Introduction to HighDesign

About HighDesign

HighDesign is a design and documentation tool for architects and design professionals working in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. With a modern, intuitive interface and powerful drafting and design functions HighDesign combines computer-aided-design (CAD) features with advanced building-oriented tools. 

The wide range of drafting, design and documentation functions and the sophisticated features of project organization allow the rapid production of concepts, drafts and designs. 

A project in HighDesign is a complete presentation of drawings, views, details, information, images and layouts that will assist the user in the design workflow from the conceptual to the design and production phases.

Fundamentals

A project in HighDesign is a set of drawings, symbols, views, details and documentation elements such as annotations, tags, dimensions and non graphic information. It is very important that all these items are organized in categories with a defined hierarchy.

The objects of the project are logically grouped through Layers and organized as separate drawings contained in Project Sheets. Project Sheets have their own drawing scale and units.

Project Elements and Object Hierarchy

Each item of the project has its hierarchy which allows to easily structure and organize the different parts of the drawings. Therefore we have generic and specific objects of the project.

The hierarchy of the items of the project classifies them as:

• Objects - any item of the project. It can be a line, a text, a wall, an image a title block, etc.
• Graphic Objects - 2D drafting objects and shapes such as lines, polygons, circles, curves.
• Elements - graphic objects with advanced settings (hatches, symbols, texts, annotations, dimensions).
• Building Elements - parametric components of the building such as walls, columns, doors, windows.

Objects, Graphic Objects, Elements and Building Elements are organized in Classes, usually corresponding to the tool options used to draw them: Line, Arc, Wall, Door are different classes of objects.

Classes of objects can have sub-categories called Families: e.g. swinging door and sliding door are different families of the door class.

The objects of the project can have abstract definitions of their parameters: Basic Styles, Graphic Styles (for the elements of the project) and Building Element Types (for the building elements).