Understanding Flow Check warnings
Every warning maps to a real guideline. Here's what each one is checking, the numbers behind it, and how to clear it.
Smart Flow Check reads your plan as you work and reports, in plain words, anything that wouldn't work in real life. The Flow check pill in the toolbar is green when there's nothing to fix, amber when there are only warnings, and red when there's at least one error. Open it and every issue is listed, naming the pieces involved.
This page is the full list of what it can raise — the errors, the warnings, the numbers behind each one — and how to work through the panel.
Step by step
- 1
The pill
Top left of the canvas toolbar. OK on green means nothing to fix; a number on red or amber is the count of open issues. Click it to open the panel.
- 2
Errors (red): things that can't be
overlaps exterior wall / interior wall — the piece is inside a wall (a 1.5 in tolerance lets you place flush). A & B overlap — two pieces share floor (rugs and stackable items are exempt), including a wall AC unit whose height the piece reaches. blocks door — inside a door's swing arc. blocks fireplace — on the fireplace's hearth (its Depth out from the wall: 18 in on a standard fireplace; both faces of a Dual; the triangle in front of a Corner fireplace). A regular fireplace is checked on the side it's drawn on (its This / Other setting), and a TV hung above the mantel doesn't count. overlaps pillar / elevator shaft / floor opening. blocks the Murphy bed and two Murphy beds would collide.
- 3
Two pieces overlap
The most common red: a table dropped onto a sofa, a chair on a desk. The row names both pieces; move either one.
- 4
Warnings (amber): comfort and safety
too close to — a coffee table under 18 in from its seating. crowds the door / opening / fireplace — inside the 36 in approach zone (on both sides of a doorway in an interior wall; in front of both faces of a Dual fireplace and the diagonal face of a Corner one). blocks a window — a piece 48 in or taller within 18 in of a Window, Sliding Window or bay window. can't recline — a recliner whose open footprint would hit a wall, a fixture or another piece. won't fit under the sloped ceiling and the other vaulted-ceiling checks. in the Murphy bed's path.
- 5
Doors: approach, then swing
A chair sliding toward a door first crowds the door (amber, the 36 in approach zone), then blocks door (red, the swing arc). A piece wide enough to cross the arc goes straight to red. The same pair applies to openings, sliding and French doors.
- 6
Blocks a window
Tall furniture within 18 in of a window covers the light. Bookcases, wardrobes and tall cabinets trigger it; a sofa doesn't (under 48 in). Curtains and blinds are exempt.
- 7
Can't recline
Recliners carry their open depth. This warning means the chair fits closed but would hit something when it reclines. See Recliners: recline depth and clearance.
- 8
Interior wall with no length
This amber warning is about a wall, not furniture. An interior wall whose two ends sit on the same point has no length: on the plan it shows as a small square (amber when it isn't joined to anything), and in 3D it stands as a floor-to-ceiling pillar. It's usually left over from a stray tap while drawing interior walls in an older floor-plan import; the import no longer creates them.
- 9
Find the small square
The leftover wall is the small square on the plan, often in the middle of a room where no wall should be. In 3D it's the post you can't otherwise explain.
- 10
Tap the warning, then delete it
Tap the warning row: the panel closes and the wall is selected, with a dashed ring around the square and the Interior Wall bar showing Length 0". Tap the red Delete button under it (or Delete in the bar). The pillar is gone from 3D and the warning clears. If you meant to keep a wall there, type a Length instead: the wall grows from that point and you can rotate it into place.
- 11
The pillar it makes in 3D
This is what the warning is pointing at: the leftover wall stands as a thin post from floor to ceiling. Deleting the square on the plan removes it.
- 12
Work through the panel
Errors are listed first, then warnings, then notes. Click a row and the piece is highlighted on the plan. Nudge it with the arrow keys; the row disappears the moment the rule is satisfied and the count drops. Keep going until the pill reads OK.
- 13
One fixed, keep going
Fix the reds first — they're the ones that physically can't be built — then decide about each amber. A warning you've thought about and accept can stay; the pill will be amber, not red.
Tips
The numbers
Wall tolerance 1.5 in · door approach 36 in · coffee table 18–24 in · window zone 18 in for pieces 48 in or taller · fireplace: its Depth (18 in on a standard one) plus a 36 in approach · recliner open depth 64 in (standard) / 70 in (oversized).
Rugs are exempt
A rug never counts as an overlap and never blocks a door or window, so lay it first.
Ceiling lights don't crowd doors
Chandeliers, pendants and other ceiling-mounted lights are never counted as crowding a door or opening, however low they hang. A door swing can still be blocked by a light hung lower than the top of the door.
Common mistakes
Chasing amber before red
Red rows are the ones that can't be built. Clear those, then read the warnings.
Expecting a walkway-width warning
Flow Check checks specific clearances (doors, coffee tables, windows, recliners, fireplaces) and all overlaps. It doesn't measure a general walkway between two pieces — use the tape measure for that.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an error and a warning?
Errors (red) are things that physically can't be — overlaps, a blocked door swing. Warnings (amber) are comfort and safety rules — too close, crowding an approach, blocking a window's light.
Why does Flow Check say my sofa overlaps the wall when it's just touching?
It allows 1.5 in into the wall face for flush placement. Beyond that it's an overlap — nudge it one inch into the room.
What does 'crowds the door' mean?
The piece is inside the 36 in approach zone in front of the door (door width × 36 in into the room). Move it out of that zone.
How do I find the piece a row is talking about?
Click the row — the piece is highlighted on the plan.
Can I ignore a warning?
Yes. Warnings are advice; the pill stays amber to remind you. Errors are worth fixing before you build or export.
Why is there a pillar in 3D that I can't see on the plan?
It's almost always an interior wall with no length. Flow Check lists it as Interior wall with no length; tap that row to select it (a small square on the plan), then tap Delete.
Flow Check says my chandelier crowds the door. Is that right?
Not any more: ceiling-mounted lights are no longer counted in the 36 in approach zone in front of a door or opening. If the warning says it blocks the door, the light hangs lower than the top of the door and the door would hit it; raise it or move it.
Does Flow Check work in 3D?
It checks the 2D plan; the results apply to what you see in 3D. Fix issues on the plan.
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