How to use PlanCraft 3D: a quick start

PlanCraft 3D runs in your browser, on a phone or a computer, and needs no sign-up. Your drawings stay on your own device.

1. Start a plan

Open the planner. Choose Create my plan and enter the width and length of your plot in feet or metres, or open the sample house to look around.

2. Draw walls

Pick the wall tool, then click and drag. Walls can be any angle, down to 0.01 degree, and snap to neighbouring walls. Use Snap to keep them neat.

3. Add doors, windows and floors

Choose the door or window tool and click on a wall. Use the floor zone tool to name rooms and choose floor finishes such as tile, wood or concrete.

4. Place furniture and fittings

Open the catalogue to add beds, sofas, counters, bathroom fittings, lights and sockets. Rotate with the R key or the handle.

5. Add floors and a roof

Use the floor selector to add storeys, copy a floor up, and choose a flat, hip or gable roof.

6. Look in 3D

Switch to 3D and orbit, or use first-person to walk through. Show one floor, all floors, or only up to a chosen floor. The quality setting lowers the resolution on slower phones.

7. Engineering tools

• Column grid: generate columns at corners, junctions and long spans.
• Plot and setbacks: draw the boundary and setback lines.
• North and sun: test shadows by month and hour.
• Plumbing layer: place fixtures and draw pipes.
• Dimension tool: drag to measure.

8. Estimate the cost

Open the cost screen to see totals for foundation, frame, masonry, finishes and services. Edit any unit price, switch currency, and read the rebar schedule by diameter. Download the result as a CSV file.

9. Export

Export PDF, PNG images, and a DXF file for AutoCAD or similar programs.

PlanCraft 3D is a planning tool. Estimates are approximate and structural design must come from a licensed engineer.

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