First Steps in the Solution Builder

Whether you’re building your very first digital twin project or fine-tuning an existing layout, this guide will walk you through the essential first steps in HakoBio’s Solution Builder.

To help you get familiar with the workflow, we have included a short tutorial video below. It provides a quick visual walkthrough of how to start a new project, import a blueprint, and begin shaping your 3D digital twin design. You’ll find detailed explanations of each step further down in the article.

Access the Solution Builder and Create Your First Project

Follow these steps to start building your first digital twin:

1. Sign in to HakoBio: Log in to your HakoBio account to access the Solution Builder. If you’re new to HakoBio, you can create a guest account on our free-to-use demo platform. Need help creating an account? Read this guide for more information.
2. Create a New Project: Once logged in, navigate to the Solution Builder from the main menu. Here, click New Project in the top-right corner.
3. Select Measurement System: Choose whether you want to work in metric (default) or imperial units for your project’s dimensions.
4. Name Your Project: After the builder loads, give your project a clear and descriptive name so you can easily identify it later.
5. Save Your Project: Once the project is named, click Save near the top-left of the screen. This ensures the project is now saved in your account.
   • HakoBio does not have an auto-save function, so remember to establish a saving routine early on to avoid losing any progress.

You’re now ready to begin designing your digital twin.

Import a Blueprint

If you have a blueprint available, uploading it to HakoBio can significantly speed up the process of building your digital twin.

1. Open the Blueprint Tool: From the Builder menu on the left, click on the Blueprint button.
2. Upload Your Floor Plan: Select Upload an image and import your blueprint. We recommend using either JPG or PNG files.
3. Scale Your Blueprint: To ensure your digital twin has accurate dimensions, you’ll need to define a reference distance on your blueprint:
   • Set two points on the blueprint to mark a specific distance (e.g., 1 meter)
   • This creates two green dots and a green line on your blueprint.
   • Enter the exact distance between these points into the left-hand panel.
4. Adjust the Blueprint’s Position (optional): You can use the X and Y axis fields to adjust the blueprint’s placement within your project. This is especially useful if you’ve already created rooms or placed equipment and want the blueprint to align with your existing layout.
5. Confirm Scaling: Click Next, then Done to finalize your blueprint setup.

Your blueprint is now properly scaled and ready for accurate 3D modeling.

Create Your 3D Facility Design

After importing your 2D plan, use the Solution Builder’s intuitive tools to draw your 3D layout. You can add walls, doors, windows, and other building elements to accurately represent your facility’s layout in three dimensions. First, let’s see how to create your rooms with two specific tools available into the tab “Rooms”:

1. Quick shape
2. Manual shape

Standard Rooms

For simple, square rooms, we recommend starting with the standard room options.

You can define the room’s name, size, and height, then drag and drop it directly into your project. If you decide to adjust the dimensions later on, simply double-click the room to select it and open the information panel on the left. From there, you can edit its measurements and characteristics at any time.

In the 2D view, you can further refine each room’s layout:

• Resize a room: Drag any wall to make the space larger or smaller.
• Adjust the room shape: Drag a corner to change the angle and create a new form.
• Add extra corners: Double-click on any wall to insert an additional corner. Ideal if you have irregularly shaped rooms.

Free Shape

If your facility includes irregular rooms, angled corridors, or uniquely shaped spaces, the free shape tool gives you full control to design any layout you need.

This feature lets you draw a room’s outline manually by placing anchor points:

• Start by clicking anywhere on the grid to place your first anchor point. This represents the first corner of your room.
• Move your cursor to the next corner and click again to place another anchor point. A wall will automatically form between the two points.
• Continue placing anchor points along the perimeter of your room. You can add as many as needed to achieve the exact shape you want.

Once you’ve defined the full outline, you can close the room in two ways:

• Click again on your very first anchor point, or
• Double-click to place your final point and automatically complete the room.

Your custom room will then instantly appear in the project.

You can also use the free shape tool to draw directly on top of an uploaded blueprint if you prefer sketching your layout manually rather than using standard drag-and-drop rooms.

Tips for Editing Floor Plans Faster

You can quickly duplicate an existing room by double-clicking to select it, then pressing Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste. The new room will appear next to the original, and you can move it to your desired position.

Don’t forget that every room can be modified: resize walls, adjust corners, or add extra corners to create unique shapes. Take some time to experiment and get to know these tools, as they can help you design and refine your floor plan more quickly and efficiently.

Move or Rotate a Room

To reposition or rotate a room:

1. Double-click the room to select it.
2. A panel will appear with options like ‘Rotate,’ ‘Flip Horizontally,’ or ‘Flip Vertically.’
3. Choose the desired action to adjust the room’s orientation and placement.”

Add Elements to Your 3D Digital Twin

Once your structure is in place, start adding elements like equipment, utilities, and architectural details from the Product Portfolio.

Adding Doors, Windows, and Equipment

1. Choose an item from the Utilities or Equipment tab.
2. Click and hold the left mouse button on the item.
3. Drag it to your desired location in the project.
4. Release the button to place the object.
5. To adjust its position later, double-click the item and drag it to its new position.

This drag-and-drop workflow gives you full flexibility to refine your digital twin.

Customize Item Dimensions

Many items in the Utilities and Equipment lists can be resized to better fit your project, including doors, windows, desks, shelves, and more.

• Select a resizable item from the Equipment list.
• Drag and drop it into your project.
• Once placed, double-click the item to select it, then open the info panel on the left (a circle with a small i inside).
• Adjust the dimensions as needed. If the fields are not editable, the item cannot be resized.

Add Zone Characteristics

With the Zone Characteristics, you can assign key attributes to each room, helping you organize and classify your spaces. These attributes can be visualized directly in your digital twin and are also included in the Project Report.

How to Add or Modify Zone Characteristics

1. Select the room you want to edit.
2. Open the info panel on the left.
3. Browse the available Zone Characteristics and select one to apply.
4. Confirm your choice to save the characteristic.

How to View the Zone Characteristics

1. Click the eye icon in the bottom right to view available characteristics.
2. Select a characteristic to display it on your layout.

You can return to the info panel anytime to adjust or remove characteristics.