How to Create a 3D Floorplan in Illustrator
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In this tutorial I’ll show you the process I use for creating a 3D floorplan from scratch, in 6 easy steps. This technique can be applied to infographics, such as escape-plans or to show the layout of a building that you normally wouldn’t be able to see. Let’s get started!
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Tutorial Details
- Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3/4
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Estimated Completion Time: 30-45 minutes
Step 1: Creating the Blueprint
Draw a blueprint of the building that you would like to create, using the Pen Tool or Line Segment Tool (holding Shift for straight lines). Don’t mind the doors or windows yet, we’re just looking for the basic layout. When the blueprint looks the way it should, thicken the weight of the strokes depending on the scale you’re working at.
Step 2: Expanding and Clean-Up
Select all the lines, and hit Object > Expand to expand the lines. Keep all the lines selected, and use Unite (in the Pathfinder palette) to combine the lines into one solid shape (remember to keep a copy of the original blueprint, just in case). You’ll notice that some lines may not be perfect, as seen below. Correction is needed in some places, use the Pen Tool to clean up your blueprint.
Step 3: Windows and Doors
Now it’s time to place our windows and doors. Using simple square shapes, position them on the places where the doors or windows should be located. I used two different colors to avoid confusion, blue for windows and red for doors.
Step 4: The 3 Different Blueprints
Select all and make three copy’s of the blueprint, complete with the shapes that represent doors and windows. These three are going to be our blueprints for the 3D. Using the Divide function of the Pathfinder tools, cut out the doors and windows on “blueprint 1.” Cut out the doors only on “blueprint 2″ and leave “blueprint 3″ as door and windowless.
Step 5: Applying the 3D
On your first copy, apply Effect > 3D > Extrude and Bevel, using the preview function to achieve a nice result or the perspective you desire (I used -40°, -25° and 16°). Give it an Extrude Depth of 15pt. Take note of your rotation parameters, and apply the same with copy 2 and 3, only changing the Extrude Depth. Copy 2 should be extruded 20 to 23pt, and the 3rd copy 15pt.
Step 6: Stacking and Final Steps
Now place them on top of each other in a stacking manner. Change the color of your 3 building layers to a desired shade (I used #fddfd9). Your end result should look like that shown below.
Your building’s basic structure is done, but looks quite dull. This can be changed through selecting the whole building, and then hitting Object > Expand Appearance. You can now put in a floor (#fff0d9) and windows. You can also give the top of your wall a dark color (#606161). After this you could go crazy on detail, or leave it like as is.
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By Niels Voogt
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Very clever and useful.
thanks for this great tut.
Simple enough!
so nice .. love it ♥
Cool
Clever
simple and very clever thanks for this method
That’s brilliant, yet so simple. Someone asked me just last month if this was something I could do. I told them the architect should be able to provide a 3d image.
Never thought of that, very cool
You could also export the paths to Cinema 4D and texture it, just an idea.
not everybody knowhow to use a 3d program
this is an easy solution, thanks !
That’s an interesting idea.
Anyone have any tips on creating the windows?
hm, makes you want to be a graphics maker
I dont see a front or back door
Wish you guys had done this one a couple of weeks ago! I needed to do this exact thing and spent hours working on different styles and techniques…
Finally worked out how to do it pretty much exactly how you have shown.
Nice to know i got it right in the end though!
Good tut, but I became a little confused at the stacking order step. The changes made to each copy didn’t correspond to the picture of the stacked plans shown in Step 5. The thicker, middle section should be the first copy (the one without windows and door), but those parameters are applied to the second copy (only doors cut out). It wasn’t until I studied the stacking order more carefully that I figured out what parameters should be applied to what copy and how it stacked. Of course no one else mentioned this as a problem, so I’m wondering if I did something incorrectly.
Tutorial added to thewebtuts.com
nice tutorial, but for those which needs to create 3d-graphics everyday, Illustrator is not a great choice
totaly agree! illustrator’s 3d effecs are good but a bit primitive )
Great tutorial. Thank you!
very handy, thanks. However, I can’t quite work out the last stage and how to color the floor and windows. ‘Expand Appearance’ allows me to change color at the top of the wall and other parts of the wall, but doesn’t create separate shapes for the windows or the floor.
Can anyone tell me where I’m going wrong?
thank you, great tutorial!
And…How Can I do the outside doors? :S
Just draw an angled line(s) coming out of one of your layers and then extrude it just like the rest of the layers.