Import an upper floor from an image and align it
Add Floor → Import from image or PDF, trace it yourself or let AI draft it, set the scale, then pin two corners to the floor below so stairs, walls, and 3D line up.
You've drawn the ground floor and the upstairs plan exists only as a picture — the listing, a page of the architect's PDF, a photo of the drawing pinned to the wall. RoomSketch3D can trace it as a new floor and, more importantly, line it up exactly over the floor below, so stairs land where they should and the 3D house stacks corner for corner.
The alignment step is a pair of pins: a corner on the new floor and its match below, then a second pair as far away as possible. Each click snaps to the nearest corner, so the precision is the app's, not your mouse's.
Step by step
- 1
Add a floor above
Open the Floors panel and tap Add floor. Choose Add above (A new upper floor, stacked on top), then the method Import from image or PDF — Trace an upper floor from a photo or PDF — do it yourself or let AI draft it — then pin it onto the floor below so it lines up exactly. Tap Continue.
Add above → Import from image or PDF. - 2
Choose the picture, then trace it yourself or let AI draft it
The same Import floor plan wizard as a new design opens. Tap Choose an image or PDF and pick the photo, scan, or PDF page — a clear, high-resolution plan works best. Tap Crop to cut it down to this floor (leave out other floors, titles and the edges of a screenshot), then Next. Now choose: - Trace it myself — you draw over the plan for full control. - Let AI draft it (Experimental) — AI traces the walls, doors and windows for you to check. The wait screen reads Reading your floor plan…; a detailed plan can take a few minutes. Tap Next. (The Design name box on this screen doesn't matter here: the new floor gets its floor name.)
Trace it yourself, or let AI take a first pass. - 3
Set the scale and check the trace
The import opens full screen and walks you through its steps — Calibrate, Outline, Walls and Doors & windows (an AI draft that already found the outline skips that step). In Calibrate, drag the two markers onto the ends of a length you know — usually a wall with its measurement written on the plan — type that length and tap Set scale. Tracing yourself, you draw the outline, walls, doors and windows; with an AI draft they come pre-filled for you to check and fix. The last step's button still reads Create design: here it doesn't make a new design, it takes you on to lining up the floor.
- 4
Pin two matching corners
Next the Align the imported floor dialog opens. Follow the prompts: Pin 1 — click a corner on the new floor, then Pin 1 — click the matching corner on the floor below; then Pin 2 on a second corner as far from the first as you can, and its match below. Clicks snap to the nearest corner of the floor being asked for. Use Reset pins to start over.
Two pairs of corners; each click snaps to a corner. - 5
Check the preview and add the floor
When the status reads Aligned — check the preview, then add the floor, the Preview shows the new floor sitting over the old one. Tap Add floor.
Aligned: the outlines coincide. - 6
See it stacked
The new floor opens in the editor with the floor below as a faint underlay; the stairs you placed on the ground floor connect to it. View in 3D to see the two floors stacked — then edit the traced walls and openings like any other floor, or use Re-scale (Plan Settings → Layout → Outline Editor) if the picture came in at the wrong size.
Stairs, walls, and 3D line up.
Tips
Pick corners far apart
Two pins close together amplify any error; opposite corners of the footprint give the most accurate alignment.
Crop the picture to the plan
A tight, straight-on picture traces better than a photo with the whole page and a coffee mug in it.
Wrong size? Re-scale
If the traced floor's numbers are off, open Plan Settings → Layout → Outline Editor → Re-scale on that floor and fix it from one known span. Leave the scope on This floor so the floor below keeps its size.
Common mistakes
Pinning the wrong pair
Pin 1 is a corner on the new floor, then the same corner below — not two corners on the same floor. The prompt tells you which floor each click is for.
Expecting the trace to be final
It's a head start. Check the walls and openings in the editor afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import a PDF page as the upper floor?
Yes. Import from image or PDF accepts photos, scans, and PDF files; pick the page your plan is on.
How does it line up with the floor below?
You pin two matching corners — one on the new floor, its match below, then a second pair. Clicks snap to the nearest corner, and the preview shows the overlay before you add the floor.
What if the imported floor is the wrong size?
Switch to that floor, open Plan Settings → Layout → Outline Editor, tap Re-scale, and correct it from one known measurement. Choose This floor so only the imported floor changes. See Re-scale a floor plan.
The imported floor is the right size but slightly off position. How do I line it up again?
On that floor open Plan Settings → Layout → Outline Editor and tap Reposition this floor. Drag the floor over the dashed guide of the floor below (corners snap to its corners when they're close), then tap Update Floor Plan. Revert Move puts it back where it was.
Start designing your room
Put this into practice in the floor planner: draw it, furnish it, walk through it in 3D — on web, iOS, and Android.
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