> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gingerbim.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Generating 2D Drawings

> Turn your 3D model into plans, sections, and elevations — generate, regenerate, and manage drawing layers.

GingerBIM turns your 3D model into **2D drawings** — plans, sections, and elevations. A drawing is a 2D line document (section lines, projected edges, plus optional overlays for spaces, levels, grids, and markers) generated by cutting and projecting the model. You generate drawings in the viewer, then view them, toggle their layers, and place them on canvas sheets for export.

## Where to generate drawings

In the 3D viewer, open the **Drawings** panel from the left toolbar. The panel lists the model's drawings and their status, and its header has buttons to **Add drawing** (the "+"), **Refresh**, and **Search**.

## Generating drawings

Click **+** to open the **Create Drawing** dialog:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick a drawing type">
    Choose **Floor Plan** (horizontal cut, looking down), **Section** (vertical cut showing the interior), or **Elevation** (vertical projection of a face), and give the drawing a name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Floor plans: by level, or a custom cut">
    For a floor plan you have two ways to define the cut:

    * **By level** — select one or more of the model's levels and set the **Offset** (in metres) above the level where the plan is cut. You get one plan drawing per selected level.
    * **Custom** — choose **Custom** in the level dropdown instead, and you'll position the cutting plane yourself in the 3D viewer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sections and elevations: position the cut">
    For a **Section** or **Elevation**, you always position the cutting plane in the 3D viewer — click **Next** and place the cut where you want it. Generation runs once it's positioned.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If your current view has hidden or isolated objects, the dialog first asks whether to **Save view** (keep the hidden state, so the drawing reflects what you see) or **Reset view** (show everything). Some drawing options may require a paid plan.

## Status and what you'll see

Each drawing shows its generation status:

* **Loading** — queued or rendering, shown with a progress indicator. (If a job takes unusually long it's flagged so you can retry.)
* **Active** — ready to view; you'll get a "Drawing ready" notification.
* **Error** — failed, shown with an error message and a **Retry** option.

When the model changes (a new version, a level edit, a status or material change), a drawing can become out of date — GingerBIM shows an "update available" badge so you can **Regenerate** it in place while keeping any annotations.

## Working with a generated drawing

* **View it** in the viewer by selecting it from the list; sections and elevations show their cut and depth planes, and the drawing's saved visibility is applied.
* **Toggle layers** in the drawing's visibility controls — hatches, projection lines, and "color by status," plus labels for **Spaces**, **Levels**, **Grid**, site boundary/setback, section and elevation **markers**, FFL markers, and door/window/railing/stair tags. For sections and elevations you can also set which side level labels appear on.
* **Place it on a sheet** by dragging the drawing onto the canvas, where it becomes a Detail viewer you can scale and export. You can also **Export DXF** for a single drawing directly from its menu.

## Tips

<Tip>
  Select several levels at once when creating a floor plan — you get one plan per level in a single step.
</Tip>

* If a drawing fails, use **Retry**; if it's out of date after a model change, use **Regenerate**.
* Drawings carry layers (spaces, levels, grids, markers) you can turn on and off — both in the viewer and per placement on a sheet.


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