> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://luw-ai.gitbook.io/luw.ai-studio/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://luw-ai.gitbook.io/luw.ai-studio/building/floors-and-levels.md).

# Floors and levels

Add storeys and basements, move between them, and shape the floors, ceilings and stairs that come with them.

A building in Luw\.ai Studio is a stack of levels, one for each storey. Every level carries its own walls, rooms, floors, ceilings and furniture. Rooms bring their floor and ceiling with them automatically, so you only draw these by hand for special cases such as a landing, a raised platform or a dropped ceiling over a kitchen island.

## How levels are named

| Level                            | Default name                                       |
| -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| The first level of every project | **Ground floor**                                   |
| Levels above it                  | **Floor 1**, **Floor 2**, **Floor 3**…             |
| Levels below it                  | **Basement**, then **Basement 2**, **Basement 3**… |

You can type any name you like. Clear a name and the default comes back. A new level is 2.5 m from floor to floor.

## Use the level selector

You'll find the level selector in the canvas's top-left corner. Each row shows the level's name and its height, for example **Floor 1 2.5 m**.

<figure><img src="https://1629954275-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3c2lKXqxOtmrzgrQQpGP%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1de061acf762e8f5b7ec7457b2a8f3731aeb9c04%2Flevel-selector.webp?alt=media" alt="The level selector with the Ground floor row and its menu open: Duplicate level, Duplicate with options, Paste copied selection and a greyed-out Delete level"><figcaption><p>The level selector with a level's menu open. A project's only level can't be deleted.</p></figcaption></figure>

* **Add a level**: click **+** at the top of the list (**Add level above**) or at the bottom (**Add level below**). The **+** between two rows (**Insert level here**) slots a new level in between. The new level becomes the active one.
* **Switch level**: click a row. From the keyboard, `Ctrl/Cmd + ↑` and `Ctrl/Cmd + ↓` step through the levels in the order they were added. Whatever you draw or place goes onto the active level.
* **Rename**: double-click the name, type, then press `Enter` or click elsewhere. `Esc` keeps the old name.
* **Reorder**: hover a row and drag its grip (**Drag to reorder**).
* **Change the height**: click the height on a row. A **Level height** slider opens (1 to 20 m) with the presets **2.5 m**, **3.0 m** and **3.5 m** (**8 ft**, **9 ft** and **10 ft** in imperial units). Walls set to follow the level grow or shrink with it.
* **More options**: hover a row and open its **⋮** menu for **Duplicate level**, **Duplicate with options...**, **Paste copied selection** and **Delete level**.

{% hint style="info" %}
A level doesn't get taller on its own when you raise a wall or a ceiling. If you want a higher storey, change the level's height, and the walls that follow the level come along.
{% endhint %}

### Copy a level

**Duplicate level** copies everything on the level. **Duplicate with options...** lets you choose first:

| Option                    | What comes along                                                    |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Everything**            | Structure, materials, furniture and references such as guide images |
| **Structure only**        | Walls, slabs, roofs, stairs, windows and doors, without finishes    |
| **Structure + materials** | The structure with its current materials and finishes               |
| **Structure + furniture** | Structure, finishes and placed items, but no guide references       |

The copy is inserted directly above the original, and any levels above move up to make room. This is a quick way to build a block of identical apartments floor by floor.

### Delete a level

Choose **Delete level** from the **⋮** menu and confirm. Everything on that level (walls, floors, items) goes with it. The ground floor stays: it can't be deleted.

## Other places to manage levels

* **Scene tab.** Below **Site** and **Building** you'll find **Add level** and one row per level. Select a level to see its **Base elevation** and the **Scan or import floorplan** entry (see [Guide images](/luw.ai-studio/building/guide-images.md)). Further down, the **Units**, **Rooms** and **Elements** lists show what's on the active level. A level's **⋯** menu here has **Duplicate**, **Duplicate with options...** and **Delete**.
* **Settings tab.** The **Floors** list numbers each level relative to the ground floor (**+1**, **0**, **-1**) and has **Add floor** and **Add basement** buttons. Click a row to make that level active.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Delete** in the Scene tab and the trash button (**Remove floor**) in the Settings tab remove a level straight away, without the confirmation you get in the level selector.
{% endhint %}

## What you see while you edit

All levels sit at their real heights, one on top of the other. Every level above the one you're working on is hidden, so the storey you're editing is never covered; the levels below stay in view. To see an upper level again, select it.

Walk mode shows the whole building and drops you on the level you have selected.

## Floors

### Floors that come with rooms

When walls enclose a space, the Studio turns it into a room and lays a floor in it. That floor follows the walls: move a wall and the floor adjusts. You don't need to draw anything.

### Draw a floor of your own

For a slab that doesn't follow any room, such as a deck, a landing, a plinth or a platform, use **Slab**:

1. In the **Build** tab, expand **Advanced** and click **Slab**.
2. Click each corner of the outline.
3. Finish by clicking the first point again, double-clicking, or pressing `Enter`. A slab needs at least three corners. `Esc` cancels.

The slab is named **Slab 1**, **Slab 2** and so on.

### Adjust a slab

Select a drawn slab to see its panel:

* **Elevation**: **Surface** and **Base** sliders set the top and bottom heights, **Thickness** sets the depth, and **Foundation** chooses **Fixed** or **Follows terrain**.
* **Presets**: **Thin (2cm)**, **Standard (5cm)** and **Thick (15cm)** give the slab that thickness on its base. **Sunken (15cm)** sinks it 15 cm into the floor instead, as for a shower tray or a sunken lounge. The sliders then read **Floor** and **Rim**.
* **Info**: the slab's **Area**, in square metres or square feet to match your unit setting.
* **Holes**: **Add Hole** cuts an opening into the slab. An **Auto** badge marks the holes the Studio cuts by itself, for stairs and elevators.

To change a floor's material, use the **Paint** tab. See [Materials and paint](/luw.ai-studio/items-and-paint/materials-and-paint.md).

### Add an outdoor terrace

The **Terrace** tile in the **Outdoor** group draws an outdoor room on the ground: it has a floor, but no walls and no ceiling of its own. Press `T` to switch between drawing a rectangle and a free outline. The tool stays active after each terrace; press `Esc` when you're done.

## Ceilings

Every room gets a ceiling automatically. The exceptions are terraces and rooms whose walls all have a custom height under 0.5 m, such as a pool rim or a planter.

To add a ceiling where there's no room, such as a canopy over a seating area, click **Ceiling** in the **Advanced** group and trace its outline like a slab. Finish by clicking the first point again or double-clicking.

A ceiling's **Height** either **Follows level** or uses a **Custom height**. The presets **High (3.0m)**, **Standard (2.5m)** and **Low (2.4m)** only work when the level is tall enough: a ceiling always stays a little below the top of its level. On a standard 2.5 m level only **Low** is available, so raise the level height first if you want a taller ceiling. Ceilings can have holes too.

## Stairs

Stairs connect one level to the next:

1. In the **Build** tab, under **Add to rooms**, click **Stairs**.
2. Move the preview into place and press `R` or `T` to turn it in 45° steps.
3. Click to place it.

The floor of the level above gets a matching opening automatically (**Auto Cutout** in the stair's panel). If there's no level above yet, the Studio adds one for you.

In the stair's panel you can switch **Type** between **Straight**, **Curved** and **Spiral**, pick a **Straight**, **L turn** or **U turn** layout, choose **Landing** or **Winder** for the turn, and add a **Railing** on one side, both sides or neither.

## Related pages

* [Walls](/luw.ai-studio/building/walls.md)
* [Zones](/luw.ai-studio/building/zones.md), to name the rooms on each level
* [Roofs](/luw.ai-studio/building/roofs.md), which usually go on a level of their own