> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.laiout.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.laiout.co/upload-modes/cleaning-your-floor-plan-pro.md).
# Cleaning Your Floor Plan (Pro)
Where should I click to start working in laiout PRO?
To begin using laiout Pro, navigate to your project folder and click Upload. Select laiout Pro as your upload mode. The file will load and the Pro editor will open automatically, ready for you to start preparing your floor plan.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How long does file cleaning take?
A typical file takes about 18 to 20 minutes to clean. With practice, this can come down to around 5 minutes.
Why is it asking me to choose between "entire file" or "crop"?
Architectural files often contain layers and information that are not needed for workplace design. In laiout Pro, you can click and drag to select only the area you need (typically the floor plan itself) and choose to crop. This excludes title blocks, notes and other extraneous elements from your working file.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
Why is it asking me to scale the file?
Architectural files can be saved in different units. The unit selection step allows you to verify that the building is displaying at the correct scale. The dimension lines shown in the plan view represent the effective dimensions that will be used in the design process.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How do I confirm the units on my uploaded file are correct?
Toggle the grid overlay to check. Each square represents 1x1 metre. As a quick sanity check, compare against a doorway on your plan: a standard office door is approximately 920mm wide.
I see a warning triangle when I upload my file. Is something wrong?
No, this is expected and safe to ignore. The warning simply means the layer names in your file do not exactly match laiout's standard checklist. Click "Go Pro" to proceed to the cleaning workflow as normal.
Do I need to remove furniture from my file in CAD before uploading?
No. You can delete furniture layer by layer directly inside laiout, with one click per layer. This is faster than removing it in CAD beforehand, so upload the file as-is and clean furniture within laiout.
What are the elements on the left panel?
The left panel contains a series of tools organised into categories. Draw, Trim and Delete allow you to divide spaces and adjust the floor plan geometry. The Layers panel lets you assign specific lines to specific layers (such as walls, pillars or glass). Selection modes help you speed up the assignment process by enabling different selection behaviours.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
Which selection mode should I use when cleaning?
Start with Layer, which is the fastest and most reliable option when your file is well-organised. If Layer does not work well for your file, try Block next, then Normal, then Entity (single line) as a fallback for one-off selections.
Which elements do I need to assign before I can start cleaning?
Only two: pillars (or columns) and glass. Everything else, including furniture, kitchens, and bathrooms, can be cleaned quickly inside laiout with a single click per layer. There is no need to prepare these in CAD before uploading.
How do I assign glass correctly, and what is the most common mistake?
Select only the physical glass panels themselves, not the surrounding frames or mullions. If mullions are included in your initial selection, use Shift-click to deselect them before confirming the glass assignment. The most common mistake to avoid is marking the entire facade as glass rather than just the glass panels. This breaks laiout's room alignment logic and will lead to poor generation results.
What do I do after assigning layers?
After assigning layers, proceed to the next step: Regions and Circulation. This is where you define the spaces within the floor plan and draw the main corridors that will guide how laiout generates layout options.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How do I assign regions?
When you enter the Regions and Circulation tab, the region selector is automatically active. Click and hold on a region to flood-fill it, similar to the paint bucket tool in image editing software. Repeat this process until you have selected and marked all the regions on your floor plan.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How do I assign external regions?
To mark the external space, click and hold outside the floor plan boundary. This fills the external area, allowing laiout to recognise where natural light enters the building.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
Does laiout recognise lightwells?
laiout does not automatically recognise lightwells in a floor plan. To mark a lightwell, select the region using the region selector (click and hold), then change its layer to Lightwell using the dropdown menu.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
Can I mark other regions in laiout PRO?
Yes. You can mark any region by clicking and holding when in region selection mode, then change the layer type using the dropdown menu. This allows you to designate areas as specific zone types such as core, amenity or lightwell.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How do I exclude areas I don't want furnished, such as skylights, double-height voids, or light wells?
Use the Edit Region Tool to mark these zones as areas laiout should ignore. Excluded regions will not receive furniture or zoning during generation.
What if I only want to furnish part of a floor?
Draw a line across the floor before flood-filling with the Edit Region Tool. This isolates the zone you want to furnish, and only that area will receive furniture and generation. The full floor plan will still appear on export, so you keep the visual context of the wider space.
How can I draw the circulation?
Click on the Circulation button to activate corridor drawing mode, then click, hold and drag directly on the floor plan to place corridors. Corridors can be deleted with a double-click, moved by dragging, or resized by clicking and holding the circle at the centre of each segment.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
What is the difference between Save and Mark as Clean?
Save preserves your work-in-progress without finalising the file. Mark as Clean signals that the file is ready to generate, and this step is required before you can produce any output. Use Save to pause and return to your cleaning later, and Mark as Clean when you are fully ready to move to generation.
What do I do after cleaning the floor plan?
Once the floor plan setup is complete, click the checkmark to mark the floor as complete. This finalises the configuration and enables you to start generating layout options.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
Do I need to annotate stairwells, core rooms etc in Pro?
No, it is optional to mark stairwells, core rooms etc. in Pro.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
How to clean a floor in Pro?
First, crop the part of the drawing you want to proceed with. This is especially useful if there is more than one floor in the drawing you uploaded. Then assign correct units of the drawing. Within Labeller tool, using various selection modes, delete unwanted elements, label glass panes as Glass, pillars as Pillar, door arcs as Door and anything you want to keep visible but not collidable as Misc or Furniture. Close the door openings with a Draw tool to enclose the space you want to generate in. If there are any openings in walls or windows, close them as well. This will prevent mistakes in the next step, which is filling regions. Open the Regions & Circulation tool and long-click within the area you want to generate in to add an AI-generated region. You can add multiple AI regions if the floor consists of more than one part. Click and hold outside of the building to indicate where the outside is (the region marking outside should be called Exterior). If there are any lightwells or floor openings in your floor, fill them and assign the regions as Lightwell. Optionally you can add other annotations, such as Stairwell or Core Room. As the last step, draw some corridors with Edit Circulation tool. Remember to save your file to not lose your progress. When you're done, mark the floor as clean by clicking on the checkmark button. If any requirements are not fulfilled, you'll get a message listing what needs to be done in order to proceed.
**Video guide:** [laiout lessons - How to Clean a Complex DWG File with laiout Pro](https://youtu.be/ZnqTNGi5yJY)
My floor plan doesn't work. Why?
To ensure floor plan uploaded in Pro works, several steps must be followed. First you need to make sure the Units are correct. There has to be at least one AI-generated region added and Exterior has to be defined within the Region tool. Additionally, at least one corridor (circulation line) has to be drawn. Pillars have to be properly assigned as Pillars in Labeller tool. Frequent cause is an AI-generated region with small holes caused by floating elements within it, such as improperly annotated pillars or small lines which cause an error. If you ensured all of those requirements are met and your floor plan still doesn't work, contact the laiout team and we will assist you with finalising or fixing the floor plan.
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## Video Guides
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