How do I turn a 2D floor plan into a 3D model in MONA?

Quick answer: Open Ask MONA, click the + button, choose Floorplan to 3D, attach your floor plan (an image, PDF, or DWG) and send. MONA reads the dimensions on the plan, redraws it to scale as an editable plan in MONA CAD, and replies with a link. Open it and click 3D View to orbit the dollhouse, walk through the rooms at eye height, and place furniture.

If you would rather trace it yourself, draw the walls in MONA CAD and the 3D view is built from the same drawing. Either way you end up with one plan that is 2D and 3D at once: change a wall in one view and it changes in the other.

Before you start

• Use a plan with dimensions. MONA builds the model from the measurements printed on the drawing, not from pixel sizes. If your plan has no dimension labels at all, MONA asks for one known wall length. See Can MONA read the dimensions and scale of my floor plan? for tips on a clean read.
• Credits. Converting a plan runs in Ask MONA, so it uses AI credits like any chat. Drawing in CAD, viewing in 3D and exporting do not. Photorealize, covered below, is a render and uses render credits.

How do I convert a floor plan to 3D with Ask MONA?

1. Open Ask MONA. Click Ask MONA in the left menu, or the Ask MONA button at the top of any page.
2. Choose Floorplan to 3D. Click the + button in the message box and pick Floorplan to 3D ("Turn a floor plan into an editable 3D plan"). You can also type / and search for it.
3. Attach the plan. Click Drop a photo, sketch or floorplan to upload from your computer, or or choose from Library for a file you already saved. PNG, JPG, HEIC, PDF, DWG and DXF all work.
4. Add notes and send. Anything MONA should know, such as room names or "the living room is 18 feet wide," goes in the message. Then send.
5. Open the plan. MONA replies with a link to the new plan in CAD. Check the walls, doors and windows against your drawing. Fix anything with the editor tools, or ask in the same chat ("the kitchen window is 4 feet wide, not 3").
6. Switch to 3D. Click 3D View in the toolbar, or press Tab.

If you name the project in your message, MONA files the plan under it. Otherwise use the Project menu in the editor header to file it under the right job, so it shows up in that project’s CAD tab.

How do I build the 3D model by drawing the plan myself?

1. Create a plan. Open CAD in the left menu and click + New plan, or open a project, go to its CAD tab and click New plan.
2. Draw the walls. Press W, click to start, type each wall length from your plan and press Enter. Press Esc to finish.
3. Add openings and furniture. Press D for doors, N for windows, and F for furniture or your own Library products at their real dimensions.
4. Open the 3D view. Click 3D View. Walls, openings and furniture appear at their real heights.

If your studio already has floorplans stored in MONA, From floorplan on the CAD page lists them and converts the one you pick into an editable plan. The original floorplan is left untouched.

What can I do in the 3D view?

The bar along the bottom of the 3D view has:

• Dollhouse: orbit the whole plan from above. Use the + and minus buttons or scroll to zoom.
• Top view: a textured plan view, straight down.
• Side views: straight-on views looking north, south, east or west, with the near walls cut away. Wall elevations… at the bottom of that menu opens dimensioned elevations you can download as PDF or DXF.
• Walk: a first-person view at eye height. Move with W A S D or the arrow keys, look with the mouse, and press Esc to stop. P toggles it too.
• Wall color: pick one color for every wall.
• Floor: pick a floor style for every room, or click one floor in the 3D view first to change only that room.
• Cutaway: hide the walls facing you so you can see inside.

You can also move furniture right in 3D: click a piece, drag it across the floor (it snaps to the grid and to walls; hold Shift to move freely), press R to rotate, or Delete to remove it. Press F to open the palette and click a floor to place a product.

How do I turn the 3D view into a photorealistic render?

Set up the angle you want in 3D View, then click Photorealize (the picture icon with sparkles). MONA saves a capture of that view to your Library and opens Visualize with the photorealistic render already started. The render lands in your Library too. See How do I create a photorealistic render from a floor plan? for more ways to render from a plan.

Later, in Visualize, the Your 3D plans menu opens a recent plan straight into its 3D view, and Add this image to a 3D plan pins the current render to a room of a plan so it is listed when you select that room.

How do I mark where furniture goes on a plan image instead?

If you only need a marked-up plan, not a 3D model, open the project's CAD tab and scroll to Floorplan pins. Upload the plan image to the project's Files first. Then click anywhere on the image to drop a numbered pin and Attach a schedule item from the project's FF&E schedule.

How do I export the 3D model or the drawing?

• GLB in the CAD toolbar downloads the 3D model as a .glb file.
• Export in the editor header gives you Floor plan PDF, JPEG or PNG on your title block, or Download DWG and Download DXF for AutoCAD, Vectorworks or Revit.

For 3D models of individual products, such as a sofa built from a photo, see Can I download 3D models from MONA and use them in SketchUp?

What it does not do (yet)

• It does not import SketchUp (.skp) or Revit (.rvt) model files. SketchUp and Revit users can sync their models to a project with the MONA extension for SketchUp or the MONA add-in for Revit, or export the floor plan as a PDF or image and use Floorplan to 3D.
• It does not guess a scale from a plan with no measurements.
• Scanning a room with an iPhone to get a plan needs the MONA iPhone app, which is not in the App Store yet.

Want a hand?

Book a 30-minute setup call and bring a floor plan from a current project. We will turn it into a 3D model together.

Related articles

• How do I draw a floor plan in MONA?
• Can MONA read the dimensions and scale of my floor plan?
• How do I create a photorealistic render from a floor plan?
• Can I download 3D models from MONA and use them in SketchUp?
• Sync, render and control your SketchUp model with MONA
• How do I use MONA with Revit?

Frequently asked questions

Can MONA convert a floor plan image or PDF into 3D?

Yes. Use Floorplan to 3D in Ask MONA and attach the plan. MONA reads the drawing and redraws it as an editable CAD plan with walls, doors, windows and room names, at true scale, and the 3D view comes with it.

What file types can I upload?

Images (PNG, JPG, HEIC), PDFs, and CAD drawings (DWG or DXF). Exports from SketchUp, Revit, ArchiCAD or Chief Architect work as long as the dimension labels are visible.

What if my floor plan has no dimensions?

MONA uses the dimensions printed on the plan. If there are none anywhere, it asks you for one known wall length so the plan comes out at the right scale, rather than guessing.

Does turning a floor plan into 3D cost credits?

The conversion runs in Ask MONA, so it uses AI credits like any chat. Drawing the plan yourself in CAD and viewing it in 3D are free.

Can I walk through the 3D model?

Yes. In 3D View, click Walk or press P for a first-person view at eye height. Move with W, A, S, D or the arrow keys, look around with the mouse, and press Esc to stop.

Can I export the 3D model to SketchUp or another 3D tool?

Click GLB in the CAD toolbar to download the 3D model as a .glb file. For a 2D drawing, Export gives you DWG or DXF for AutoCAD, Vectorworks or Revit, or a to-scale PDF sheet.

Can I turn the 3D view into a photorealistic render?

Yes. In 3D View, set up the angle you want and click Photorealize. MONA renders that exact view and saves the image to your Library.

Can I get back to a 3D plan from Visualize?

Yes. In Visualize, click Your 3D plans to open a recent plan straight into its 3D view, or choose Add this image to a 3D plan to pin the current render to a room.