You can turn a game house into a believable floor plan by treating the level as a measured reconstruction: capture the best available views, establish one defensible scale, trace the structure in layers, add dimensions, and label every inference. The finished drawing can communicate layout and circulation, but it is not automatically construction documentation because games often hide walls, exaggerate clearances, or use decorative geometry.
What a realistic floor plan should communicate
A floor plan is a scaled overhead diagram of one level. Fife Council defines it as a scaled diagram showing the layout of rooms, spaces and physical features at one building level, viewed from above. For a game reconstruction, “realistic” means that the drawing is internally consistent, dimensioned and honest about what was measured versus what was inferred.
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A useful plan normally includes:
- The complete exterior envelope of the level.
- Interior room boundaries and the assumed wall thicknesses.
- Doors, their openings and swing arcs, plus windows and other openings.
- Stairs, fireplaces, counters, built-in storage and other fixed elements.
- Room names, overall dimensions, internal clear dimensions and key circulation clearances.
- Units, a stated drawing scale, a scale bar and the floor level shown.
- A north arrow or other orientation marker only when the game provides a reliable orientation.
- A note distinguishing visible geometry from inferred or gameplay-driven geometry.
North Somerset’s planning guidance also calls for a scale bar or measured dimension and identification of the relevant floor levels. A pretty top-down illustration without those items is an approximation, not a realistic floor plan.
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1. Collect the strongest evidence first
Use an orthographic or top camera whenever possible
A game editor’s top or orthographic view is the closest equivalent to a survey drawing because parallel walls remain parallel and distances can be read consistently. If the game exposes a level editor, save screenshots of the complete footprint and record world coordinates or grid intervals before changing the camera.
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When no editor exists, collect several in-game views rather than relying on one screenshot:
- An exterior view showing every visible side of the house.
- Interior views from each room and from both sides of major partitions.
- Elevation-like views of stairs, split levels and roof or balcony transitions.
- A map, blueprint, minimap or debug view, if the game provides one.
- Any view that exposes the underside of balconies, porches or overhangs.
Record the game version, level name, camera mode and screenshot resolution. Those details make later measurements reproducible. Do not infer a hidden wall from a single perspective view; mark the area as unknown until another view, an editor coordinate or a gameplay boundary supports it.
Make an evidence log
Create a simple table alongside the drawing. Give each image an identifier, such as “Exterior north,” and note which walls, openings and fixtures it confirms. If two views disagree, preserve both observations and resolve the conflict only after checking camera perspective, occlusion and level changes.
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|---|---|---|
| Screenshot or editor view | Camera type, position, resolution and date captured | Perspective and cropping affect pixel measurements |
| Grid or coordinate readout | Grid spacing, origin and axis directions | Can provide a more reliable scale than pixels |
| Visible feature | Wall, door, window, stair or fixture and the view that shows it | Separates observed facts from assumptions |
| Unseen area | Room or wall not visible and the reason | Prevents an inferred boundary being mistaken for a measurement |
2. Establish one defensible scale
Prefer documented engine units or an editor grid
Some engines document their world units. Unreal Engine’s convention is centimetres: 100 centimetres equal 1 metre. If the level editor reports coordinates in those units, use the coordinate distances directly and state the convention in the plan notes. Other games use different units, so never assume that one engine’s convention applies to another game.
If coordinates are unavailable, choose one scale anchor whose size is stable and explain why it is credible:
| Anchor | Strength | Typical qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Documented engine unit or editor grid | Highest | Confirm the game’s unit convention and grid interval |
| Standard door or stair component | Moderate | Use only if the game treats the asset as a consistent size |
| Character-sized proxy | Moderate to low | Animation and collision capsules may not equal a real person’s dimensions |
| Furniture or appliance | Low to moderate | Decorative assets can be intentionally oversized or undersized |
| Visual estimate from architecture | Lowest | Label it as an assumption and avoid false precision |
Epic’s level-blockout guidance recommends a player-sized reference object and top or orthographic views. That is useful for calibration, but a player proxy remains a game-design reference, not a building-code measurement.
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Calculate a single conversion factor
Measure the chosen anchor in the image or editor and compute:
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real-world length ÷ measured game length = real-world units per game unit
For a screenshot, if a reference object assumed to be 0.90 metres measures 72 pixels, the factor is 0.90 ÷ 72 = 0.0125 metres per pixel. Apply that factor to every measurement taken from the same view, and write it in the drawing notes. The 0.90-metre value is an illustrative convention; substitute the documented or explicitly assumed size for your game.
Perspective changes apparent size with depth. If the anchor and the wall you are measuring are at different distances from the camera, do not stretch one pixel factor across the entire image. Calibrate separate views, rectify the image with suitable software, or switch to editor coordinates. A single factor is valid only for geometry that shares the same projection and calibration.
3. Choose the drawing scale and working method
Use a standard architectural scale
For a paper plan, 1:50 and 1:100 are practical standards. At 1:50, 1 centimetre on paper represents 0.50 metre in the level; at 1:100, 1 centimetre represents 1 metre. Choose the largest scale that fits the page while leaving room for dimensions and labels, then add a graphic scale bar so a resized image remains interpretable.
Keep the measurement scale (the game-to-real conversion) separate from the drawing scale (how that result is printed or displayed). A level can be measured in metres and published at 1:100 without changing the underlying dimensions.
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Decide between manual tracing and editable drafting
| Method | Best for | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graph paper and pencil | Quick studies and proportion checks | Fast, inexpensive and easy to annotate uncertainty | Revisions and exact dimension changes are laborious |
| Vector or floor-plan software | Clean presentation with symbols and dimensions | Supports architectural scales, reusable symbols and exported 2D or 3D views | Requires careful unit setup and can make uncertain geometry look overly authoritative |
| CAD workflow | Editable, dimension-heavy reconstructions | Precise coordinates, layers, constraints and repeatable edits | More setup time and a steeper learning curve |
Floor-plan software such as Microsoft Visio provides floor-plan templates and custom architectural scales. Whatever tool you select, create separate layers for observed geometry, inferred geometry, dimensions, furniture and notes.
4. Trace the house in structural layers
Start with the exterior envelope
Draw the outside face of the walls before adding rooms. Use long, light construction lines and close the polygon at every corner. If an exterior side is hidden, stop the line at the last confirmed point and mark the continuation as inferred rather than silently completing it.
Add partitions and wall assumptions
Trace interior partitions next, extending them until they meet the exterior envelope. Record whether each line represents a visible wall face, a collision boundary, a decorative panel or an assumed thickness. Games often model only the surfaces that the player can see; a two-dimensional plan still needs a stated wall-thickness assumption to calculate usable room dimensions.
Place openings and fixed elements
Add doors with their opening direction and swing arc. Show windows as breaks in the wall or with a consistent window symbol. Then place stairs, fireplaces, kitchen counters, built-in cabinets, columns, plumbing fixtures and other fixed features. Do not treat movable furniture as a wall unless it permanently blocks passage in the game.
Represent stairs and level changes explicitly
Draw the stair flight, width and direction of travel, and identify the floor or landing it reaches. For split-level houses, use separate plans for each level and a small elevation or section note to show their relationship. A stair that appears to connect in perspective may terminate at a decorative platform, so verify it from gameplay or an editor view.
5. Add dimensions that support real decisions
Dimension the geometry a reader would need to test furniture placement, circulation or proportional plausibility. A dimensionless sketch cannot show whether a room actually fits its contents.
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| Dimension group | Include | How to qualify it |
|---|---|---|
| Overall building | Maximum exterior length and width, plus major offsets | State whether measurements follow the exterior face or a game collision boundary |
| Rooms | Inside length and width for each enclosed space | Identify rooms with irregular, open or partially inferred boundaries |
| Walls | Assumed thicknesses and any changes between partitions and exterior walls | Use a note when the game does not model a physical wall thickness |
| Openings | Door and window widths, sill or head heights when visible | Mark values estimated from an asset or character proxy |
| Stairs | Width, number of treads, approximate rise and run, landing size | Separate observed tread geometry from a real-world stair assumption |
| Clearances | Passage widths, door landing space and fixed-obstacle offsets | Measure the game’s navigable space, then flag gameplay clearance |
Use one unit system throughout, normally metres or centimetres. Put dimensions outside the walls where possible, use extension lines that clearly terminate at the measured faces, and avoid stacking text over doors or fixtures.
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The most important credibility feature is a visible distinction between what the game shows and what you supplied. Use a solid line for measured or directly visible geometry and a dashed, lighter or differently coloured line for inferred geometry. Add a legend that explains the convention.
Typical inferences include:
- Closing an exterior wall behind a camera that never sees the rear elevation.
- Assuming a uniform wall thickness where only one face is modelled.
- Extending a room boundary behind a cabinet, prop or visual effect.
- Interpreting a decorative facade as a structural wall.
- Converting a collision boundary or animation clearance into a presumed architectural dimension.
For every inference, record the evidence and confidence: for example, “rear wall inferred from matching side-wall offsets; medium confidence.” If two layouts are equally plausible, show alternatives or provide a range rather than choosing one without explanation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Validate the reconstruction before publishing
Run geometric checks
- Confirm that exterior walls form a closed outline.
- Check that every partition meets an exterior wall or another partition without unexplained gaps.
- Verify that door swings do not collide with walls, stairs or fixed fixtures.
- Confirm that stairs connect the stated levels and that landings are reachable.
- Check that room dimensions reconcile with the overall exterior dimensions after wall assumptions are applied.
Run a circulation and fit check
Place a player-sized proxy or representative furniture blocks on a duplicate layer. Test the narrowest passages, door approaches, stair landings and areas where several objects compete for space. Record whether the result reflects a real-world clearance or only the game’s navigation and animation requirements.
Compare every available view
Overlay the draft on top, interior and exterior references at matching orientation. Look for corners that drift, windows that change position or roof projections that were mistaken for walls. If a correction changes the scale anchor, recalculate all derived dimensions rather than adjusting isolated labels.
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Games may intentionally exaggerate room sizes, doorway clearances or furniture spacing to make movement and camera framing comfortable. Keep the measured game geometry, but describe the real-world interpretation as an assumption instead of “correcting” the level to an imagined building code.
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8. Worked calibration example
Suppose an orthographic screenshot contains a door asset that the game documentation or asset specification identifies as 0.90 metres wide. The opening measures 72 pixels. The conversion is:
0.90 m ÷ 72 px = 0.0125 m/px
A wall segment measuring 240 pixels in that same calibrated view would therefore be represented as 3.00 metres. On a 1:50 drawing, that segment would occupy 6.00 centimetres on paper. Write all three facts in the notes: the assumed anchor width, the pixel measurement, and the resulting factor. If the door is decorative, changes size between scenes or sits at a different perspective depth, the example is not valid without a new calibration.
9. Common failure modes and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Walls that should be parallel converge | Perspective screenshot measured as if it were orthographic | Use an orthographic/editor view, rectify the image or calibrate each depth separately |
| Room sizes change from one view to another | Different camera fields of view or inconsistent anchors | Choose one reference system and reconcile views before dimensioning |
| Back rooms appear invented | Hidden geometry completed by eye | Use dashed inference lines and document the evidence or provide alternatives |
| Plan looks precise but feels unbuildable | Decorative facade, collision mesh or animation clearance treated as architecture | Separate game geometry from real-world assumptions and label both |
| Doors or stairs do not work on the plan | Openings added after partitions or copied without swing direction | Trace openings as part of the structural pass and validate movement paths |
| Printed dimensions no longer measure correctly | Image or PDF was resized without preserving scale | Include a scale bar and verify one known dimension after export |
10. Compare reconstruction methods by the evidence they preserve
| Criterion | Editor coordinates or top view | Perspective screenshots |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence quality | Direct geometry and consistent projection | Occlusion and lens effects require interpretation |
| Scale confidence | High when units and grid are documented | Depends on a stable anchor and camera calibration |
| Editability | Usually exports or supports structured level data | Requires manual tracing or image-based drafting |
| Communication | Can produce a clean, dimensioned plan after drafting | Best for preserving visual context and showing hidden details across views |
| Uncertainty | Still present where the game omits or fakes construction | Usually greater because unseen geometry must be inferred |
In practice, combine them when possible: use coordinates or a grid for the base footprint, then use screenshots to identify doors, windows, fixtures and level transitions.
11. Publish a plan that readers can audit
Place a compact assumptions block on the sheet or in the accompanying caption. It should state:
- The game, level and version examined.
- The camera or editor views used.
- The measurement units and drawing scale, such as 1:50 or 1:100.
- The scale anchor, its assumed real-world size and the calculated conversion factor.
- The line or colour convention for observed and inferred geometry.
- Wall-thickness, stair and clearance assumptions.
- Rooms, walls or elevations that were not visible and how they were inferred.
- A warning that the plan is a measured reconstruction, not stamped architectural or construction documentation.
Export a lossless master file and a reader-friendly PDF or image. Check the printed or on-screen scale with a known dimension, preserve the legend, and keep the editable layers so a newly discovered view can be incorporated without redrawing the entire house.
12. A final pre-publication checklist
- Is the complete visible footprint traced and closed?
- Does the plan identify the floor level and orientation, if known?
- Are units, drawing scale and a scale bar present?
- Is one conversion factor documented for each calibrated view?
- Are dimensions provided for the exterior, rooms, openings, stairs and important clearances?
- Can a reader distinguish measured lines from inferred lines?
- Have doors, stairs and furniture or player proxies been checked for fit?
- Have all available views been compared for contradictions?
- Are gameplay-driven exaggerations and decorative elements called out?
- Does the caption state the limits of the reconstruction?
If those checks pass, the result is a defensible, realistic floor plan: useful for understanding the game house, testing layouts and communicating its spatial logic, while remaining honest about the geometry the game never actually reveals.
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