Do you want to create professional building plans in cadvilla that combine multiple views on a single sheet? The “Plan compilation” plug-in makes exactly that possible. You can neatly arrange floor plans, sections, side views, and even 3D images on one plan sheet. Then, supplement your layout with standard-compliant title blocks, sheet frames, and individual labels. In this tutorial, we will show you step by step how to prepare individual views for printing and create a complete plan compilation.

Note: The print preparation of a single view is possible with all cadvilla versions. The plan compilation with multiple views is only possible starting from cadvilla professional.

Part 1: Preparing a single view for printing

Before you compile views, you should make sure that the individual floor plans are tidied up. Everything that is visible in the 2D view will also be printed later.

[01:56] Hide guidelines and section symbols

• First, deactivate the guideline grid if it is distracting.
• To hide section symbols, right-click in the view and select Visibility.
• Remove the checkmarks for Section icons and Section text and confirm with OK.

[02:37] Create a new layer for sheet frame and title block

• Right-click on the desired floor (e.g., Ground Floor) in the project tree and select New > Layer.
• Name this layer “Sheet Frame”, for example. We will place the frame on this level right away.

[03:10] Check the view scale

• Right-click in the 2D view and select Properties.
• Check the set scale (e.g., 1 : 100) so that you can select the appropriate frame in a moment.

[03:26] Insert sheet frame and title block from the catalog

• Open the Catalog on the right side and navigate to 2D > Sheet frame.
• Select the frame suitable for your scale (e.g., DIN_A3_1_100.cps) and drag it into the 2D view with the left mouse button held down. Place it with a click and press Escape.
• Go back one folder in the catalog and open Title block.
• Drag a title block (e.g., 1_100 -DIN A3) into the drawing.
• Tip: Press Ctrl + W to set the reference point of the title block to the lower right corner, and fit it exactly into the sheet frame.
• Press Escape to end the function. Also refer to our tutorial on creating your own title blocks.

[05:10] Adding labeling to the view

• In the upper menu, select 2D Layout > Text > Labeling.
• Click on the desired position and enter the text (e.g., “Ground floor”).
• Adjust the font, bold style, and size (e.g., 1 m).
• If necessary, move the text using the Move with reference point function (shortcut R).
• Press Escape to end the function.

[06:10] Print project

• For printing the project, we recommend the tutorial: How to print & edit the print settings.

Part 2: Creating a plan compilation with multiple views

If you want to arrange several floor plans and sections on a large plan (e.g., DIN A0), use the plan compilation.

[06:51] General overview of the next steps

[07:02] Preparation of the individual views

• Ensure that a separate, tidied-up 2D view exists for each floor and each section.
• Important: In these “working” views, hide the previously created Sheet Frame layer via the project tree, as the frame is only placed around the entire plan at the very end.
• Tip: Ideally, arrange all required views side by side beforehand. Then, press the Home key in each window to execute the Show all command. The floor plan should now fill the viewport entirely, without any unnecessary blank margins (see example). The actual size of the window on your screen does not matter. With this optimal preparation, you save yourself the time-consuming task of subsequently moving the floor plans within the viewport when inserting them into the plan compilation.

[08:45] Create new plan view

• Select the New plan view function in the 2D Layout menu.
• Give the plan a Name under General (e.g., “Plan compilation”).
• Under Page properties, select the desired paper format (e.g., ISO A0 Landscape).
• Confirm the settings with OK two times.
• Set the scale for the overall plan (e.g., 1 : 50).

[09:32] Insert views (plan parts) on the plan

• Click on Insert existing view as plan part in the 2D Layout menu.
• Select the first view (e.g., Ground Floor) from the list and place it on the empty plan.
• Adjust the size of the viewport by dragging the corners with the mouse.
• Tip: To move the floor plan within the window viewport, hold down Shift + Mouse wheel (horizontal) or Shift + Ctrl + Mouse wheel (vertical).

[10:45] Adjust the scale of the plan part

• Right-click on the inserted plan part and select Properties.
• Change the scale under Plan parts 2D to match the overall plan (e.g., from 1 : 100 to 1 : 50).
• Repeat the above steps to arrange all other required views (Basement, Top floor, sections, elevations) on the plan.

[13:03] Saving and inserting a 3D image into the plan

• Switch to your 3D view.
• Select File > Save view as picture.
• Select a high resolution (e.g., User-defined, Width 500 pixels) and ensure Maintain aspect ratio is activated.
• Select the point Raytrace and for the settings choose Strong antialiasing for edge smoothing.
• Confirm the settings with OK.
• Then enter a file name and select My samples as the save location.
• Confirm the settings again with OK. The picture is then rendered and saved.
• Switch back to the plan compilation and click on Insert image (Bitmap).
• Select the saved image, place it on the plan, and adjust the size via the corner points.

[15:30] Final labeling for plan compilation

• Now label all inserted plan parts via 2D Layout > Text > Labeling (e.g., with a text size of 0.50 m).
• Tip: Copy finished texts with Ctrl + C and paste them elsewhere with Ctrl + V to then modify them via double-click.
• [17:14] Finally, as described in Part 1, insert a large sheet frame (e.g., DIN_A0_1_50.cps) and a suitable title block from the catalog.

Your plan is now completely compiled and ready for printing or PDF export!