Best Practices: Digs Project Templates

Creating a smart project template in Digs isn’t just about copying files - it’s about setting your team up for repeatable success. These best practices are drawn from power users across the Digs community. Learning from the best can save your team hundreds of hours over the course of a build cycle. A little upfront planning now can prevent major rework later and ensure smoother handoffs, stronger collaboration, and more accurate project documentation.

This guide walks you through key considerations and process steps to help you build templates that scale across your floor plans, structural variations, and build team workflows.

Questions to Ask Before You Begin

Before building a reusable project template, align your team on a few important factors:

🔑 Will this project be handed off to a Homeowner?

If this is part of a consumer-facing process, your template should account for the eventual handoff. That means including homeowner-relevant documentation, warranty content, and clear labeling for all files and layers.

If the project is only for internal use, the template might be simpler and more focused on internal trade coordination or vendor workflows.

🏗️ How many floor plans and variations do you manage?

Understanding your design library is key. If you have multiple structural variations or options packages, consider creating separate templates for each structural plan.

For example:

• If Plan A and Plan B have different foundations, framing, or layouts, they should be separate templates/Projects.

• If Plan A has Option Packages (fireplace upgrade, window swaps, etc.), these can be handled via layers in a single template.

Always ask yourself “Are there major structural differences?”

This affects how your team manages annotations, layers, and naming. Structural variation = separate template. Cosmetic variation = use layered views inside the same project.

Template Creation Process

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to create a high-quality template in Digs:

1. Create a New Project

Start by creating a blank Digs project for your template. Give it a clear name like

Template – Plan A - Structural Version 1
Template - Craftsman Style - Elevation A

This helps you and your team find it quickly later.

Protip - You can also start every template as “zTemplate” as this will force your templates to the bottom of the list when organized alphabetically.

2. Upload and Process Floor Plan

Upload the main architectural floor plan. Digs will begin processing the plan using a combination of AI and human validation.

Note: All floor plans are processed in a first-come, first-served queue. Processing time varies based on customer volume.

3. Organize Layers for Options and Variants

Before processing finishes, you can start organizing your layer structure:

• Use layers to represent core workteams like:

  • Electrical Layout

  • HVAC Ducting

  • Plumbing

• Use additional layers to outline changes that are optional, making them easy to delete if not selected by the customer:

  • Master Bath Upgrade 47A Details

  • 47A Electrical

  • 47A Plumbing

  • 47A Finishes

• You can hide/unhide layers during collaboration or exports.

• Layers help reduce clutter and create repeatable structures for every variation.

4. Upload Common Files

Populate the template with files that are always used for this floor plan or structure:

• Permitting documents

• Energy reports

• Safety guidelines

• Framing/MEP diagrams

• Interior design spec sheets

• Anything the homeowner will eventually need

5. Add Annotations & Comments

Use annotations to call out key areas - both for internal use and homeowner clarity:

• Warranty-related notes (e.g., “Check roof flashing on north slope”)

• Visual cues for options

• Measurement markers

• Vendor-specific instructions

6. Apply the Eraser Tool

Use the Eraser to hide irrelevant areas from a view - like basements, optional rooms, or phases not included in this version. This helps simplify what viewers see by default.

Layer Annotations

If your team already has annotation standards (like prebuilt electrical or HVAC callouts), you can copy and paste annotations from another project using the Arrow tool.

Just remember:

• Always QA pasted annotations to ensure they match the new plan.

• Adjust measurements or anchor points as needed.

Duplication & Quality Assurance

Before duplicating your template for use on real homes:

• QA the project carefully.

  • Confirm that the floor plan is accurate.

  • Make sure no key elements are missing and that all your common docs are in place

    • This includes data like the 3d Dollhouse (e.g., front door, structural walls) as these will also be duplicated

  • Review annotations, file names, and layer names for consistency.

If you find mistakes later:

• Fix the template immediately so future projects don’t inherit the problem.

• Manually update existing copies of the template that were already duplicated — especially if the issue impacts compliance, warranty, or construction details.

Floor Plan Processing FAQ

• How is my floor plan processed?

  All floor plans are processed through a gated AI + human review process. This ensures higher accuracy, especially with edge cases like multi-story or custom homes.

• How long does it take?

  Timing depends on queue volume. Your plan is processed in the same queue as all customers, including new signups.

• What if my plan needs changes?

  You can reupload the corrected version, or reach out to support for help with reprocessing.