How to turn a hand-drawn sketch into a 3D floor plan

Why the numbers matter more than the drawing

A hand sketch is never to scale, so DecorHome reads it in two parts. The drawing tells it which walls exist, how they connect and where the doors and windows are. The sizes come from the lengths you wrote next to the walls, and are checked a second time against the shapes.

That means a rough, wobbly sketch with clear numbers works better than a neat drawing with no measurements.

Draw and photograph your sketch

1. Draw each room as an outline. Show where walls meet and mark doors and windows with a gap or a small symbol.
2. Write the length of every wall beside it, in the same unit throughout (for example 4.20 for 4.20 m). Write digits large and clearly.
3. Add a room name inside each room, such as bath or hall.
4. Photograph the page from straight above, in daylight, with the whole sheet in the frame and no shadow across it.

Import it and check the result

1. Create a project and choose the sketch photo option. Say it is a hand sketch, and add a measurement you know for sure if you like.
2. Wait for the model to open in Plan view with your photo beside it.
3. Go through the “To check” list: it lists everything the reading was unsure about, such as a number it could not read clearly.
4. Correct walls by dragging them or typing a length, then confirm each wall to improve the precision of the model.

What to expect from a sketch

A model built from a sketch is an approximation, and DecorHome labels it that way. The label stays visible next to the measurements, so you always know how far to trust it. The materials list for an approximate model shows a wider price range than one built from a vector plan, for the same reason.

Reading a sketch photo costs 10 credits, and the credits are returned if nothing can be read. A free account includes 10 credits to try it once the email address is confirmed. Drawing and editing by hand, without any import, is always free.