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The DigiPara Liftdesigner user interface

Written by Sabine Bunese

The main window at a glance

The window is organized into four working areas. Knowing what each one does is enough to navigate the whole program.

  1. Menu button
    Provides file operations such as New, Open, Recent files, Save, Print and Email and access to the Program Options dialog.

  2. Ribbon
    The tabbed command bar across the top. Each tab groups related operations (project, sheets, dimensions, 3D, export, and more). Press F1 on any ribbon item to open its help topic.

  3. Design area with sheet tabs
    The central drawing canvas. Tabs along the bottom let you switch quickly between the different sheet layouts and views of your project.

  4. Docking windows
    Dockable panels arranged around the design area (Properties, Data tree, Quick Help, and others). They can be shown or hidden from the Start tab's display-windows settings.

Start screen

Shown when Liftdesigner opens, the start screen gives new and returning users a clear entry point. Reopen it any time with the Start Page button in the Standard ribbon group.

  1. Recent Projects
    Lists recently opened project files (.ld3); click an item to load it.

  2. New Elevator
    Launches the shaft wizard to create a new elevator project

  3. New Escalator
    Launches the escalator wizard for escalators and moving walks.

  4. Open File
    Opens the file dialog to browse for an existing .ld3 file.

  5. Tutorials
    See the tutorial viedos in YouTube. Lists training videos; an item opens the tutorial in your browser.

  6. News
    Shows current DigiPara Liftdesigner news; items open in your web browser.

  7. Licensing
    See your contract details such as serial number and valid libraries.

  8. Cloud
    Download manufacturer libraries directly from the Liftdesigner Cloud.

  9. Show page on startup
    When checked, the start screen appears automatically on launch.

Ribbon tabs

The ribbon provides elevator, project, layout and program-specific operations, grouped by tab.

  1. Start
    File operations (Open, Save), view commands (zoom, color and view settings), display-window settings.

  2. Project
    Main project configuration, shaft-group / elevator operations (Add, Remove Elevator), calculations, inspection and object-selection options, cabin configurator, language settings.

  3. Sheet
    Sheet and sheet-template operations, view-frame templates, sheet overlays and language operations.

  4. View Frame
    View-frame type and view direction, component visibility, selection operations, LOD settings.

  5. Dimension
    Dimensions, dimension settings and dynamic-dimension operations.

  6. 3D
    3D window operations, visualization, display options, render and image export.

  7. CAD
    Add CAD model, orientation settings, CAD automation and performance options.

  8. BIM / Develop
    Develop BIM components and geometry, characteristic points, component rules, the DigiPara BIM library, macros and VBA.

  9. Export
    BIM exports and the Component BIM Properties window.

TIP: Not sure what a button does? Click it and press F1 — the matching help topic opens. The Quick Help button opens the online help directly inside Liftdesigner.

Docking windows

  1. Properties
    View and edit the properties of the currently selected object or component.

  2. Data tree
    Shows all configuration parameters of the project as a tree — the structure you map to CAD models and rules.

  3. 3D View
    An interactive 3D representation of the elevator model, kept in sync with the 2D design and view frames.

  4. Breadcrumb
    Shows the path to the currently selected object and lets you step through the object hierarchy.

  5. Quick Help
    Displays the relevant online-help content for the selected item or table.

  6. Scene Settings
    Controls the lighting of the 3D model's surroundings — set a default scene for the sheet or individual scenes per view frame.

  7. Component BIM Properties
    Manage the component parameters to be exported; opened from the Export tab or the Project BIM Settings window.

  8. Excel integration
    View and modify linked Excel files and transfer values back into the project.

TIP: A docking window that isn't visible can be switched back on from its entry in the Windows ribbon group. Drag a window's tab to re-dock it on another edge.

Program Options dialog

Open it from the Menu button → Options. Program-specific settings let you adapt Liftdesigner to your environment.

  1. Program language
    The language of the user interface.

  2. User group
    Which user-interface items are visible, configurable per user group

  3. 3D settings
    Behaviour and display options for the 3D view.

  4. Fonts & colors
    Appearance of text and interface elements.

  5. Environment
    General appearance of the program.

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