AI Floor Plan Generation

There are three main ways to capture a floor plan. LiDAR, which Apple added to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPad Pro in 2020, measures depth directly. Apple's RoomPlan framework, released in 2022, uses it to detect walls, doors, windows and major furniture. Photo-based systems use photogrammetry, estimating 3D geometry from many overlapping images. 360-degree camera systems such as Matterport and Zillow's 3D Home combine panoramas with depth estimates. Video-based apps pull frames from a walkthrough. In every case, AI models find walls and openings, label rooms, and stitch rooms into one plan. Many commercial services also have human drafters review results. Vendors advertise accuracy within small percentages, but real-world errors come from predictable places: missed closets and tight spaces, mirrors and glass that confuse depth sensing, dark rooms, clutter hiding wall bases, stairs, and small alignment errors that build up as rooms are joined. The bigger source of confusion is often the rules, not the scan. ANSI Z765, the American National Standard for measuring single-family homes (updated in 2021), measures detached houses from exterior walls. It counts only finished, above-grade space in gross living area and sets ceiling-height rules. Fannie Mae began requiring appraisers to follow ANSI Z765 in 2022. A phone scan measures interior rooms, so its total naturally comes in below an exterior-based figure. A plan that includes a basement will not match an above-grade figure either. A common misconception is that a floor plan's total is the home's official square footage. Tax records, appraisals and floor plans often use different rules, which is why listings should say what a figure measures and suggest buyers verify it.