Start with plain white paper
Plain white paper is all you need to get started. Graph paper is a plus — its grid gives the AI a steady scale reference and keeps your lines square. One square = a set distance.
Beta · Photo & scan input
How to sketch a floor plan the AI can read
You don't need CAD. A clear pencil sketch is enough — if you draw it so the reader can find the walls, doors and rooms. Follow these seven essentials and Drafthouse turns your sketch into a clean, export-ready PDF.
The seven essentials
Each one helps the reader lock onto the right shapes. The more you follow, the cleaner the result.
Straight, dark, connected walls
Use a ruler. Draw walls as solid, dark lines pressed firmly — faint or sketchy double-strokes confuse the reader.
Close every room
Make each room a complete loop — corners should meet, not overshoot or fall short. The only gaps should be doors.
Mark doors & windows
Draw a door as a quarter-circle swing and a window as a short gap or thin double line set into the wall.
Stairs as parallel lines
Show a staircase as a box filled with a row of evenly spaced parallel treads. Add an arrow for the up direction if you like.
Label rooms & dimensions
Print room names in plain block letters and add any dimensions you know (e.g. 12' × 14'). Clear printing beats cursive.
Curved walls as one smooth arc
Need a curved wall? Draw it as a single smooth arc in one continuous stroke — don't piece it together from short straight lines. The AI fits your arc to a clean curve on import.
Snap the photo right
A good sketch can still trip up on a bad photo. Four quick habits keep your scan readable.
Bright, even light
Shoot in daylight or under a lamp. Avoid hard shadows and glare across the page.
Flat & square
Lay the page flat and hold the camera directly above it so the plan isn't skewed.
Fill the frame
Get close so the plan fills the photo, but keep all four edges and labels inside.
One floor per page
Sketch each floor on its own sheet. Upload a multi-page PDF and we split it into floor tabs.
Do
- Use a ruler for every wall
- Press firmly so lines are dark and solid
- Keep rooms rectangular where you can
- Leave clean gaps for doorways
- Print labels above or inside each room
- Add a north arrow or "UP" on stairs
Don't
- Sketch faint, fuzzy or overlapping lines
- Shade or color in the rooms
- Leave corners open or overshooting
- Cram furniture or notes over the walls
- Photograph it crumpled or at an angle
- Mix several floors on one sheet
What a good sketch looks like
Notice what makes this one easy to read: solid ruled walls, rooms that close at the corners, a door drawn as a swing, a window marked in the wall, and printed labels with dimensions.
- Every room is a closed rectangle
- One clear gap + swing marks the door
- Window shown as a thin break in the wall
- Names and sizes printed, not scribbled
Ready to try it?
Snap your sketch and watch Drafthouse read it into a clean, editable plan — then export a polished PDF. No credit card to start.