Creating Drawings in Planoplan

Planoplan allows you to create drawings based on your project: floor plans, furniture layouts, finishing plans, electrical plans, and other types of documentation. You can use dimensions, lines, shapes, text, callouts, symbols, tables, and images to create drawings.

You can format a drawing directly in the project, divide it into separate sheets using tags, add specifications, and prepare the result for export in the required format.

General workflow

It is convenient to create a drawing in several stages:

1. Prepare the floor plan and configure how rooms, walls, and objects are displayed.
2. Add dimensions and room areas.
3. Add lines, shapes, and other graphic elements.
4. Add text notes and callouts.
5. Add symbols and object representations.
6. Add tables, images, and QR codes.
7. Create specifications.
8. Divide the project into separate sheets using tags.
9. If necessary, create a custom frame and title block.
10. Configure the export and assemble the finished sheets in the Design Project.

Prepare the floor plan

Before creating a drawing, prepare the project itself: create rooms, place objects, add the necessary walls, doors, and windows, and configure materials and other elements.

Pay attention to how rooms are displayed. If you assign a Custom type to a room, the floor texture of this room will be displayed when you export the plan.

This is useful, for example, when you need to show the actual floor covering or visually distinguish specific rooms on the drawing.

Configure object display

You can change an object's representation on the plan to a vector SVG image. Vector representation allows you to zoom in without losing image quality.

This is especially useful when preparing drawings for printing or exporting at a large scale.

You can also change the display color of objects and walls on the plan. The color is applied separately to a specific object or a specific wall, so changing one element does not affect other objects or walls in the project.

Open the drawing tools

The main tools for formatting drawings are available in 2D mode. You can use them to add dimensions, lines, shapes, text, callouts, tables, images, and other drawing elements.

Choose the tools depending on the purpose of the sheet. For example, a working floor plan may require dimensions and room areas, while a finishing plan may require material symbols and a table with additional information.

Add dimensions

Dimensions help show the sizes of rooms, walls, and objects.

Automatic room dimensions

You can automatically add internal dimensions to a room. Select the room and use the corresponding command in the room menu.

Planoplan will create dimensions along the inner sides of the room.

Keep in mind that automatic dimensions are not attached to walls. If you change the position of a wall or the geometry of a room, you need to move the dimension manually.

Automatic object dimensions

You can also automatically create dimensions for objects using the object menu.

The dimensions are created relative to the selected object but are not attached to it. Therefore, if you move the object, you also need to move its dimensions manually.

Show room areas

To display a room's area, use the “Area” element from the catalog.

Search the catalog for “Area” and drag the element into a room. Planoplan will automatically calculate the room area and display it as text.

This is useful for floor plans, room schedules, and other drawings where the area needs to be shown directly on the plan.

Use lines and shapes

Use the “Line” and “Shape” tools to create graphic elements.

They can be used to:

• create frames;
• highlight specific areas;
• draw arrows and pointers;
• create symbols;
• format tables and title blocks;
• create additional drawing elements.

Lines and shapes can be combined with text and images when necessary.

Add notes using text and callouts

Use “Text” and “Callout” for notes.

Text can be used for room labels, material names, explanations, and other notes directly on the plan.

A callout allows you to connect a note to a specific location on the drawing. This is useful when the text needs to be placed away from the object or room while maintaining a visual connection to it.

Add symbols

You can use symbols, images, and SVG elements when formatting drawings.

SVG images are especially useful for elements that need to remain clear when the drawing is enlarged. Unlike raster images, vector graphics do not lose quality when scaled up.

For objects that support this representation, you can select a vector SVG image in the plan display settings.

Add a table

Tables can be used to place additional information directly on the drawing.

You can add text and other data to table cells. Text in a cell can be converted into a QR code through the cell settings.

This can be useful for adding links to documentation, product pages, or additional information about an object.

Add an image

You can add an image to the plan and use it as part of the drawing layout.

Images can be used for logos, additional diagrams, symbols, and other documentation elements.

For graphic elements that need to be scaled without losing quality, SVG is preferable.

Create a specification

A specification allows you to collect information about project objects and materials in a table.

You can create a specification for selected objects, the contents of a group, or a room.

A specification contains five columns:

“Preview”;

• “Name”;
• “Quantity”;
• “Price”;
• “Comment”.

The quantity is calculated depending on the element type: objects are counted in pieces, materials in square meters, and moldings in linear meters.

For a room, you can choose whether to include objects, materials, or both objects and materials.

Prices and comments can be edited manually.

Create a separate specification for each room, object, or group when you need separate schedules.

Keep in mind that a created specification is not automatically synchronized with project changes. If the project contents change after the specification is created, recreate the specification if necessary.

A finished specification can be exported to the project gallery.

Prepare separate sheets using tags

If you need to create several different drawings from one project, you do not need to create a separate copy of the project for each sheet.

Tags are useful for this purpose. They work as universal layers and allow you to control the visibility of different project elements.

For example, you can create tags such as:

• “Furniture”;
• “Dimensions”;
• “Electrical”;
• “Lighting”;
• “Plumbing”;
• “Finishing”.

You can then leave only the required elements visible for each sheet.

Create tags

Open “Manage Tags” from the top menu.

You can create any number of tags, change their names and order, assign colors, and delete tags you no longer need.

Assign tags to objects

Tags can be assigned to almost any scene object, including dimensions, polylines, and tables.

One object can have multiple tags.

To assign the same tag to several objects, select them and add the required tag. On Windows, use Ctrl for multiple selection; on macOS, use ⌘.

Use an active tag

The active tag is automatically assigned to new objects added to the project.

This is useful when creating separate sheets one after another. For example, activate the “Electrical” tag and add the required symbols — they will automatically belong to this layer.

Control tag visibility

Use the eye icon to hide or show all objects assigned to a specific tag.

This allows you to create several types of drawings from one project without copying the original project.

Create a custom frame and title block

If the standard frame is not sufficient, you can create your own using the “Line” tool.

Disable the standard frame

In the Design Project sheet preview, disable the built-in frame.

Click the “Frame” icon. After it is disabled, the icon will appear crossed out.

Calculate the frame size

The frame size in the project must be increased proportionally to the print scale.

For example, if the drawing is to be printed on an A3 sheet measuring 420 × 297 mm at a scale of 1:50:

• 420 × 50 = 21,000 mm = 21 m;
• 297 × 50 = 14,850 mm = 14.85 m.

Therefore, the frame in the project should measure 21 × 14.85 m.

Draw the frame

Open “Plan Annotation” and select “Line”.

Draw a rectangle with the calculated dimensions and place it around the plan.

Create the title block

Use the “Line” tool to create a title block or another required table inside the frame.

The dimensions of the title block elements must also be recalculated according to the drawing scale. For example, if an element should be 20 mm on paper according to GOST or an internal company standard, its size in the project at a 1:50 scale will be 1000 mm.

Use the “Text” tool to fill in the fields.

Prepare the sheet for export

Before exporting, check:

• whether the required tags are enabled;
• whether all necessary objects are visible;
• whether dimensions are positioned correctly;
• whether room areas are visible;
• whether floor textures are displayed correctly;
• whether objects are displayed correctly;
• whether the required colors are applied to walls and objects;
• whether any elements extend beyond the frame;
• whether tables and the title block are filled in correctly.

If you are using a custom frame, adjust the export viewport and scale so that the frame fits exactly within the sheet boundaries.

You can change the position of the plan relative to the export area to place the drawing correctly on the sheet.

Check the layout

Before creating the final document, zoom in and check the smaller elements.

Pay particular attention to:

• dimensions and their position;
• labels and callouts;
• lines and shapes;
• symbols;
• tables;
• QR codes;
• object representations;
• wall and object colors;
• SVG images;
• room areas;
• floor textures for rooms with the “Custom type”.

Check the drawing at the scale at which it will be used or printed. This helps identify text that is too small, overlapping elements, and other layout issues.

Configure export

You can choose the appropriate sheet format and aspect ratio for the plan export.

Available options include:

• A4 — 2480 × 3508 px;
• A3 — 3508 x 4960 px;
• Letter;
• 1:1;
• 3:4;
• 16:9;
• Custom.

You can choose portrait or landscape orientation.

The export area size can be entered manually, changed using the arrows, or adjusted with the slider.

If necessary, use “Restore from previous export”.

The export settings also allow you to hide specific plan elements, such as wall dimensions, dimension lines, or furniture.

If you are using a custom frame, configure the export area so that the custom frame matches the boundaries of the exported sheet.

Assemble drawings in the Design Project

After preparing the individual sheets, you can assemble them in the Design Project.

If tags are used for different sheets, configure the required set of visible elements before preparing the corresponding export area.

Each sheet can use its own combination of tags and, if necessary, its own custom frame.

As a result, you can create a complete documentation set from a single project: for example, a general floor plan, furniture plan, electrical plan, lighting plan, and finishing plan.

Final workflow

A convenient workflow for creating a complete set of drawings is:

1. Create and prepare the floor plan.
2. Assign the required room types. For rooms with the “Custom type”, the floor texture can be displayed when the plan is exported.
3. Configure object representations on the plan: use SVG when necessary and assign individual colors to objects and walls.
4. Add automatic room and object dimensions.
5. Add room areas using the “Area” element.
6. Add lines, shapes, text, and callouts.
7. Add symbols and images.
8. Create tables and QR codes when necessary.
9. Create the required specifications.
10. Organize project elements using tags.
11. Enable the required tags for each sheet.
12. If necessary, disable the standard frame and create a custom one.
13. Add the title block and fill it with text.
14. Configure the export area.
15. Check the drawing layout.
16. Assemble the finished sheets in the Design Project.

This approach allows you to create a complete set of drawings from a single project without duplicating the original scene for each type of documentation.