When I started planning a renovation of our home, I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for in a floor plan tool — I just knew I needed something practical. The idea was to open up our kitchen and living area, add a small workspace toward the garden, and make better use of the existing space. I had a rough sketch on paper, but I needed a tool to try out different ideas properly — in 2D and 3D — without relying on guesswork.I tested four other software tools before settling on Plan7Architect. Some of them had clunky interfaces that looked like they hadn’t been updated in years. Others were so complex that I spent more time figuring out how the tools worked than actually working on my design. Plan7Architect was completely different: it felt modern, intuitive, and within two or three hours I was already building my own layout. Everything I needed was accessible without reading a manual or clicking through endless menus. Here’s what really stood out during the process.
1. The tutorials made it easy to get started
The built-in tutorials made a huge difference at the beginning. I first watched a short introductory video — about 10 minutes long — that showed the layout of the interface, how to draw walls, and how to navigate the view. That was enough to get a basic understanding.But what really helped me was the longer tutorial where an entire house is planned from scratch. It covers each step in detail: drawing the outer walls, placing doors and windows, adding floors and a roof, and even furnishing the space. I followed along with the video while building my own plan. I paused often, tried out what I saw, rewound certain steps, and adjusted things to match my layout. It didn’t feel like a training session — it felt like I was already working on my own project.Even though I had no prior experience with house planner software, I never felt lost. The interface was structured in a way that made sense, with clear icons and labels, and I quickly understood how to access the different tools and settings.
2. Wall drawing and layout tools are surprisingly intuitive
Drawing walls is the foundation of any floor plan, and this was one of the areas where I had trouble with other tools. In Plan7Architect, once I learned to use CTRL+W, it all clicked. This shortcut ensures that walls snap to the correct angles — so instead of struggling to align everything manually, I could build clean layouts with consistent dimensions.I appreciated how easily I could adjust wall lengths, thicknesses, and positions. If I made a mistake, I just clicked on a wall and either moved it or changed the numbers. Our house has unusual wall thicknesses in some areas, and being able to customize that detail helped me create a more realistic model.Placing elements like doors, windows, and stairs was equally easy. You just select them from the sidebar, drag them into place, and fine-tune their dimensions. There’s even an automatic height adjustment, so things like stairs or windows adapt to the current floor level or wall height.I also found the snapping and alignment features very helpful. Everything lines up automatically unless you turn that feature off, which keeps the plan tidy and symmetrical.
3. Navigating in 3D just takes a few minutes to get used to
I didn’t expect to use the 3D view much in the beginning, but it quickly became one of the most useful features. After drawing the basic layout, I switched to 3D and was able to literally “walk through” my floor plan — checking ceiling heights, window placement, and overall room proportions.At first, I had trouble figuring out how to rotate the view. But after a quick look at the controls, I learned that holding the scroll wheel while moving the mouse lets you pan and rotate. When I held down CTRL at the same time, I could rotate the view around a fixed point — very useful when inspecting small rooms or stairwells without losing focus.I used the 3D mode constantly while refining the furniture layout. I could check how the light entered the room, whether a desk fit under a window, or if a dining table had enough space. It gave me the kind of feedback that a 2D plan simply can’t offer.The rendering isn’t photorealistic in the software itself, but it’s fast and accurate — and that was more than enough for testing and adjusting.
4. Layers and floor management helped me try different ideas
One of the things I really appreciated about Plan7Architect was the ability to experiment with multiple versions of the same layout — all in a single file. I used the layer system to separate different versions of the plan. I created one variant of the open living/dining area, assigned everything to a new layer, then hid it and started a completely different version. Later, I could toggle between the two and compare them side-by-side.This also worked great for furniture layouts. I tested different arrangements for the home office — compact desk vs. full workstation, sofa bed vs. reading corner — and simply used layers to switch between them instantly.The floor manager on the right side allowed me to focus on just one level at a time. I could hide the basement or upper floors and concentrate only on the ground floor without distraction. When I added a second floor later to simulate a potential extension, the system handled it smoothly.This flexibility was something I missed in other programs, where I had to save separate files just to try different ideas. With Plan7Architect, everything stayed organized and easy to manage.
5. Flexible export options for high-end visualization
Once I was happy with the layout, I wanted to see it in a more realistic setting. Plan7Architect supports exporting in several formats: .3ds, .obj, .dwg, .dxf, and even SketchUp import. That gave me a lot of flexibility.I chose to export my project into Twinmotion, which is currently available for free. The export was smooth — no errors, no missing elements — and within minutes I had a fully visualized version of my house. I added daylight, trees, furniture materials, and even people to simulate daily life in the house. The result looked like a real architectural presentation.Being able to take the model and move seamlessly into a professional 3D environment gave the whole project another level of depth. It also helped me explain my ideas more clearly to others.
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