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The live 3D preview: check your layout without leaving 2D

Tap 3D preview (bottom right of the plan on a computer, top right on phones and tablets) and a small 3D window opens over the plan, following what you're looking at, with your real furniture. It doesn't open by itself. Drag inside it to turn it, pull its corners to resize it, and tap expand for the full 3D view.

4 min readUpdated 2026-11-02

Switching between 2D and 3D just to check that a chair faces the right way gets old fast. The 3D preview shows the part of the plan you're looking at in 3D, right next to it, and updates as soon as you let go of something you moved.

It stays closed until you ask for it: opening a plan never opens it by itself, on any device. Tap the 3D preview button whenever you want it.

A floor plan is honest about where things are but silent about how they look: which way a chair faces, whether a tall wardrobe dwarfs a small room, whether a TV hung on the wall sits too high above a console. Those are 3D questions, and they come up dozens of times while you arrange a room. The preview answers them in a glance without leaving the plan, so you keep your place, your selection and your zoom.

Use it for quick checks while you edit; use the full View in 3D when you want to walk through, use Dollhouse, save an image or make an AI render.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Tap 3D preview to open it

    On a computer, the 3D preview button is at the bottom right of the plan, just left of the compass. On a phone or a tablet held upright, it's at the top right of the plan, under the toolbar. Tap it and the preview window opens in the same corner. The preview doesn't open on its own when you open a plan, so tap it each time you want it.

    Computer: 3D preview, bottom right, beside the compass.
  2. 2

    On a phone: top right of the plan

    On a phone, 3D preview sits at the top right of the plan, below the toolbar. Tap it for a small window; tap the window to make it bigger, and again to shrink it.

    Phone: 3D preview, top right of the plan.
  3. 3

    What it shows

    The window shows the area of the plan you're looking at, from above, with your furniture, and follows you as you pan and zoom. Selecting a piece doesn't move it.

    Opened: the 3D preview beside the plan, turned to look at the rooms at an angle.
  4. 4

    Turn, zoom and move it

    - Drag inside it (one finger on a touch screen) to turn and tilt the view and see furniture from any side. - Scroll or pinch to zoom; right-drag or move two fingers to slide. - Drag its title bar to move the window anywhere over the plan. - Pull the blue tabs on its corners to make it bigger or smaller. It remembers its place and size; Reset (shown once you've changed it) puts it back. - The expand button opens the full 3D view.

  5. 5

    What to check with it

    The preview is most useful for the things a plan can't show: - Facing: a chair or sofa rotated the wrong way looks fine as a rectangle on the plan and obviously wrong in 3D. Rotate, let go, glance. - Height and bulk: tall pieces (wardrobes, bookcases, bunk beds) next to low ones, and whether a room feels crowded. - Wall-hung pieces: a TV, mirror, picture or wall cabinet's height above the floor shows only in 3D. - Windows and doors: whether a dresser or headboard sits in front of a window, and how a door opens into the room. - Walls you just changed: after typing a wall length or moving a wall, check the room still looks the way you expect. Turn the view by dragging inside the window to look from the side you care about, and pull the window bigger when you need detail.

  6. 6

    Close it

    Click the X to close it; the 3D preview button takes its place, ready for next time. It's closed again whenever you open a plan.

Tips

Check facing as you place

Rotate a chair in 2D, let go, and glance at the preview: it updates straight away.

Use the full 3D view for walkthroughs

The preview is for quick checks. For walking through, materials and pictures, open the full 3D view.

Park it where it won't cover your work

Drag the preview's title bar to a corner of the plan you're not editing, and pull its corners to the size you need. It remembers its place and size; Reset puts it back.

Pan the plan to move the preview's view

The preview follows the part of the plan you're looking at. To check a different room, pan or zoom the plan to it and the preview comes along.

Common mistakes

Expecting it to update mid-drag

The preview updates when you let go of a piece, not while you drag, so drawing and dragging stay smooth. Release, then look.

Looking for it after reopening a plan

It closes whenever you open a plan. Tap the 3D preview button again; it opens where and at the size you left it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see 2D and 3D at the same time?

Yes. Tap 3D preview and a live 3D view opens next to the plan while you edit in 2D. Drag inside it to turn it, and pull its corners to make it bigger.

The 3D preview is gone. Where is it?

It no longer opens by itself when you open a plan (since October 24, 2026, on every device). Tap the 3D preview button: at the bottom right of the plan beside the compass on a computer, at the top right of the plan on phones and tablets.

What's the difference between the preview and View in 3D?

The preview is a small live window for quick checks while you edit in 2D. View in 3D opens the full-screen 3D view with walk-through, Dollhouse, Line art, Save image and AI Render.

Does it slow down the editor?

It works in the background, so drawing and dragging stay smooth, and it updates when you let go. On older devices that can't run it, the button doesn't appear.

Start designing your room

Put this into practice in the 3D room planner: draw it, furnish it, walk through it in 3D — on web, iOS, and Android.

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