Measure your room by walking it: AR scan on iPhone
In the iPhone and iPad app, point the camera at each corner of a room and tap. RoomSketch3D measures the walls and builds the outline. It uses ARKit camera tracking (no LiDAR needed) and captures one room per scan.
In the iPhone and iPad app you can measure a room with the camera instead of a tape measure. You stand in the room, point at each corner where the walls meet the floor, and tap Add Corner. RoomSketch3D measures the distances between the corners and turns them into a to-scale room outline you can then furnish.
Three things people often get wrong, so they're up front here. An AR scan measures one room at a time. It records the room's corners, not its doors, windows or furniture. It doesn't need LiDAR or Apple's RoomPlan. It uses ordinary ARKit camera tracking, so it works on iPhones without a LiDAR sensor and on ones where the sensor is broken. It's only in the iPhone and iPad app. The Android app and the web editor don't have AR, but they have other quick ways to start (see the end of this page).
What you'll need
- •The RoomSketch3D app on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 or later. A LiDAR sensor is not needed.
- •A reasonably well-lit room where you can see the floor in each corner.
Step by step
- 1
Start a new design and choose AR Scan
In the iPhone or iPad app, start a new design (the + button or the designs list), choose Interior Floor Plan, and tap the AR Scan tile (Scan room with camera). The tile only appears in the iOS app, and not for yard designs. Tap Start AR Scan. The first time, allow camera access.
- 2
Read the four-step card, then tap Got it!
The camera opens with a How to Scan Your Room card: point at a corner, the crosshair turns green when it's aimed at the floor, tap Add Corner, mark at least 3 corners, then tap Done. Move the phone around slowly for a second or two so it can find the floor. The status line changes from Looking for surface to tracking.
- 3
Aim at the first corner and tap Add Corner
Stand back a little and aim the AIM HERE crosshair at the spot on the floor where two walls meet. When the crosshair is green, tap Add Corner. If the crosshair isn't green you're not pointing at the floor yet. Tilt the phone down a little.
- 4
Go round the room, corner by corner
Walk to the next corner in order, clockwise or anticlockwise, and add it the same way. As you go, the app shows Distance from last corner, a corner count, and a small live floor plan with the approximate perimeter and area. If you add a corner by mistake, tap Undo. Clear starts the room over. For an L-shaped room, add each inside corner too.
- 5
Tap Done and tidy the outline
After the last corner, tap Done. Don't add the first corner again, because the outline closes on its own. The corners open in the shape editor, where you can drag a corner or type an exact wall length. Then tap Create Floor Plan. Check one or two walls against a tape measure, because camera measurements are approximate.
- 6
Add the doors, windows and furniture
The scan gives you walls only. Add doors and windows from the Build panel and furniture from the catalog, the same as on a plan you drew by hand. See Add doors and Add windows.
Tips
Light and patience beat speed
AR tracking needs to see texture on the floor. Turn the lights on, move slowly, and give it a second at each corner. A plain, shiny or very dark floor is harder to track. If you see It's too dark to scan or Lost tracking, add light and slow down.
Furniture in a corner?
Aim at the floor right beside the furniture, where the two walls would meet, and fix the corner in the shape editor afterwards. You can also skip a hidden corner and drag it into place later.
Whole home: scan the main room, then add the others
Use the scan for the room you care about most. Then add each neighbouring room to the same plan with Build → Add Room: tap the outside wall it sits against and set its size. Use interior walls to split a space. See Add a room beside an existing one.
Common mistakes
Trying to scan the whole house in one go
One AR scan gives one room outline. Walking from room to room in a single scan joins the corners into one odd shape. Scan one room, then build the rest with Add Room (or start from a floor-plan image, below).
Scanning each room as a new design
Each AR scan starts a new design, and separate designs can't be merged into one plan. To keep every room in one plan, scan once and add the other rooms inside that design.
Tapping the wall instead of the floor
Corners are measured on the floor. Aim where the walls meet the floor, not at the wall or the ceiling. A green crosshair means you're on the floor.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an iPhone with LiDAR? Mine is broken or my phone doesn't have one.
No. The AR scan uses Apple's ARKit camera tracking (the floor detection every ARKit device has), not the LiDAR sensor and not Apple's RoomPlan. It works the same on iPhones and iPads without LiDAR, or with a broken LiDAR sensor, as long as the device runs iOS 15 or later.
Can I scan more than one room?
One room per scan. To plan a whole floor, scan one room and add the others to the same plan with Build → Add Room, then split spaces with interior walls. You can also start from a photo or PDF of the floor plan. Each new scan creates a separate design, and designs can't be combined.
Does the scan pick up doors, windows or furniture?
No, only the room's corners. Add doors, windows and furniture in the editor afterwards. It takes a minute or two.
Is there AR scanning on Android or the web?
Not today. AR Scan is only in the iPhone and iPad app. On Android and on the web (app.roomsketch3d.com) use Rectangular Floor Plan (type the width and length), Custom Floor Plan (draw any shape), Floor Plan Image or PDF (trace a plan, or let AI draft it), or Use Room Photo (AI drafts a room from one photo). A plan you scan on iPhone opens on Android and the web when you're signed in to the same account.
How accurate is it?
Accurate enough to start, but treat it as approximate. Accuracy depends on light, the floor surface and how steadily you aim. Measure one or two walls with a tape and type the exact lengths in the shape editor. The rest of the plan scales from there.
I don't see the AR Scan option. Why?
Check three things. You're in the iPhone or iPad app (not Android or a browser). You chose Interior Floor Plan, because yards don't have AR. And the device supports ARKit with iOS 15 or later. If the scan starts but says camera access is needed, turn it on in Settings → RoomSketch3D → Camera.
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