This guide is meant for end-users — sales engineers, estimators, and BOM operators — who use Greenhouse Workbench v3 to design greenhouse structures, preview them in 3D, and download the complete Bill of Materials (BOM) as an Excel file. All numbers in the worked examples are generated by the same software you will be using.

1. About this guide

The guide walks you through the software from the very first screen up to the downloaded Excel workbook, and includes four fully-worked examples that you can replicate exactly.

Who should read this guide?

• Sales engineers preparing quotations for customers.
• Estimators verifying material requirements before procurement.
• Project managers checking that the design matches the order.
• Anyone new to the software who wants a one-shot, end-to-end walkthrough.

What this guide is not

• It is not a developer manual — internal code, APIs, and database schemas are not covered here.
• It is not a structural-engineering reference — load calculations and code compliance are outside scope.
• It is not a fabrication / installation manual for the shop floor — that lives inside the Excel workbook in the Fabrication Process sheet.

2. Software overview

Greenhouse Workbench v3 is a web-based design tool. You open it in your browser, pick a greenhouse model, set a few parameters (such as the number of spans, the number of bays, the gutter height, and which pipes to use), and the software does the rest:

• Generates the full 3D geometry of the structure — every column, every arch, every purlin.
• Shows the live 3D model in your browser so you can rotate, zoom, and inspect.
• Computes a complete Bill of Materials — pipes, clamps, bolts, accessories.
• Records every junction (every place two pipes meet) with the right clamp size and type.
• Exports a multi-sheet Excel workbook that you can share with procurement, fabrication, and the customer.

Key strengths

• Geometry-driven BOM: Quantities are derived from the actual 3D model — not from formulas — so the BOM matches what will be built.
• Live pipe substitution: Change a pipe size and the 3D model, weight, and BOM all update immediately.
• Multiple greenhouse families: NVPH (GA / TV-NHB / GA 9.6 m), FVPH, DRSHNH, FRSNH, and MSPT-SP — all from one interface.
• Rectangular pipe support: Square and rectangular hollow sections (SHS / RHS) with face-aware clamp labelling.
• Standardised fabrication sheet: Every export includes the standardised fabrication process for that model.

3. Getting started — quick start in 5 steps

This is the golden path. Follow these five steps and you will have an Excel BOM downloaded to your laptop within a couple of minutes.

1. Open the viewer. Go to the internal URL and log in.
2. Pick a model. From the Structure type dropdown, choose the greenhouse model you want (for example, NVPH-GA). The 3D canvas shows a default design.
3. Set dimensions. Enter the number of spans, number of bays, span width, bay length, and gutter height. The 3D model regenerates as you type.
4. Adjust pipes (optional). Open the Pipe groups panel on the right. For any pipe role (main column, arch, purlin, etc.), pick a different pipe from the dropdown. The model, the legend, and the weight badge all update live.
5. Download the Excel BOM. Click Download Excel at the top. The browser saves an .xlsx file containing every sheet — Summary, Pipe BOM, Hardware BOM, Production Process, Fabrication Process, Junction Summary, and so on.

4. The 3D viewer interface

The viewer is a single page in your browser. It has three main areas — the toolbar (top), the 3D canvas (centre), and the side panels (right side).

4.1 Toolbar & generation controls

The toolbar runs along the top. From left to right you will typically find:

• Structure type dropdown — pick the model family (NVPH-GA, FVPH, DRSHNH, FRSNH, NVPH-TV-NHB, MSPT-SP, etc.).
• Dimensions inputs — number of spans, number of bays, span width (m), bay length (m), gutter height (m).
• Generate / Update buttons — regenerate the 3D model after a change. Most changes update live; some require a click.
• Save design — store the current configuration under a name so you can re-open it later.
• Download Excel — exports the full BOM as a .xlsx file.
• Download PDF — exports a printable summary PDF.

4.2 The 3D canvas — rotate, pan, zoom

Mouse controls on the 3D canvas:

• Left-click + drag: rotate the model around its centre.
• Right-click + drag (or Shift + drag): pan the camera.
• Scroll wheel: zoom in and out.
• Double-click: recentre the view on the picked point.

On a touch device — two-finger pinch to zoom, one finger to rotate, two fingers to pan.

4.3 Pipe legend & weight badge

The Pipe legend appears on the right side. It lists every pipe role in the structure (main column, anchor column, big arch, small arch, etc.) along with the currently-assigned pipe (for example, 76×2 mm or 90×50×2 mm) and its colour in the 3D view.

Below the legend you will see the Weight badge — the total weight of all pipes in the structure, in kilograms. The moment you change any pipe, this number updates instantaneously. Use it as a quick sanity check before you export.

4.4 Hide / show layers

Each pipe role has a small eye icon in the legend. Clicking it hides that role from the 3D view (useful to see inside a complex structure). Click it again to bring it back. Hiding a role does not remove it from the BOM — it is a view-only filter.

5. Choosing a structure model

The software supports 8 structure families. Pick the one that matches the kind of greenhouse you are quoting:

Which model to pick — quick reference

• Need natural ventilation, standard 8 m bay? → NVPH-GA
• Need wider bays (9.6 m) for machinery / tall crops? → NVPH-GA-96
• Building under NHB subsidy? → NVPH-TV-NHB
• Need climate control (fan / pad)? → FVPH
• Need shade only (no plastic cover)? → DRSHNH or FRSNH
• Smallest possible mono-span tunnel? → MSPT-SP

6. Configuration parameters

This section documents every parameter in the master configuration (DEFAULT_GREENHOUSE_CONFIG). Defaults shown are the system defaults — your project values may differ. Where a parameter is only meaningful for certain structure types or feature flags, that is noted in the What it does column.

6.1 Structure type & occupancy grid

6.2 Dimensions

6.3 Heights

6.4 Corridors (ASC)

6.5 Arch configuration

6.6 Column configuration

6.7 Supports (V-supports, vent supports, SA purlin support)

6.8 Purlin configuration

6.9 Border purlins (per side)

Each side (South/North/East/West) has an independent lower and upper border purlin with its own enable flag and height. Upper default = column_height − 0.5 = 3.5 m (auto-synced in the viewer).

6.10 Bottom chord

6.11 Purlin clamp types

6.12 Cross bracing

6.13 Gable bracing

6.14 General feature flags

6.15 Gutter accessories

6.16 Brackets

6.17 Covering accessories

6.18 Profiles accessories

6.19 Wires accessories

6.20 Miscellaneous accessories

6.21 Curtains & guards (side screen)

6.22 Side screen geometry

6.23 Pipe specifications

Each structural pipe key is set independently. Defaults assume 2 mm thickness. See section 7 for the full pipe catalog and section 8 for rectangular pipe orientation rules.

6.24 Doors

6.25 ACF (Air Circulation Fan)

7. Pipe selection from the catalog

7.1 The pipe catalog

• Round pipes — sizes like 33×2, 42×2, 42×2.3, 48×2, 60×2, 60×2.5, 76×2, 88×2 (OD × thickness in mm).
• Square hollow sections (SHS) — 30×30, 42×42, 50×50, 60×60, 70×70, 80×80, 90×90 (mm) at various thicknesses.
• Rectangular hollow sections (RHS) — 50×30, 60×40, 80×40, 90×50, 96×48 (mm) at various thicknesses.

The catalog is managed by the administrator in the Admin panel. If a pipe you need is missing, please ask your administrator to add it.

7.2 Changing pipe sizes (live)

Every pipe in the structure plays a role — main column, anchor column, middle column, big arch, small arch, big purlin, small purlin, bottom chord, V-support, vent support, and so on. Each role has its own dropdown in the right-side Pipe groups panel.

When you change a pipe in any role:

• The 3D model re-draws that role with the new pipe — different colour or thickness.
• The pipe legend updates the displayed size for that role.
• The weight badge recomputes and shows the new total weight.
• All clamp sizes that connect to that pipe role are updated in the BOM.

7.3 The weight badge

The weight badge is the most important live indicator. It tells you the total weight of all pipes in the current structure. Pipe weight × rate per kg is the dominant cost driver, so kindly watch this number as you change pipe sizes — it tells you immediately whether a substitution is moving the cost up or down.

8. Rectangular pipes (new)

8.1 Round vs square vs rectangular

• Round — circular cross-section. Quoted as OD × thickness. Example: 76×2 mm.
• Square (SHS) — square cross-section, width = height. Quoted as W×H×t. Example: 60×60×2 mm.
• Rectangular (RHS) — rectangular cross-section, width ≠ height. Quoted as W×H×t. Example: 90×50×2 mm.

In the 3D viewer, square and rectangular pipes are drawn with their actual cross-section — you can visually verify the orientation. Round pipes are drawn as smooth cylinders.

8.2 Orientation control — the rotation dropdown

For rectangular pipes (W ≠ H), the orientation matters. A 90×50 pipe with the 90 mm face vertical behaves very differently from one with the 90 mm face horizontal. Therefore, every rectangular pipe role gets an extra rotation dropdown in the pipe legend, with options:

• 0° — default orientation. The wider face is oriented one way (depends on the role — see the 3D view).
• 90° — rotated 90 degrees about the pipe axis. Swaps width and height.
• 180° / 270° — provided for completeness; visually identical to 0° / 90° for hollow sections.

Square pipes (W = H) and round pipes look identical under any rotation, so the rotation dropdown is shown only for rectangular roles.

8.3 Clamp labels — W×H direction-aware

When a connecting pipe contacts a rectangular pipe, the clamp must grip a specific face. The face matters — a 90×50 clamp (gripping the 90 mm face) is a different physical part from a 50×90 clamp (gripping the 50 mm face).

The software derives the gripped face from the 3D geometry automatically. You will see two different clamp sizes in the Hardware BOM for the same rectangular pipe — for example:

Round and square pipes are not affected by this — their clamp label is the same regardless of orientation.

9. Generating the BOM (Excel export)

9.1 Sheets in the workbook

Clicking Download Excel produces a single workbook with multiple sheets. Each sheet has a clear role:

9.2 Summary sheet

The Summary sheet is the cover page of the workbook. It shows the structure type, dimensions, total covered area, total pipe weight, and the headline cost. It is the sheet most customers and managers look at first.

9.3 Pipe BOM

The Pipe BOM lists every pipe role with the following columns:

• Component — the role name (Main Column, Anchor Column, Big Arch, etc.).
• Pipe — the pipe specification (76×2, 60×60×2, 90×50×2, etc.).
• Quantity — number of pieces.
• Length per piece (m) — typical cut length.
• Total length (m) — quantity × length per piece.
• Weight (kg) — total weight contribution.
• Rate per kg — current procurement rate.
• Cost — weight × rate.

9.4 Hardware BOM

The Hardware BOM lists every non-pipe item — clamps, bolts, nuts, washers, wire rope, grippers, vent rack-and-pinion, etc. The columns are:

• Name — the hardware item (GI Clamp Full, GI Clamp Half, M10×40 Bolt, etc.).
• Category — Clamps, Bolts, Accessories, Wire Rope, …
• Size — the dimension or specification (42 mm, 60 mm, 90×50 for rect clamps, etc.).
• Quantity — total pieces.
• Unit price and Total cost.

9.5 Production Process

The Production Process sheet is the section-by-section shop-floor narrative — what gets fabricated first, what depends on what, and which sub-assemblies leave the factory as one piece. It is generated dynamically from the project geometry.

9.6 Fabrication Process (new)

The Fabrication Process sheet is a standardised reference — it ships with every export, and the correct variant is picked automatically based on the model and the configuration flags:

Columns in the sheet: Sr.No. · Component · Pipe · Fabrication Process · Connection / Note. The rows are grouped into section bands — Foundation, Frame, Truss, Lower, ASC, Doors, Side Screen, etc. — so the shop floor can read it section by section.

9.7 Junction Summary

The Junction Summary sheet is the geometry-driven BOM in summary form. Every junction type (arch-column, purlin-arch, V-of-M base, vent-support-peak, bottom-chord-arch, …) is listed with the count and the clamp size used at that junction. Use it to cross-check the Hardware BOM.

9.8 Process Verification

The Process Verification sheet cross-checks the BOM against the geometry — it reports any discrepancies, missing junctions, or unexpected counts. Quality assurance uses it to sign off the BOM before it goes to procurement.

9.9 Structural Report

10. Worked examples

Each example below was generated by the live assembler. Numbers shown — pipe quantities, weights, hardware counts, junction counts — are real, not illustrative. Reproduce the steps in the viewer and you should see the same totals.

11. Tips and FAQ

Tips

• Always check the weight badge after every pipe change — it is the fastest way to spot a wrong substitution.
• Save your design before exporting — if the customer comes back tomorrow, you can reload it with one click.
• Compare Junction Summary against Hardware BOM — if the totals do not reconcile, do not export until the discrepancy is understood.
• For rectangular pipes, use the 3D view to verify orientation — the rotation dropdown is your friend, not just a number.
• Refresh the browser if the legend / weight badge fails to update — a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5) clears stale cache.
• For NVPH-GA, double-check which fabrication-sheet variant landed in the Excel — open the sheet and read the reference header.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. The legend did not update after I changed a pipe — what do I do?

Hard-refresh the browser (Ctrl+F5). If the problem persists, kindly report it to your administrator — the live-update is a core feature and a persistent failure indicates a server issue, not a workflow issue.

Q. The Hardware BOM lists both 90×50 and 50×90 clamps — is this a bug?

No — this is by design. A 90×50 clamp grips the 90 mm face of a rectangular pipe; a 50×90 clamp grips the 50 mm face. They are physically different parts, manufactured separately, and must be procured separately. See section 8.3.

Q. The Fabrication Process sheet is missing in my Excel — why?

Two possible causes: (1) The model is MSPT-SP, which is not in the standardised fabrication master — in this case the sheet shows a graceful “no data” message. (2) You are on an old version of the software — please ask the administrator to update the server.

Q. The 3D view shows pipes as round even though I picked square / rect — why?

Hard-refresh the browser (Ctrl+F5) to clear cached JavaScript. If the problem persists, please report to the administrator.

Q. Why does the total weight differ slightly between two exports of the same design?

If you changed any parameter (even a pipe size), the design is no longer the same. If you have not changed anything and the weight differs by more than 1 kg, please report — this is unexpected.

Q. Can I edit the standardised fabrication process?

Not from the viewer. The fabrication-process master is managed in the source FABRICATION_PROCESSES-STANDARDISED.xlsx. Please send change requests to the engineering team — they will update the master and re-deploy the server.

Q. The structure I need is not in the dropdown — what do I do?

Please contact your administrator. New structure families require a software update — they cannot be added from the viewer.

12. Glossary

A quick reference for the terms used in the software, the Excel BOM, and this guide.