Ready to unlock the full power of our features without feeling like you’ve stepped into a labyrinth? Great! Let’s walk through how to navigate the app—no map required.
This overview will guide you through the three main sections of the platform:
The top bar
The Logo on the left is your quick link back to the homepage at any time.
In the center, you'll find the materials search bar. Acelab has a robust and sophisticated product database with over 100,000 building products across categories, vendors, and regions. To find products or manufacturers, just type what you need, and select the appropriate tab. Learn more about researching products here.
The bell icon gives access to all notifications, including product updates and messages about your team's requests to join your company.
Conversations with product reps and the Acelab team can be accessed from the conversations icon.
Over to the right, your profile picture and name give you access to your account. If you’re an admin, you also get the keys to company settings, collaborator invites, and permission controls.
The Left-Side Menu
The left-side menu includes general and project-specific navigation. It can be collapsed to increase your workspace area, or expanded to facilitate navigation.
The top section focuses on general navigation.
Like the logo on the top bar, the Home button brings you back to this homepage.
Projects grants access to all your projects, including ones you’ve created or been invited to. You can also start new projects from here.
Library: This is your company's knowledge hub. Products, standards, and institutional knowledge live here, ready to grow and evolve with your team.
Resources is where you can learn more about materials science, our vendors, Acelab and everything you need to excel in materials decision-making.
Manufacturers allows you to search for products from specific manufacturers.
The lower section of the menu is project-specific, featuring tools designed to streamline your journey from project planning to material selection and documentation.
The project you're currently working on appears at the top of this section. To switch projects, click the arrow to see other projects.
Project Info shows project details, attachments, and collaborators.
If you are feeling indecisive, use Comparisons to look at products side by side and see the data laid neatly clearly.
Schedules is a smart spreadsheet that helps you track decisions, collaborate with teammates and stakeholder, and create and share reports. You will be able to facilitate approvals and selections that integrate directly into the SpecPlanner.
SpecPlanner works as your project's roadmap for material decisions. You can start by creating a checklist of products you will need, then access a live view of product selections to catch gaps ahead of milestones. Or, you may push the products you selected into SpecPlanner to automate specifications with the click of a button.
Conversations allows you to manage all the communication with product vendors and experts. No more relying on your memory or searching through emails to find old conversations. Better yet, your conversations are easily accessible to your team.
The workspace
The workspace adapts to your activity and might look different every time you log in.
When you’re new, it might feel a little empty. But as you dive into projects, this space transforms into a dynamic hub with:
Your projects, templates, and library.
You can also create projects right from here and check info on upcoming webinars.
That’s a wrap!
Now you’re ready to navigate the Material Hub like a pro. Dive in and explore. When you’re ready to learn more, check out the resources below.
📚 Keep Learning 📚
Next: Setting Up Your Account Profile