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Import an upper floor from an image and align it

Add Floor → Import from image or PDF, let the tracer draft it, then pin two corners to the floor below so stairs, walls, and 3D line up.

4 minUpdated 2026-09-17

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. 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 PDFTrace 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. 2

    Choose the picture

    Tap Choose an image and pick the photo, scan, or PDF page — a clear, top-down picture of the floor plan works best. The app reads it (Reading the floor plan…) and traces the walls, doors, and windows.

  3. 3

    Pin two matching corners

    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.
  4. 4

    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.
  5. 5

    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 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, Edit Floor Plan Shape → Re-scale fixes every floor from one known span.

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?

Use Re-scale in Edit Floor Plan Shape to correct the whole plan from one known measurement.

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