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Surroundings ​

Surroundings are imported context mesh objects used to describe nearby buildings and other site context.

TODO screenshot: show one or more surroundings objects in the viewport, with a surroundings object selected in the tree and its daylighting or distancing fields visible in Properties.

Where surroundings appear ​

  • in the left panel under Surroundings,
  • in Properties when a surroundings object is selected,
  • in daylighting workflows when obstruction or sensor behavior matters,
  • and in Urban Massing generation when context distancing is enabled.

Surroundings are separate from the site boundary. The boundary defines the active plot. Surroundings provide context around that plot.

How surroundings are created ​

Surroundings are imported from OBJ geometry through Main menu → Import with Use as → Surroundings.

The import modal also applies:

  • File Units,
  • Up Orientation,
  • and an initial Facade Reflectance value.

Imported surroundings remain separate objects so they can be renamed, hidden, and configured independently.

Surroundings properties ​

When a surroundings object is selected, these properties are available:

Name ​

Display name shown in the tree and in object-specific review.

Object Type ​

Always Surroundings.

Number of Vertices ​

Vertex count of the imported mesh.

Color ​

Display material color used in the viewport.

Add Daylight Sensors ​

Marks the object as a daylight sensor surface.

Daylight Obstruction ​

Makes the object block daylight in daylighting calculations.

Use In Distancing Calculation ​

Includes the object when Urban Massing evaluates context spacing.

Required Minimum Distance ​

Per-object spacing requirement used for distancing against that surroundings object.

Material Reflectance ​

Surface reflectance percentage used in daylighting.

Translation X / Y / Z ​

Moves the imported surroundings mesh in the scene.

Behavior notes ​

Daylighting ​

  • Daylight Obstruction affects whether the object blocks incoming light.
  • Add Daylight Sensors affects whether daylight sensors are placed on that object.
  • Material Reflectance affects the reflectance value used during daylighting evaluation.

Urban Massing ​

  • Use In Distancing Calculation controls whether the object participates in context spacing.
  • Required Minimum Distance adds an object-specific spacing target on top of general generation settings.

Viewport and selection ​

  • Surroundings use solid visibility in the tree.
  • Each object can be selected, renamed, and hidden independently.
  • Translation fields move the stored geometry, not just its display.