Designers and builders: quick reference
For drafters, designers, builders and trades who issue drawings. 11 lessons, 44 min. Full steps and pictures: getplotlay.com/learn/designers/
| # | Lesson | How |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Draft to exact sizes with the command line4 min | Precision › type L Enter › click › 4 Enter, @0,3, 2.5<45. F3 SNAP, F8 ORTHO, F10 POLAR, F11 TRACK. Commands lists every command. |
| 2 | Draw walls, then add doors and windows4 min | Walls: pick thickness, click, type 5 Enter, 4<90 Enter. Door / window: pick type and Width, click on a wall. Set the type in the panel. |
| 3 | Choose finishes and add fit-out to a room5 min | Select the room › Current or Proposed › Floor tile Change…, Paint… › Add fit-out…: pick it, the Wall, Along from its start, size. |
| 4 | Add a bench run of joinery5 min | Room › Add fit-out… › Base cabinet: Wall, Along from its start, Width, Drawers, Handles. Shown open in 3D and on the elevation. |
| 5 | Make elevations and sections4 min | Elevations: set Roof, walls and openings › + Add a section line across the building › Rooms (inside) › Download PDF. |
| 6 | Issue a drawing set4 min | Make a document › A drawing set › Change (size, scale, sheets) › Title block… › Make the drawing set. Kept under Documents produced. |
| 7 | Make a room pack4 min | Make a document › A room pack › Clear, tick rooms › Sheet size, Pages › Make the room pack. Wait for the download. |
| 8 | Show options and the before rooms in a room pack4 min | A room pack › Clear › Rooms that change › Show: Before, After or Both. Rooms coming out appear as the new room’s before. |
| 9 | Read and download the schedules3 min | Schedules: rooms and finishes, Doors, Windows. Type into Finishes (type to set). Download all schedules for CSV. Set a scale first. |
| 10 | Save document settings and make them again3 min | Set up a document › Save these settings as… › later Your documents › Make again on the project as it is now. Old PDFs stay. |
| 11 | Show a client the design4 min | Share › Invite people, Can comment and pick options › Starting view › Preview what they see › Back to my project. |
Words: Workspace: Site, Building, Capture or Documents in the top bar. A workspace changes which tools come first; it never hides anything in the project. Layer: A group of things in a project, listed in the Layers tab. A hidden layer is left out of the plan, 3D and documents until you show it again. Drawing set: One numbered PDF of sheets (cover, plans, elevations, sections, schedules) with the same title block on each. Phase (existing, proposed, demolish): Whether something is there now and stays (existing), is new work (proposed) or is coming out (existing, to be removed). Plans, 3D and documents show Current, Proposed or Both from it. Fit-out: The fixed things that go into a room: vanities, toilets, kitchen runs, appliances, lights and joinery. Fit-out is placed against a wall and built in 3D. Joinery (bench run): Built-in cabinetry along a wall, such as a kitchen or laundry bench with base cupboards, drawers and handles. Plotlay draws it on plans, elevations and in 3D.
Plotlay · app.plotlay.io · Search any tool with Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac). Checked in the app on 14 October 2026.