Import Trace File...

 

Import digitized floor plans and trace them to see how they look in 3D.  This page gives you technical information. Also see Tracing Floor Plans tutorial.

 

Contents

 

Trace File Formats

Importing Trace Files

How to Trace Floor Plans

Orienting Trace Image to North

Scale Trace Image

Draw Walls on Trace Image

Mirror Trace Image

Manual Scaling

Select Trace Image

Delete Trace Image

Move Trace Image

Hide Trace Image

Lock Trace Image

Trace File Formats

Plan3D will import floor plans in several common digital formats.

 

Get floor plans from your architect, interior designer, contractor or web sites like HousePlans.com. Paper floor plans can be scanned or photographed with a digital camera and saved as one of the file formats below.

 

File types and sizes you may import:

 

File types:

JPG, GIF and BMP in any color or gray scale format.

 

Dimensions:

If dimensions are larger then 1024 x 1024 pixels, the file will be reduced to that size when imported.

 

There is no need for detailed trace images. As long as you can read the dimensions it can be traced.

Importing Trace Files

There are several ways to import floor plan files for tracing:

 

File> Import Trace File...

When this menu item is chosen, you'll get the standard Open File window. After you choose a  file it will be placed in the middle of the grid.

 

Drag-In a File

*Drag-and-drop trace files from the desktop or Window's folders onto the grid in 3D or blueprint modes.

 

Drag in Web Page Images

*Drag images from web pages onto the grid.  If the web image is linked or has illegal characters like &, * or %  in its URL, do this:

 

  1. Right-click image, choose "Save Picture As..."

  2. Save image to desktop

  3. Drag file icon on desktop onto grid in plan3D.

 

*Images dragged onto wall or furniture surfaces, will be applied to the surfaces as a material - even trace files. Drag trace files onto the ground to avoid this.

 

PDF and other File Formats

You can capture a screen image to the clipboard from most programs, such as Acrobat, by holding down the alt key and pressing the print screen key. Paste the clipboard into a paint program and save it as a jpg, gif or bmp file to import it into plan3D.

 

Big Paper Blueprints

If your contractor can't provide a digital image of your blueprint consider laying it out flat and using a digital camera to photograph it from above.

How to Trace Floor Plans

See Tracing Floor Plans tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

 

Orienting Trace Image to North

When the Trace image is imported it may not be oriented correctly. Here are a few ways to adjust orientation.

 

  1. Right-click the trace image and choose one of the rotation options under "Rotate."
     

  2. Click the trace image and drag red corner handles in a clockwise motion. Hold in the shift key when dragging to rotate freely - otherwise the floor plan will snap to 22.5 degree angles.
     

  3. See View>Compass Properties for a way to change compass direction.
     

 


Scale Trace Image

 

Before you add walls, scale the floor plan so walls and other objects will match the dimensions of the trace file:

 

  1. After you import a trace file, find a dimension reference to scale it to. A dimension reference is a wall showing that has a length you can scale to.

    Dimension reference examples that could be used to scale a floor plan:


     

  2. Right-click the trace image and choose "Scale Trace Image..." You'll get a window where you can enter the dimensions reference size. If we used the back wall dimension reference above we would enter 54 in the foot box and 0 in the inch box:
     

  3. After you click OK the cursor will change to the trace cursor.

    To complete scaling, draw a line along the wall with the length you just entered. If you used the back wall above a reference you would draw a line from the left side of the back wall to the right side of the back wall.

    Note: Consider whether the measurement is an interior or exterior dimension and draw the line appropriately for accuracy.
     

  4. After you draw the red line, you will get this message:

 

 

Scale Trace Images Manually: On the off chance you want to manually scale the trace image, hold in the alt key and drag on it.

 

Draw Walls on Trace Image

 

After you scale the image, draw walls on it in blueprint or 3D mode.

 

Important Notes for Creating a 3D model of your Floor plan:

 

  1. Set the default wall thickness for interior and exterior walls under Edit>Preferences>Walls.
     

  2. Draw long straight walls. Don't stop at holes, windows or door markings. If you don't want walls to link then draw with the unlinked wall type or right-click a linked wall and choose "Disable Linking."
     

  3. Drag windows and doors that are closest to the actual size onto walls. If size isn't exact, right-click and choose "Set Dimension" to scale them to match your floor plan exactly.
     

  4. Add cabinets, toilets and furniture after the structure is completed.
     

  5. Don't worry about paint colors, exterior bricks, siding or roof shingle materials until you finish tracing.

 

Mirror Trace Image

 

Sometimes you'll need to make a mirror image of the trace image. Right-click it and choose "Reverse Object Direction."

 

Manual Scaling

 

On the off chance you want to manually scale a trace image, hold in the alt key and drag on it. See Scale Floor Plan Image for the best way to scale a trace image.

 

Select Trace Image

 

Double-click the trace image to select it. You'll see red handles on the corners to indicate it's selected.

 

Delete Trace Image

 

Select and press the delete or backspace keys. You may also right-click the trace image and choose "Delete" from the pop-up menu.

 

Move Trace Image

 

Click-and-drag the trace image to move it.

 

Hide Trace Image

 

Right-click the trace image and choose "Hide."

 

Lock Trace Image

 

Right-click the trace image and choose "Lock."