Measure & draw
Trace a floor plan from an image, step by step
Upload a PNG or JPG as a background, calibrate one known length, then draw walls, doors and windows over it. The image remains a reference; the new objects form your editable plan.
Start tracing your image ↗Use the editor on a computer. Editing is free; Google sign-in is required for PNG, PDF and DXF exports.
Choose a reference that can be measured
Use a straight-on scan or a clean exported image where possible. A photograph taken from an angle changes proportions across the page. Crop away unrelated pages before uploading, and keep a copy of the original. Only use drawings you have permission to reuse.
FloorDraft accepts PNG/JPG backgrounds up to 5 MiB. If your source is a PDF, export the relevant page to an image with a PDF viewer first. Use the image as a guide while you draw the walls and place doors and windows.
Calibrate before tracing the details
- Open the editor and choose the image-background starting point.
- Select the calibration tool and mark the two ends of a known straight distance.
- Enter the actual length in millimetres. A 4.2 m reference is 4200 mm.
- Check a second known measurement, preferably running in the other direction.
- If the check fails, inspect the image for stretching, perspective or a mistaken endpoint before proceeding.
A worked calibration check
These are teaching values, not measurements from your upload. The scale is 4200 ÷ 350 = 12 mm per pixel. If a second labelled 3000 mm span takes 290 pixels, do not simply redraw it as 3480 mm and assume the label is wrong. Resolve the source discrepancy.
| Reference | Image distance | Real distance |
|---|---|---|
| Known wall | 350 pixels | 4200 mm |
| Derived scale | 1 pixel | 12 mm |
| Independent check | 250 pixels | Expected 3000 mm |
Trace structure first, then test without the image
Draw connected wall segments along a consistent reference, and set their thickness. Place openings on their host walls; a door floating near a wall is not the same as a door attached to it. Adjust the hinge and swing to match the original.
Lower the background opacity when it becomes difficult to distinguish the traced lines. Hide the background periodically and look for gaps, doubled walls and misplaced openings. Add furniture only after the shell reads correctly on its own.
- Check the full width and depth against the source.
- Inspect each door and window while the background is hidden.
- Download a design backup for later editing.
- Sign in to export the traced design as PNG, image-based PDF or DXF.
Questions
Can I edit the original image walls?
The pixels themselves do not become wall objects. Trace new walls over the background, then edit those objects.
Does tracing recover missing dimensions?
It can estimate distances when the source has a trustworthy uniform scale. It cannot establish real dimensions from an unscaled or distorted image alone.
References
Use the example dimensions to follow the calculations, then repeat them with your own measurements. The examples are not building standards.