How it is structured
The ribbon runs across the top of the main window. It works on three levels: tabs organise commands by topic, groups subdivide a tab into related blocks of commands, and the individual items — buttons, check boxes and fields — trigger the actual action.
At the top left sits the Menu button. It bundles all file operations (New, Open, Recent files, Save, Print, Email) and opens the program Options dialog. The order of the tabs follows the workflow: from setting up the project, through laying out sheets and views, to dimensioning, visualization and CAD/BIM output.
Some items and whole tabs appear only when they are relevant to the current context — for example depending on the loaded sheet or the selected object. For quick orientation, use the inline help: select any ribbon item and press F1 to open the matching help topic.
Standard group
Contains the Start Page button - which reopens the start screen, the Design Mode and the Sloppy Mode. The last both manage the preview mode in Liftdesigner.
Design Mode
Shows all hidden elements on the view frames, like dimension chains and components.Sloppy Mode
Deactivate the calculation rules of all other elements in the project, except from the active view frame. This mode shuld be used for big projects with many rules.
Start tab
Day-to-day file handling and view control — the tab you return to between tasks.
File operations — Open, Save and the other everyday file commands.
View commands — zoom, display colour settings and global dimension settings.
Display windows — show and hide the main docking windows.
Project tab
Main project configuration and the engineering checks run against it.
Main project configuration — the central project settings.
Group elevator and cabin operations — managing the elevators in a group, shaft materials, floor levels and types. With the cabin configurator, set up the desired cabin design.
Object selection options — controls for selecting objects in the project.
Sheet tab
Defines what each view frame on a sheet shows and how it is presented.
View frame operations — add and remove view frames, manage annotations and view frame overwrites.
View frame views — the available default frame views: plan, vertical sections, machine room (MR), sheaves, wall opening, and others.
View frame direction — controls the visibility orientation and rotation os the view.
View frame visibility — controls the component groups and banks visibility on the view.
Object selection operations — selection commands scoped to the view frame.
View Frame tab
Defines what each view frame on a sheet shows and how it is presented.
View frame operations — add and remove view frames, manage annotations and view frame overwrites.
View frame views — the available default frame views: plan, vertical sections, machine room (MR), sheaves, wall opening, and others.
View frame direction — controls the visibility orientation and rotation os the view.
View frame visibility — controls the component groups and banks visibility on the view.
Object selection operations — selection commands scoped to the view frame.
Dimension tab
Adding and managing the dimensions on the drawing.
Dimensions — activate default dimensions, including automated component dimensions.
Dimension settings — configure dimension appearance, such as text and dimension background colour and text size.
Dynamic dimensions — custom dimensions created by the user.
Visualize tab
3D presentation, lighting and image output.
3D window operations — activate the docking windows for the 3D view.
Scene — activate scene lights, mirros and ambient effects for the 3D view window.
Display options — configure a view frame according to the 3D view.
Render — export the current view as an image.
CAD Models tab
Bringing external CAD models in and automating them.
CAD models — add a 3D CAD model to the project (e.g. from Autodesk Inventor, PTC Creo or SolidWorks; SAT/STEP also supported).
Orientation — orientation settings for the placed model.
CAD automation — automate one or more CAD files and link Liftdesigner parameters to the model via an Excel mapping file; changing a linked dimension updates the model and its production drawings.
Manage — manage the CAD automation.
Performance — performance handling, including polygon simplification that reduces a CAD model's polygon count to generate BIM models without touching the original files.
BIM tab
Developing reusable BIM components and exporting BIM deliverables — primarily a developer-facing tab.
Component development — develop BIM components.
BIM component rules — rules governing component behaviour.
Geometry development — develop the component geometry using default profiles and characteristic points.
Orientation — orientation of the profiles.
DigiPara BIM library — save the developed component to your own manufacturer library.
Macro & VBA — macro and VBA automation.
Export tab
All output of the project — drawings, data and BIM deliverables.
Data Exports — Reports (export reports such as the checking report) and XML (export project data as XML).
2D Drawing Exports — PDF, DWG (AutoCAD) and EMF (Enhanced Metafile) output of the 2D drawing.
3D View Frame Exports — export the active 3D view frame as 3D DWG, DWF (Design Web Format), STEP, SAT or POV (POV-Ray scene).
BIM Exports — Project BIM Settings (project-level BIM configuration), Component BIM Properties (set per-component BIM properties from predefined sets such as COBie and IFC4 before export), IFC (IFC 4.3 / IFC 4.0, with legacy IFC 2x3 also supported), RFA (Autodesk Revit family) and LDBIM (the DigiPara LDBIM format for Revit, loaded via the DigiPara Elevatorarchitect / LDBIM Import plug-in). The chosen LOD level (set in the LOD selector above the tabs) determines the level of detail exported.