DOCS / REFERENCE
Menus
On a Mac, use ⌘ where this page shows Ctrl. For all the keys, see Keyboard shortcuts.
File menu#
| Item | Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
| New ▸ Furniture design… | Starts a new furniture project. | |
| New ▸ Room… | Starts a new room project. | |
| New ▸ House / building… | Starts a new project with levels and rooms. | |
| Open recent | Lists your recent saved projects. Select one to open it. | |
| All projects… | Opens the list of all your projects and unsaved drafts. | |
| Open file… | Opens a .kerf file as a project. | |
| Insert from file… | Adds a .kerf file or another model to the open project. | |
| Save | Ctrl+S | Saves the project. If the project is a draft, the item is Save… and asks for a name first. |
| Save as… | Ctrl+Shift+S | Saves a copy of the project with a new name. |
| Download .kerf… | Saved projects only. Saves the project and downloads it as a .kerf file. You can include the assistant conversation. | |
| Materials… | Opens the timber and sheet catalogue for the project region: search, custom profiles and sheets, measured sections and trade-name preferences. | |
| Props… | Opens your 3D props. You can make a prop from photos or a description, and place it in a project. | |
| Import / Export… | Opens the Import / Export dialog. | |
| Sample projects | Lists the sample projects. Select one to open it. |
The Save and Download .kerf… dialogs have two options. Also download a .kerf file downloads the project as a file. Include the assistant conversation in the file adds the conversation with the assistant to that file.
Project actions in All projects#
In File ▸ All projects…, the More actions button of a project opens this menu.
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Duplicate | Makes a copy of the project. |
| Export .kerf… | Downloads the project as a .kerf file. |
| Delete… | Deletes the project permanently, after you confirm it. You cannot undo this. |
Toolbar buttons#
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Library… | Opens the model library. You can save designs and components, and place them in other projects. |
| Drawings… | Opens the architectural drawing sheets: plans, elevations, sections and schedules. You can export them as PDF or DXF. Only room and house projects have this button. |
Right-click menu#
Right-click a component in the 3D view or the hierarchy. In the hierarchy, you can also press Shift+F10 or the menu key. The menu acts on the selection. If the component is not in the selection, it becomes the selection.
| Item | Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Rename… | Gives the item a new name. Select one item only. | |
| Duplicate | Ctrl+D | Makes a copy beside the selection. |
| Delete | Del | Deletes the selection. |
| Hide or Show | Hides the selection, or shows it again. | |
| Lock or Unlock | Locks or unlocks the selection. | |
| Use as the assistant's boundary | Envelopes only. What the assistant builds must stay inside the boundary envelopes on their level. | |
| Group selection | Ctrl+G | Puts the selection together in a group. Copies are independent. |
| Ungroup | Ctrl+Shift+G | Groups only. Moves the contents up one level and removes the group. |
| Move to | Moves the selection into an assembly, or to Top level. | |
| Make component | Makes a reusable component. Its copies stay the same: when you edit one, they all change. | |
| Explode component | Copies of a component only. Makes the copy into ordinary parts again. | |
| Material | Parts only. Sets the material of the selected parts. | |
| Add joint… | Two parts only. Opens a form to add a housing, dominoes or dowels where the two parts touch. | |
| Scribe to wall… | Parts that can be scribed only. Goes to Scribe in the properties, where you select the edges that touch an uneven wall. | |
| Place against wall… | One top-level item, in a project with a room. Opens a form to turn the item so its back faces a wall, at a gap from it. | |
| Check collisions… | One top-level item, in a project with a room. Opens a form that lists clashes with walls, the ceiling, other furniture, door swings, drawers and windows. | |
| Export selection… | Saves the selection as .kerf, .glb, .step or .ifc. | |
| Focus in view | Moves the view to the selection. | |
| Select contents | Assemblies only. Selects the items inside the assembly. | |
| Ask the assistant about this | Adds the selection to your next message to the assistant. |
If a selected item is locked, the items that change it are not available. Their tooltip gives the reason.
Properties panel forms#
These buttons in the Properties panel open a form. Fill in the fields, then click the button at the bottom of the form.
| Button | Row | Shows for | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit to envelope… or Fit again… | Envelope | A carcass | Sizes the carcass to an envelope, less the clearances, with scribe fillers if you want them. |
| Refit | Envelope | A fitted carcass | Sizes the carcass to its envelope again after the envelope changed. |
| Skirting…, Cornice… | Mouldings | A room | Adds skirting or cornice round the room, mitred at the corners. |
| Architrave… | Mouldings | A door or window opening | Adds architrave round the opening, on the room side. |
| Along a line… | Moulding | Nothing selected | Adds a moulding along the points that you type. |
| Remove a joint… | Joints | A part with a joint | Removes the joint that you select from both parts. |
| Door or window… | Openings | A wall | Adds a door, window or doorway to the wall. |
| Size and swing… | Opening | A door or window opening | Changes the kind, the size, the position, the hinge side and the swing. |
| Add roof… | Roof | Nothing selected, in a room or house project | Adds a roof on the external walls of a level. |
| Edit roof… | Roof | A roof | Changes the shape, the pitch, the overhang, the thickness, the ridge direction and the ceilings. |
| + | Finish and the other finish rows | An item with a finish | Makes a finish in a colour that you choose, saves it in the project and applies it. |
To start a carcass, a stud frame or joists, click Library…, then a button under Built from parameters.
View menus#
These menus are in the buttons on the 3D view.
| Menu | Item | Action |
|---|---|---|
| View ▾ | front, back, left, right, top | Looks at the model from that side. |
| View ▾ | iso (angled) | Looks at the model from an angle. |
| ⋯ | Focal point (Shift+F) | Click a point on the model. The view then turns and zooms about that point, and cuts away walls in the way. |
| ⋯ | Shadows | Shows or hides shadows. |
| ⋯ | Clearances | Shows the gaps from the selection to nearby walls and furniture. |
| ⋯ | Perspective / flat | Changes between a perspective view and a flat view, where parallel lines stay parallel. |
Account menu#
The account menu is the button with your email address, at the right of the toolbar.
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Your email address | Shows the account that you use. |
| Balance | Shows your credit. |
| Billing and top-ups… | Opens billing, where you can add credit. See Pricing. |
| Report a problem… | Opens the dialog that sends us a problem report. See Report a problem. |
| Switch account | Signs in with a different Google account. |
| Sign out | Signs you out. |
| Terms | Opens the Terms in a new tab. |
| Privacy | Opens the Privacy Policy in a new tab. |