Lessons 01–06 · 280 min
Frame Corps
Walls. Raise a framed wall, measure it true, open a door in it, tie the corners, sheathe it, and square the first room.
Mission Brief
One shelter.
A lifetime of understanding.
A course in seeing how things work. Explore thirty connected engineering missions, with clear steps, real calculations, and an adult beside you.
Commander Atlas · Welcome
Ready
Press play. Atlas reads the briefing while you follow along.
01 · What it is
One shelter, thirty connected missions.
Thirty connected 3D engineering missions that grow one persistent shelter: from the first framed wall through site, foundation, floor, roof, weather enclosure, water, drainage, virtual power, lighting, climate, and emergency planning.
It runs in a browser as one self-contained file. Nothing to install. Lessons 01–05 need no account. A “Deep Mission” second application exists only for lesson 01, as a complete Frame Command engineering mission opened from that lesson.
02 · Who it is for
The learner is the child. The account is the adult’s.
Every lesson carries the age line “Ages 10–14”. Briefing chapters are short — a couple of sentences each — and sit next to a 3D model the child can orbit. Children never sign in. Creating an adult account is only for unlocking lessons 06–30 and managing billing.
03 · The campaigns
Five campaigns of six lessons.
Follow the shelter from its first wall through foundations, roof, enclosure, and the systems that make it livable.
Lessons 07–12 · 300 min
Grounded
The ground. Read a site, move water off it, learn what soil carries, size a footing, build the platform, and anchor it down.
Lessons 13–18 · 310 min
Roof & Storm
Overhead. Close the triangle, set the pitch, cut the birdsmouth, trust the truss, shed water, and hold the roof on in a storm.
Lessons 19–24 · 305 min
Dry Shell
Keeping water and air out. Flash the window, hang a door that seals, lap the wall, stop the leaks, slow the heat, and commission the shell.
Lessons 25–30 · 300 min
Life Systems
Making it liveable. Bring water to the tap, drain it by gravity, close a virtual circuit, shape the light, balance the air, and plan the way out.
04 · The nine-stage method
See it, build it, calculate it, serve.
Stages unlock in order. Honor is awarded for each verified stage. Wisdom is awarded when Serve is recorded and the lesson is mastered. Progress stays in this browser on the current device.
Briefing
Short chapters to read and listen to, each paired with one mission objective.
Verified by: Reading every chapter to the end.
The Raise
The 3D model performs the build one operation at a time while you orbit and inspect it.
Verified by: Stepping through every operation.
Prove It
Questions with three answers each; the order is shuffled by a fixed rule so button position never gives the answer away.
Verified by: Answering every question correctly (you can retry).
Assemble
Choose the correct next operation from three; the scene accepts only the right one, in order.
Verified by: Completing the build in the correct sequence.
Count It
Sliders and switches drive a computed model; gauges turn good or bad and the formula prints its working.
Verified by: Every gauge clear; the Verify button stays off until then.
Challenge
Inspector cases with a hidden fault; you name the mechanism that fails.
Verified by: Clearing every case.
Survive It
The same model starting in a failing state; you must fix it before you can continue.
Verified by: Bringing every gauge back into range.
Invent
Your own design, judged by the same arithmetic; the lesson's success sentence tells you what counts.
Verified by: A design that passes every visible check.
Serve
A mission away from the screen, with an evidence item and a safety line. Recording it masters the lesson.
Verified by: Recording the evidence; this masters the lesson and grows the shelter.
Honor and rank
The Academy prints possible honor from the assessments in the lesson, then awards Honor when a stage is verified. Ranks are a ladder, not a paywall:
- Recruit · 0 Honor
- Apprentice · 250 Honor
- Builder · 750 Honor
- Framewright · 1,500 Honor
- Master Builder · 3,000 Honor
- Steward of the Shelter · 5,000 Honor
05 · Learning outcomes
What each campaign asks the child to be able to do.
Each mission gives your learner something concrete to understand, explain, and verify.
Frame Corps Lessons 01–06
01 · Frame Command
- Name plates, studs, kings, jacks, headers, and cripples, and say each job out loud
- Lay out studs at 16 inches on center so a 48-inch sheet lands on wood
- Trace 420 lb/ft of roof load down the wall to the ground
- Explain why a nailed skin stops a wall from racking
- Read Wall line load, One stud, Header stress, and Lateral ratio
02 · Measure Command
- Read a tape to the nearest sixteenth, including marks like 3 7/16
- Explain why the tape hook slides its own thickness so push and pull both read zero
- Lay out repeated marks from one datum so small errors do not stack
- Prove a rectangle is square with equal diagonals and a 3-4-5 triangle
- Apply the ⅛-in framing tolerance as a labelled rule of thumb
03 · Opening Command
- Tell a rough opening from a finished opening, with the numbers for a 36-in door
- Name the job of the king, the jack, the header, the rough sill and the cripples
- Trace 1,260 lb of roof load around the hole and down into the two jacks
- Explain why doubling a span makes 4 times the bending and 16 times the sag
- Size a header with a real beam check and choose depth before plies
04 · Corner Command
- Compare three-stud, California, and ladder-backed corners for backing and insulation access
- Explain why both drywall edges in a corner need a nailing surface
- Trace cap-plate laps across intersecting walls and the 24-in splice offset
- Read the model's 45, 78, and 92% access scores and the 0.35/0.35/0.30 Continuity score
- Choose a corner that meets an insulation-access target with the least lumber
05 · Skin Command
- Explain why a nailed sheet stops a frame from racking
- Lay sheets so every edge lands on a stud, a plate or a block
- Read wall capacity from the edge-nail spacing: 260, 380 or 490 plf
- Cut a window opening to its corners without weakening the sheet
- Tell structure from weather: sheathing stiffens, house wrap keeps it dry
06 · Room Command
- Snap a room from the floor-plan contract before any wall stands
- Raise, brace, and plumb each wall in two directions
- Square a rectangle with equal diagonals (12 × 16 → 20.00 ft)
- Straighten the top plate with a string-and-blocks check
- Tie corners and lap cap plates so four walls become one box
Grounded Lessons 07–12
07 · Site Command
- Read contour interval and spacing to judge slope as rise over run
- Trace runoff: water crosses contours at right angles, and a valley V points uphill
- Compare drainage, sun, wind, access, and setbacks across three candidate pads
- Score a pad from the survey team's ratings, your priorities, and a steep-slope penalty
- Choose a location that reaches a 72 % composite with Local slope at or under 15 %
08 · Grade Command
- Compute slope as fall divided by run, converting inches to feet first
- State the code rule: 6 in of fall in the first 10 ft from a foundation
- Tell a swale from a ditch and explain why wide and shallow wins
- Predict ponding at any low point that has no outlet
- Explain how slope, rain and ground cover together set the erosion index
09 · Soil Command
- Name the soil layers from topsoil down to gravel and tell them apart by grain size
- Compute average bearing pressure as load divided by bearing area, in psf
- Read the code's presumptive bearing table: clay 1,500, sand 2,000, gravel 3,000 psf
- Explain why differential settlement cracks walls and how water and frost make it worse
- Use Bearing area, Compaction index and Soil model to bring Average pressure and Settlement index into limits
10 · Footing Command
- Explain how a footing turns a post's 530 psi into about 7 psi on the soil
- Size a footing from load ÷ allowable bearing pressure and round it up
- Keep the post inside the middle third and predict the Max edge pressure
- Place rebar where concrete stretches, with 3 in of cover against earth
- Recite the small footing rules: 6 in thick, 12 in deep, below the frost line
11 · Platform Command
- Trace a floor load from the subfloor through joists, rim boards, and supports to the ground
- Turn a floor pressure in psf into a joist line load and bending with M = wL² ÷ 8
- Predict how depth (cubed) and span (to the fourth) change sag, and check it against L/360
- Explain why rim boards, blocking, and supported panel edges stop rolling joists and squeaks
- Compare a raised joist platform with a 3½-inch slab-on-grade and name gravel, vapor sheet, and slab
12 · Anchor Command
- Trace the load path from roof to soil and name the connector at every joint
- Turn wind speed into pressure with q = 0.00256 × V² and see why 165 mph nearly doubles 120
- Tell the three jobs apart: bolts against sliding, hold-downs against overturning, both against uplift
- Apply the builders' bolt rules: half-inch, 7 in deep, 6 ft apart, two per plate, one within 12 in of each end
- Read Sliding demand, Anchors / capacity, Hold-down tension, and Uplift estimate, and keep demand under capacity
Roof & Storm Lessons 13–18
13 · Triangle Command
- Explain why a pinned triangle cannot fold while a square of the same sticks can
- Read Roof angle, Rafter / joint, Outward thrust, and Closed triangle and say what each means
- Tell a rafter tie at the plate line from a collar tie in the top third
- Predict how raising Roof rise cuts Outward thrust in the peak-load case
- Close the force triangle with Bottom tie Installed, Triangulation Braced, and Joint quality at least 70 percent
14 · Pitch Command
- Convert a pitch ratio to an angle with atan(rise ÷ run)
- Measure run to the ridge face, then add the sloped tail to Common rafter
- Compare Two-slope area to the plan using 1 ÷ cos θ
- Read Roof angle, Common rafter, Two-slope area, Drainage index, and Overhang
- Keep Roof pitch at or above 3:12, Overhang at or under 3 ft, and Drainage index at or above Drainage target
15 · Rafter Command
- Name the seat cut, heel cut, plumb cut, tail, and HAP on a common rafter
- Derive seat and heel lengths from notch depth and pitch: seat = notch ÷ sin θ
- Apply the quarter rule (end notch ≤ D/4) and full seat on a plate ≥ 1½ in
- Explain why every rafter must share one HAP from one pattern rafter
- Measure run to the ridge face so Rafter length lands on stock lumber
16 · Truss Command
- Name top chord, bottom chord, web, panel point, heel, and bearing on the model
- Read Top chord / joint 8,944 lb · 90%, Bottom-chord tension 8,000 lb, and Web force index 1,800 lb
- Explain why loads belong at panel points and why a zero-force web still stays
- Apply IRC R802.10.4: never cut, drill, or notch a truss without a sealed repair
- Keep Top chord / joint, Bottom-chord tension, and Web force index at Holds with Geometry Symmetric and Web system Complete
17 · Roof Skin Command
- Name the roof drainage layers from deck to outlet and the order they go on
- Explain shingle-style lapping: lower piece first, each upper course overlapping downhill
- Tell eave drip edge from rake drip edge and why the install order flips
- Read Leak-risk index and fix a short lap, a missing detail, or a blocked outlet
- Recognize valleys, ridges, ice barriers, and penetrations as concentrated-flow details
18 · Storm Command
- Turn wind speed into roof uplift with q = 0.00256 × V² and the lab's single 1.4 factor
- Trace the uplift chain from sheathing through hurricane ties, the wall diaphragm, and base anchors to the soil
- Compare Roof-tie count and Capacity per tie with Uplift demand, and keep Demand / capacity at or below 1.00
- Explain why corners, eaves, and overhangs raise the lift, and why a failed opening adds inside push
- Read the four lab gauges and say when Path continuity is Complete
Dry Shell Lessons 19–24
19 · Window Command
- Check a rough opening's clearance and diagonals, and use Frame distortion as the squareness lever
- Sequence the sill pan, window, jamb flashing, and head flashing so every layer sheds downhill
- Explain why the bottom flange stays open so the pan can weep
- Shim and fasten a window without racking the frame or blocking drainage
- Diagnose reverse laps, blocked outlets, flat pans, and bowed frames with Leak-risk index
20 · Door Command
- Set the hinge jamb plumb in two directions and hang the door from that axis
- Read even ⅛-inch reveals and equal diagonals as proof the frame is square
- Shim behind each hinge, drive one 3-inch screw into the jack stud, and support the threshold
- Tune weatherstrip and sweep near 60 percent compression so the door seals without a shove
- Diagnose a ghost door, a racked frame, a bouncing threshold, and a two-hand latch
21 · Flashing Command
- State the shingle rule: every upper layer drains over the layer below
- Weave step flashing, one L-piece per roof course, at a roof-to-wall
- Place a kickout that throws roof water into the gutter, not the wall
- Leave a 2-inch drying gap between siding and roofing
- Integrate a vent-pipe boot: uphill half under, downhill half over
22 · Air Command
- Trace one continuous air barrier around the conditioned space without lifting the pencil
- Turn a 50 Pa blower-door cfm into ACH50 with cfm × 60 ÷ volume
- Seal the five families in order: base, roof, seams, openings, penetrations
- Read Effective leak area, Pressure airflow, and Air changes @ 50 Pa (ACH50); hit 45 cfm and 2.25 /h
- Tell accidental leakage from designed ventilation, and why a tight house still needs a fan
23 · Heat Command
- Relate R-value and U-factor, and read Whole-wall U as the mixed wall
- Spot framing thermal bridges: studs, plates, headers, and three-stud corners
- Compare cavity batts with continuous insulation that crosses the bridges
- Connect Inside surface, Coldest spot (corner), and Indoor dew point to condensation risk
- Explain why a leaky air-control layer can undo good insulation
24 · Envelope Command
- Rank rain, air leaks, and vapor by how much water each can move
- Trace each control layer around the house without lifting the pen
- Pick a climate-matched vapor strategy and keep a drying path
- Read the moisture index as five named penalties
- Commission the whole shell so rain, air, heat, and humidity tests agree
Life Systems Lessons 25–30
25 · Water Command
- Treat street pressure as a budget spent on lifting, rubbing, and turning
- Compute velocity with 0.408 times gpm divided by d squared, and keep copper under 8 ft/s
- Predict how diameter to the 4.87 power changes friction loss
- Keep residual pressure at or above 20 psi at the farthest fixture under flow
- Place a main shutoff and a fixture stop so one repair does not drain the house
26 · Drain Command
- Explain why a gravity drain must fall the whole way, and name a belly
- Use the IRC slope minimums and read Fall vs available depth against 10 in
- Keep a 2–4 in trap seal by venting a short trap arm
- Match Drain diameter to Fixture demand so Capacity / demand stays at Holds, then leave a cleanout
- Read the four lab gauges and restore a siphoned, sagging, blocked branch
27 · Power Command
- Relate watts, volts, and amperes with I = P ÷ V, and read Circuit current in the lab
- Read Breaker ≤ wire rating (14 AWG → 15 A, 12 → 20 A, 10 → 30 A) and keep utilization at or under 80%
- Calculate two-wire voltage drop and keep Voltage drop at or under 3%
- Explain equipment grounding as a fault path that lets the breaker open
- Explain why a GFCI watches for about 5 mA of missing current, separate from overcurrent
28 · Light Command
- Distinguish lumens (lamp output) from lux and footcandles (light on the desk)
- Compute Average illuminance with the lumen method on the 17.84 m² lab room
- Use inverse square, Beam angle, and Mounting height to size a footprint
- Keep Uniformity index at or above 0.62 so corners match the middle
- Hold Glare index at or under 1.15 by spreading light, not stacking lumens
29 · Climate Command
- Compute sensible capacity as 1.08 × cfm × ΔT and compare it with Modeled load
- Read Supply air changes (recirculated) as cfm × 60 ÷ volume, not outdoor air
- Keep Return path Complete so supply air can leave the room
- Separate particle filtration from ventilation that dilutes gases
- Hold Indoor humidity between 35 and 60 percent on Humidity / filter
30 · Safe House Command
- Place interconnected smoke alarms so Detector coverage ratio stays at or under 1.00
- Give every sleeping room two ways out, including a 5.7 ft² escape opening
- Keep the required exit 32 in clear and hallways 36 in, openable without a key
- Use Compartmentation Protected to grow Available safe time by 35 percent
- Compare Evacuation time with Available safe time and keep Paths and guidance at Redundant + lit
06 · What an adult does
Account, guide, Serve, Field Cards.
- Own the account and any purchase. Children never sign in.
- Open the “Adult guide and safety” drawer under every stage, and the Adult Guide modal:
Commander Academy teaches observation, geometry, systems thinking, and verification. It does not grant trade authority, engineering approval, or permission to undertake construction.
Choose age-appropriate tabletop activities. Keep learners away from active work zones, excavations, energized systems, heavy lifting, power cutting, and fastening equipment unless a qualified adult has established a safe controlled activity.
- Supervise Serve missions. They begin “With a qualified adult” and forbid entering work areas or handling tools.
- Print Field Cards if you want a paper record of objectives, field facts, and the evidence mission.
Example — Lesson 01 adult notes
Every lesson carries its own notes inside the Academy. Lesson 01, which is free, reads:
- This lesson is an educational geometry and statics simulation.
- Real member sizing, connections, permits, and code compliance require qualified professionals.
- A tabletop craft-stick wall is a safe optional activity; full-size wall raising is not a child activity.
Paid lessons carry their own notes; they are not repeated here.
07 · Safety and authority
Education is not a licence to build.
This package verifies its educational geometry and arithmetic. It does not certify structural adequacy, code compliance, electrical or plumbing work, or a life-safety design. Real loads, spans, species and grades, connections, installation, permits, and inspection remain with qualified professionals and the local authority having jurisdiction.
Education is not engineering authority. Electrical content is virtual and drawing-only. Water, sanitary, fire, structural, and code content is conceptual. Real design, installation, and inspection remain with qualified professionals and the local authority.
- Electrical content is fully virtual — a drawing-only circuit, never a live panel.
- Plumbing is taught without touching a real sanitation system.
- This lesson is emergency-planning education, not a fire-code or life-safety design approval.
08 · Time budget
Make room for discovery.
The thirty lessons sum to 1,495 min ≈ 25 h. Each one is written as 40–60 minutes. The five free lessons are 230 min ≈ 4 h.
A pacing suggestion, not a requirement:
- One lesson per sitting, two sittings a week ≈ 15 weeks.
- One lesson a day ≈ 6 weeks.
09 · Equipment
None. A browser is enough.
A modern browser with WebGL. If 3D acceleration is missing, the lesson, numbers lab, assessments, diagrams, and Field Card remain. After load, the Academy file works offline — fonts and engine are embedded. A printer is optional, only if you want Field Cards on paper. Serve missions use paper, cardboard, a pencil, or a walk with an adult. No kit ships. No in-app purchase of tools.
10 · Free vs paid
Five forever free. Twenty-five on a household plan.
Lessons 01–05 are free forever, with no account. Lessons 06–30 unlock with either household plan. It is the same thirty-lesson course either way. Plain prices on the pricing page.
11 · Proof
Numbers a parent can read.
See the calculation
Each numbers lab shows the measurements and the rule behind the result.
Try, then adjust
Change a value and see the model, gauge, and explanation respond together.
Explain what holds
Use Prove to connect a design choice to evidence from the lesson.
Keep a Field Card
Print a lesson record with its key idea, vocabulary, and a supervised activity.