Using the compass and beacons in 3D
The compass marks which way is north on the plan; the room markers in the 3D walk-through drop you into any room, or any spot, in one click.
Two small helpers for finding your way around a plan. The compass sits at the bottom right of the 2D canvas and shows which way is north. The room beacons appear in 3D when you press Walk through on a plan with more than one room: a pulsing marker in each room that you click to walk straight in, or tap any other spot, even outside the house, to stand there.
Step by step
- 1
The compass
Bottom right of the 2D canvas, on a wide screen (it hides when the window is narrow or when the plan would sit underneath it). The red arrow is north.
- 2
Drag to set north, double-click to snap
Drag the compass to rotate it until north matches your home — useful for thinking about morning and afternoon light. Double-click it and it snaps to the nearest quarter turn. It's a label for orientation; it doesn't rotate the drawing (use Rotate Plan in the toolbar for that).
- 3
Room beacons in 3D
Open View in 3D and press the footprints button (Walk through). On a plan with two or more rooms, RoomSketch3D shows a marker in every room: a glowing disc with a pill showing the room's label (the name you gave it with Add label), or Room 1, Room 2… for rooms you haven't labelled. The pill shows the name only, no size. The hint at the top reads Tap a room, or anywhere inside or outside, to stand there. Scroll to zoom in on the markers if the plan is small on screen.
- 4
Click a beacon to walk in
Click the marker (or its pill) and you're standing in that room at eye level, in walk mode. You're not limited to the markers: click any spot on the floor, in a hallway, on the deck or out in the yard, and you stand right there (from outside, you start facing the house). On a plan with more than one floor, chips at the bottom (Floor to stand on) pick which floor you stand on before you click.
- 5
Back out
Exit walk-through brings the markers back so you can jump to another room; the footprints button (Exit room picker) or Esc returns to the orbit view; the red ✕ returns to the plan.
Tips
Label rooms first
Add room labels in the Layers menu (Add label) and the beacons use those names instead of Room 1, Room 2.
One room, no picker
On a single-room plan Walk through puts you straight inside — the beacons only appear when there's a choice to make.
Common mistakes
Expecting the compass to rotate the plan
It only records orientation. Rotate Plan in the toolbar turns the drawing.
Looking for the compass on a phone
It's a desktop control; it needs a wide canvas.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the compass?
Bottom right of the 2D canvas on a wide screen. It hides on narrow windows and when the plan would overlap it.
Does the compass rotate my floor plan?
No — it marks which way is north. Use Rotate Plan in the toolbar to turn the drawing.
What are the markers in 3D when I press Walk through?
Room beacons. On a multi-room plan, one appears in each room; click it to walk into that room, or click anywhere else to stand on that spot.
Why don't the markers show the room sizes or names like Kitchen?
The markers show only the labels you've added (Layers → Add label); unlabelled rooms read Room 1, Room 2 and so on. Rooms aren't named automatically, and sizes aren't shown in 3D: see them on the 2D plan.
Can I start on the upper floor?
Yes. On a multi-floor plan, pick the floor with the chips at the bottom of the room picker, then click where you want to stand.
Can I change the beacon names?
Yes — label the rooms (Layers → Add label) and the beacons show your labels.
Start designing your room
Put this into practice in the 3D room planner: draw it, furnish it, walk through it in 3D — on web, iOS, and Android.
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