Visualize how you are going to build your space

In most rooms, there are one or more complications that can make planning a room more difficult including poor calibration, unique room plans, and physical obstacles. However, it can help significantly if you plan for these obstacles in advance.

  1. To combat poor calibration, check out the Best Practices for the PLNAR app.
  2. For a unique room plan, it is beneficial to visualize the space in terms of as few rectangles as possible. This may require visualizing rectangles that extend outside the boundaries of the room and then adjusting the points, if you can. The advantage of visualizing rectangles is being able to use rectangle mode which ensures your walls are drawn even and parallel. 
  3. If there are physical obstacles, you can use the placement guides that are explained more in depth here.

Choose between rectangular & freeform

Once you are ready, you'll want to create a new project and choose between rectangular and freeform mode. Rectangular mode is recommended for most rooms, especially if you have already visualized your space, because it's easy to use and you can always adjust points later. However, freeform is still used for rooms with unique features such as curves or if you prefer the flexibility.

To toggle between the two modes, you can choose between the icons in the first photo, or you can decide which to set as default in settings as seen in the next two.

Capture your perimeter

Move your phone until the target is centered in the corner, press the capture button which is indicated by the orange arrow, then move to the next corner and repeat the process. 

For rectangular mode (right)
After you place the second point, you'll place the segment for the opposing wall to finish the rectangle.

For freeform mode (center)
Continue to mark off the corners in sequence. When you marked off every corner, simply hover over the first corner and hit the capture button to close your perimeter.

To create a wall or incomplete perimeter (left)
Using freeform, place as many points as you want and long press the capture button on your final point. 

Adjusting your perimeter

Now that you have a complete perimeter, you can add additional details and adjust the points. These steps can be repeated as necessary.

Adjusting a corner (right)
If the corner isn't where it's supposed to be, you can hover over the point, press & hold the capture button, and move & release the point where you want it to be. 

This can help increase the accuracy of the model, but should be used in moderation because excessive close proximity to the corners can increase drift.

Adding corners & additional features (center)
If you missed a corner or want to mark off an additional feature, add a point by hovering where you want it and pressing the capture button. This point can be moved the same way you would adjust a corner.

Adjusting a wall (left)
The same way you can move a corner, you can move entire walls. All you need to do is hover over the segment, press & hold the capture button, and move & release the segment to where you want it to be.

Now your perimeter is complete!

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