Files keep the images and 3D models your team reuses in one place: logos, map markers, site photos, and models like trees and street furniture. Every site study, massing, and planning report can then use the same approved assets instead of a fresh upload each time.
What a file is
A file is an image or 3D model saved to your File Manager so you can reuse it across projects. Use files to:
Place an image on the map as an annotation. See Importing images as annotations.
Set the icon on an Icon Marker annotation.
Place a 3D model, like a tree or a bus shelter, on the map.
Add images to map popups.
Files vs project attachments
Giraffe stores uploads in two places:
Files are shared between projects. Use them for markers and 3D models you reuse, like trees and street furniture.
Project attachments can only be accessed from inside one project, and they follow that project's sharing. Use them for site plans, zoning PDFs, and 3D models of specific buildings.
See Project Attachments.
Where files live
Every file you can access appears in the File Manager, on the Files page of Home. Upload, edit, share, and delete files from there.
Who can see a file
A file is visible to the people it has been shared with. Share a file with a person, a Team, or a workspace to give them access. Sharing a project does not share the files used in it, so share each file on its own.
Work with files
File messages
Giraffe shows these toasts at the bottom of the screen when you upload or edit a file.
Message | What triggers it | What to do |
"Copied URL to clipboard" | You copied a file URL. | None |
"Could not resize that image" | You chose an image size and the app could not resize the image. | Try another size or a different image. |
"Drop a file, not a link / That file type is not supported" | You dropped a link or a file type this upload box does not accept. | Drop a supported file instead. |
"Tag already exists" | You added a tag a file already has. | Use a different tag. |
"This file is too large, it needs to be less than 10MB. Consider simplifying your model before you upload it." | You uploaded a file over 10MB. | Simplify the model or use a smaller file. |
"We could not load this 3D model." | The uploaded 3D model could not be loaded. | Check the file and try again. |