Beginner ~6 min read

Placing Entities

Entities are the building blocks of your site design — everything from structures and boundaries to paths and survey markers. Learn how to create, position, and organize them.

1

What Are Entities?

Every object on your site is an entity. Entities live in a tree hierarchy — the scene graph — and each type has different capabilities. Here are the ones you'll use most:

Solid

A parametric 3D shape defined by code. Use for foundations, walls, tanks — anything that needs engineering precision.

Boundary

A polygon defining a zone — property lines, setback areas, or work regions within your site.

Trace

A terrain-following path for roads, fences, irrigation lines, or any linear infrastructure.

Component

A reusable group of entities with parameters. Nest components to organize complex designs.

Instance

A copy of a component that inherits its structure. Change the prototype and all instances update.

Full list

SiteCAD also supports Meshes (imported 3D models), Control Points (survey markers, which can also carry weather station readings), and Annotations (notes pinned to a point). Boundaries, above, can additionally mark a weather forecast or alert area. See Core Concepts for the complete reference.

2

Create an Entity

There are several ways to add entities to your site. All of them add the new entity under the currently active component in the scene graph.

Method A: The Create Button

  1. In the scene graph panel (left sidebar), click the + Create button.
  2. A dropdown menu shows all available entity types. Click the one you want.
  3. The new entity appears in the scene graph and is selected for editing.

Method B: Right-Click

  1. Right-click in the viewport (3D view) or on empty space in the scene graph.
  2. The context menu includes creation options. Select an entity type.

Method C: AI Assistant

  1. Open the AI chat and describe what you want. Examples:
"Add a boundary around the garden area" "Create a trace for the driveway" "Place a solid for a 10x12 shed foundation"
Templates

If you've created reusable components (or downloaded them from the community library), they appear in the Create menu under "Templates." Click one to place an instance of it.

3

Position and Configure

Once created, select an entity to work with it. The inspector panel on the right shows its properties and lets you edit them.

Position

Every entity has East (X), North (Y), and Up (Z) coordinates in meters, relative to the parent component. Type exact values in the inspector or drag the entity's gizmo in the viewport.

Rotation

Heading (compass direction), pitch, and roll. Most entities only need heading — for example, rotating a building to face the road.

Properties

Each entity type has specific properties. Solids have code and parameters. Boundaries have vertex lists. Traces have point sequences. Edit them all in the inspector.

Name

Give entities descriptive names — "Main House Foundation," "North Fence Line," "Retention Pond." It makes the scene graph navigable as your design grows.

Tip

The AI assistant can move and configure entities too. Try "move the shed 5 meters north" or "rotate the fence 45 degrees."

4

Organize with Components

As your site grows, use components to group related entities. Components are containers with their own local coordinate space, and they can be reused as templates.

  1. Create a Component entity (+ Create → Component).
  2. Double-click the component in the scene graph to enter it. Now any entities you create will be children of this component.
  3. Click the parent breadcrumb at the top of the scene graph (or press the back button) to exit the component.

When to use components

  • Grouping: "Garden Area" component containing beds, paths, and irrigation traces
  • Reuse: Design a fence section as a component, then place multiple instances along your property line
  • Parameters: Define adjustable parameters (width, height, material) so each instance can be customized
5

Practice Exercise

Try this quick exercise to get comfortable with the creation and organization workflow.

Lay Out a Simple Property

  1. Create a Boundary entity. Draw it around your project area to represent a property line.
  2. Create a Component called "House." Double-click to enter it.
  3. Inside the House component, create a Solid. This will be your foundation — don't worry about the code yet, just see it appear in the scene.
  4. Exit the House component (back button or breadcrumb).
  5. Create a Trace for a driveway. Click points along the route; the trace follows the terrain surface.
  6. Select each entity and give it a descriptive name in the inspector.
  7. Look at your scene graph — you should see a clean hierarchy: Boundary, House (with Solid inside), and Trace.

Next Steps