations start at 0 (the project datum).
- A level's elevation is the top of its supporting structure. For the first floor over a foundation, that's the top of the foundation wall (the concrete height).
- The floor system (sill plate, joists, subfloor) sits on top of that elevation, and walls start on top of the subfloor.
- This is the base model, not a rule: the Level Editor exposes every part of it (elevation, plate height, floor-system thickness, gap to the next level) and every value stays editable per project and per instance.
Worked example:
| Level | Elevation | What sits on it |
|---|---|---|
| Basement | 0' (top of basement slab) | Basement walls start at 0' |
| Main Level | 8' (top of foundation wall) | Sill plate 1 1/2" + 2x10 joists 9 1/4" + 3/4" subfloor = 11 1/2" floor system → main walls start at 8' 11 1/2" |
| Second Level | 18' 0 5/8" (top of the main-level wall plates) | Second floor system on top, then second-floor walls |
Level Editor fields
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Elevation | Top of the supporting structure for that level; drag in the section view or type it |
| Plate Height | Default top-of-wall height for the level ({Level > Plate Height}) |
| Floor-system thickness | Sill plate + joists + subfloor that sits on the elevation; walls start above it |
| Gap to the next level | The distance to the level above, which the editor keeps consistent with the elevations |
| Everything else | Name, label prefix, display order, color tag — as in the table above |
Template-level fields
| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Details Section name | Name of the folder for pages not assigned to a level (details, sections, schedules, specs) | "Details" |
| Sides | Default side names and count | 4 sides: Front Elevation, Rear Elevation, and two Side Elevations (Right / Left) |
| Default Tool Packs | Packs loaded automatically into new projects | None |
| Custom Project Properties | Extra project fields, shown in New Project step 1 and usable as {Job > …} | None |
| Default Report Template(s) | Reports offered by default for projects of this type | None |
| Default settings overrides | Units, list default rows (e.g. Waste %), etc. for projects of this type | None |
Examples
| Template | Levels (Elevation), lowest first | Other contents |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Story w/ Basement (plan example) | Basement (0'), Main Level (8'), Second Level (18' 0 5/8"), Roof (27' 11 3/4") | Details, 4 Sides, Framing + Roofing packs, an example framing library |
| Single Story (starter) (contents assumed — confirm) | Main Level (0'), Roof | Details, 4 Sides |
| Low-voltage tenant fit-out (illustrative) | Level 1 (0'), Level 2 (14') | "Sheets & Specs", no sides, "Low Voltage Pack", project property "Rack Location" |
| Hotel / apartment block (illustrative) | Foundation (0'), First Floor, Second Floor, Third Floor, Roof | Details, 4 Sides, Framing pack, project properties "Building #", "Unit Type" |
What you get in the tree for "2 Story w/ Basement" (default order):
▾ Basement (Elev 0')
▾ Main Level (Elev 8')
▾ Second Level (Elev 18' 0 5/8")
▾ Roof (Elev 27' 11 3/4")
▾ Details
▾ Sides (4)A new project opens on the first (lowest) level, Basement.
Garages, porches, split levels, stepped foundations aren't separate levels by default: they're tools on the main level with an elevation offset (e.g. garage slab at −1' 4"). Add a level if you prefer.
Tips & shortcuts
- Set elevations the way you think about the building: 0 at the datum, each floor level at the top of what supports it.
- Use Label Prefix if you tag beams or headers by level (
M-B1,S-B1). - Keep one Building Template per common house type or job type; small differences are quicker to fix in step 3 of the New Project Process than in a new template.
Rules, limits & edge cases
- Elevations are measured from one datum per project.
- Level order and elevation are independent: you can drag a level anywhere in the tree regardless of elevation.
- A Building Template doesn't contain pages or plans; those are added per project.
- A level can hold many pages (e.g. a foundation plan and a basement finish plan on the Basement level).
- One sheet can serve several levels, but only as duplicated pages — the same page object is never shared between two levels, so each copy's takeoffs stay separate.
- "Blank" is always available in the New Project Process instead of a Building Template.
