With a RoomSketcher Pro or Team subscription, you can create impressive 2D and 3D Site Plans in the RoomSketcher App. Choose from lots of outdoor furniture, plants, and more to create landscape designs, garden plans, and backyard designs.
In this article, you’ll learn how to create 3D Site Plans. To create 2D Site Plans, see: Create a 2D Site Plan.
This article contains the following topics:
- Step 1: Draw Buildings
- Step 2: Draw the Perimeter of the Site Plan
- Step 3: Create Zones
- Step 4: Add Materials
- Step 5: Add Plants and Outdoor Furniture
- Step 6: Add Fences and Railings
- Step 7: Add Text and Labels
- Step 8: Preview and Generate Your Site Plan
- Site Plan Examples in the Floor Plan Gallery
Step 1: Draw Buildings
The first step is to draw the outline/floor plan of any buildings that will appear on the site plan. You can display just the outer walls of any buildings, or you may want to show the whole floor plan (including interior walls and furniture).
Buildings for Site Plan
To create a Floor Plan and Site Plan in one project
You can create a Floor Plan and Site Plan in one project using Levels. (If you want to create a Site Plan without a separate Floor Plan, skip this section). To do this:
- Create your floor plan as Level 1 in a project.
- Create a New Level and base it off of a copy of the Level 1.
The result is one level showing the Floor Plan of the property and one level ready for the Site Plan.
Tip: If you need detailed instructions on how to create a new level, see Work With Floors or Levels.
Step 2: Draw the Perimeter of the Site Plan
There are two ways you can mark the outside perimeter of the Site Plan.
- Use an Interior or Exterior wall if you want to see a wall on the 3D Site Plan.
- Use Draw Divider Line to mark the perimeter if you either don't want to have a wall or if you want to place a fence around the perimeter.
You can use also use a combination of these as shown below. On the left, we have used an Interior wall for the backyard area, and on the right, a Divider for the front yard area.
Perimeter for Site Plan
To draw a perimeter
- Open Walls mode (click the red Mode button and click Walls).
- Click the Draw Interior Walls button or the Draw Divider Lines button.
- Draw the outline for the perimeter. Make sure to draw a completely enclosed area.
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Tip: For more detailed instructions, see Draw a Yard, Garden, or Outdoor Area.
Step 3: Create Zones
To create a Site Plan that has different colored areas or zones, create them using Draw Divider Line. Draw zones (or areas) for your driveway, pathways, garden or lawn areas, deck, etc. This allows you to display the various areas on the 3D Floor Plan, and add materials, names, and more.
Zones for Site Plan
To draw zones
- Open Walls mode if it is not already open.
- Click the Draw Divider Line button and draw any outdoor zones. Make sure to draw complete enclosed areas.
- Remove the ceiling from any new zone you create:
In Walls mode, click the Select button, click a zone to select it, and its Properties appear on the right. Click Advanced Properties and clear the Show Ceiling checkbox.
Change Zone Heights
You can raise or lower zone heights - select a zone and click Advanced Properties. For example, in this project, we slightly lowered zones where we will put soil, as well as the terrace area.
Terrace is lower than path, with a step down into it
For detailed steps on how to change zone heights, see Change the Floor Height.
Note: when you raise or lower the floor level of a zone, you create a “step” up or down to it that may need a material applied to it (or it will appear white on your 3D Site Plan). Select the zone the side is facing, and click Wall Material to add material to the side of the zone.
Step 4: Add Materials
Add Exterior Wall Materials
If you have used Walls in your site plan, you will want to add materials to them. For example, in our Site Plan, we added:
- Wood Paneling on one of the Terrace Walls
- White Paint on the back wall of the Terrace.
- Concrete on the Back Garden wall.
- Grey Paint on the Exterior Walls of the Garage.
Example exterior wall materials on in-progress 3D Site Plan
To add exterior wall materials, see: Paint and Decorate Walls and Paint, Wallpaper, or Tile a Single Wall.
Add Ground Materials or Color
You can add material or color to your paths, decks, and plant areas. For example, you can add grass to lawn areas. A deck or terrace can be a wood panel material. A path can be stone material or concrete. A planter area can have soil.
Adding Colors and Materials in the RoomSketcher App
To add materials and/or color to zones
- Open Materials
- Click to select a zone. Its Properties appear on the right.
- Click Floor Material. You can search for grass, soil, wood, wood panel, stone, concrete, and more.
Step 5: Add Plants and Outdoor Furniture
You can add plants, flowers, trees, hedges and more. You can also add a wide variety of outdoor furniture, umbrellas, outdoor sports equipment and more.
Adding Plantings and Outdoor Furniture in the RoomSketcher App
To add plants and outdoor furniture
- Open Furniture
- Open the Plants and Accessories category (or click Search to find a specific item)
- Click or tap to select an item and click to place it onto the plan.
- Now add any furniture or accessories:
- Click the + Add tab in the top-right to return to the library.
- Close the Plants and Accessories category, and open the Outdoor category. - Click or tap to select an item and click to place it onto the plan.
Step 6: Add Fences and Railings
You can add a fence or railing to any divider line. In our example, we’ve added a brown fence to either side of our front yard.
Example Railing in 3D Site Plan
To add a railing
- Open Walls mode.
- Click the Select button, and click on a Divider line in your site plan. Its Properties appear on the right.
- Click Railing.
- Choose a railing. You can select picket fences, hedges, metal railings, and more.
Tip: RoomSketcher Pro subscribers can add a Garden Gate to their fence/railing. See Add a Garden Gate.
Step 7: Add Text and Labels
You can add zone names, labels, text and more. In the image below, we added zone names and sizes to the Back Garden, Terrace, and Driveway. We also added labels on the outdoor furniture.
Room Labels and Furniture Labels
For detailed steps, see:
Step 8: Preview and Generate Your Site Plan
You can preview your site plan as many times as you want during the design process to make sure it looks good and to check that all your zone materials and labels are correct.
- From the yellow Menu in the top left, choose Preview 3D Floor Plan.
For more detailed steps, see the article: Preview a Floor Plan
The final step is to generate and print your Site Plan.
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From the Preview, click the yellow button Generate 3D Floor Plan.
For detailed steps, see: Generate and Print 2D and 3D Floor Plans.
Site Plan Examples in the Floor Plan Gallery
Check out our Floor Plan Gallery where we have many great site plans. You can open all projects in the RoomSketcher App, save a copy and make your own edits.