Sketch to CAD inside AutoCAD
Type SKETCH2CAD, pick a sketch, a phone photo or a scan of a plan, and the AI drafter draws it as a clean CAD floor plan: walls with thickness, doors with swings, windows, furniture, dimension chains and room labels. A minute or three later it is in your drawing as a block with its own layers, scaled to your units. AIPLAN does the same from a written brief.
Free · version 1.0.0 · AutoCAD 2021–2027 and AutoCAD-based products (AutoCAD Architecture, MEP, Map 3D, Civil 3D …); internet connection; Plan Chat account. Coming soon to the Autodesk App Store.
Install
- Download the ZIP and unpack it. You get a folder called PlanChat.AutoCAD.bundle.
- Copy that folder to %APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins (paste the path into the Explorer address bar).
- Start AutoCAD. A “Plan Chat” ribbon tab appears; the commands work from the command line as well. If Windows blocks downloaded files, right-click the ZIP → Properties → Unblock before unpacking.
Sign in
The first command opens your browser on the Plan Chat sign-in page. Sign in (email or Google), click “Continue”, and the app is signed in. One sign-in works for all Plan Chat plug-ins on the computer. No account yet? Create one in the studio.
Commands
| SKETCH2CAD / IMAGE2DWG | Pick a sketch, photo or plan image (PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC, BMP, up to 15 MB), optionally add sizes or rooms; the drawing is inserted as a block. |
|---|---|
| AIPLAN / TEXT2CAD | Describe a building in a sentence or two and get a floor plan. |
| PLANCHAT | Dialog with image, description and units (metres or feet). |
| PLANCHATOPEN | Insert the latest version of one of your Plan Chat drawings, including ones changed by chat in the browser. |
| PLANCHATWEB | Open the drawing in the browser studio: change it by chat, see it in 3D, render it. |
| PLANCHATLOGIN / PLANCHATLOGOUT | Sign in or out. |
What the drafter draws
A clean CAD floor plan, not a traced image: structural grid, walls with real thickness, doors with swings, windows, furniture and fixtures, dimension chains, room names and areas, a room schedule and a legend, on standard AIA layers. Every drawing stays in your account with all its versions, so you can change it by chat in the browser studio, see it in 3D, render it, and insert the new version again.
| A-WALL | walls, with A-WALL-PATT for the cut hatch |
|---|---|
| A-DOOR / A-GLAZ | doors with swings, windows |
| A-GRID | structural grid with bubbles (A, B, C … / 1, 2, 3 …) |
| A-ANNO-DIMS | dimension chains, overall and per bay |
| A-ANNO-TEXT | room names, numbers and areas, room schedule |
| A-FURN / A-FLOR-FIXT | furniture, kitchen and bathroom fixtures |
| A-FLOR-STRS / A-SITE / A-PLNT | stairs, site elements, trees |
Questions
Which AutoCAD versions does it support?
AutoCAD 2021 to 2027 on Windows, including the AutoCAD-based toolsets such as AutoCAD Architecture, MEP, Map 3D and Civil 3D. AutoCAD LT has no .NET plug-ins; for AutoCAD LT 2024 and later use the LISP edition.
How is the drawing inserted?
As a block reference at the point you pick, with the drawing’s own layers (A-WALL, A-DOOR, A-GLAZ, A-FURN, A-ANNO-DIMS, A-ANNO-TEXT …) merged into your drawing. The plan is drawn in metres and scaled to your drawing’s INSUNITS. Answer “Yes” to Explode to get plain editable lines, arcs, hatches, text and dimensions.
Can it convert a JPG or PDF scan of a floor plan to DWG?
Yes for images: a photo, scan or screenshot of a printed or hand-drawn plan works (JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, BMP). The drafter redraws it as CAD geometry with real wall thickness and dimensions rather than tracing pixels. For a PDF, export the page as an image first.
What does it cost?
The plug-in is free. Each drawing uses Plan Chat credits from your AI Architectures plan (a new drawing typically uses 700 to 1,800 credits); some new accounts get their first drawing free.
Where are the files?
Each drawing is also saved as DWG in Documents\Plan Chat, and stays in your Plan Chat account with every version, where you can download DXF, DWG and a scaled PDF sheet.
Is my drawing private?
Yes. Projects belong to your account and are private unless you publish one. Sketches are sent to Plan Chat over HTTPS only to make the drawing.
Pricing: The plug-in is free. Each drawing uses Plan Chat credits from your AI Architectures plan (a new drawing typically uses 700 to 1,800 credits); some new accounts get their first drawing free. See plans.
Privacy: sketches and briefs are sent over HTTPS only to make your drawing and are kept in your account until you delete the project. Privacy policy.
Support: support@ai-architectures.com or the help page.
Plan Chat in other apps
- Plan Chat AI Drafter for Revit
- Plan Chat AI Drafter for SketchUp
- Plan Chat AI Drafter for Rhino
- Plan Chat: AI Floor Plan to 3D for Blender
- Plan Chat AI Drafter, LISP edition
- Desktop app for Windows, Mac and Linux
- Sketch to CAD in the browser
AI concept drawings can contain mistakes: check dimensions and have a licensed architect or engineer review a plan before you build or apply for a permit. AutoCAD and Revit are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc.; SketchUp of Trimble Inc.; Rhino of Robert McNeel & Associates; Blender of the Blender Foundation; BricsCAD of Bricsys NV; ZWCAD of ZWSOFT; GstarCAD of Gstarsoft; DraftSight of Dassault Systèmes. Plan Chat is not affiliated with them.