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Learn · Designers and builders · Lesson 4 of 9

Make elevations and sections

You willGet scaled outside elevations, sections and inside wall views from the plan, and download them as a PDF.
Time4 min

Try it in Plotlay → Opens an example project with this lesson beside it. Nothing to install.

Steps

  1. In the Building workspace choose Elevations. The four outside elevations are drawn from your rooms, doors, windows and roof.
  2. Under Roof set the Type (gable, hip, skillion or flat), the Pitch and the Eaves overhang. Set wall and opening heights under Walls and Doors & windows. The preview redraws as you go.
    Elevations & sections for the Showroom: roof settings on the left, and an A3 sheet with the north, east, south and west elevations of a hip-roofed house.
  3. For a section, choose + Add a section line, click where it starts on one side of the building, then where it ends on the other. The dialog comes back on Sections.
  4. Choose Rooms (inside) and pick a room: each wall straight on from inside, with what stands against it.
    The Rooms (inside) tab with the Family bathroom chosen: its plan and each wall drawn straight on from inside, with the wall and floor tile settings above.
  5. Choose Title block… to fill in the sheet’s details, then Download PDF (or SVG) for the tab you are on.

Tips

  • Ceiling heights from Plotlay Scan are used room by room; Ceiling height (rooms not scanned) covers the rest.
  • Section lines are kept in the project, so a drawing set can include an A301 Sections sheet.

Common mistakes

  • Hidden layers: only rooms on visible layers (and the current level) are drawn. Turn the layer back on in the Layers tab.
  • Windows at odd heights: set Window sill and Window head here, or select one window to change only that one.
Check yourself

You need a section through the house. What do you do first?

Related lessons

Issue a drawing setMake one numbered PDF of plans, elevations, 3D views and schedules with your title block.4 minDraw walls, then add doors and windowsDraw walls of a set thickness to size, then put doors and windows in them and set their type.4 minChoose finishes and add fit-out to a roomSet a room’s floor tile and paint, and place a fitting such as a towel rail against a wall to the millimetre.5 min

Steps checked in the app on 14 October 2026.