# Columns, zones, venue size and the view

> Place columns, mark zones, resize the whole venue, and control the 2D view: zoom, pan, the grid, snapping and what is shown.

Besides rooms and walls, the 2D plan has tools for columns and zones, a way to resize the building's outside walls, and controls for the view itself.

## Place a column

1. Open **More tools** (⋯) and choose **Place column**.
2. Click the plan where the column stands.

Select the column to change it on its card: **Column shape** (**Rectangle** or **Circle**), **Column height**, **Column X position** and **Column Y position**, and **Column width** and **Column depth**, or **Column diameter** for a round one. To remove it, press **Review column deletion**, then **Delete column**.

The plan check flags an item or a stair that overlaps a column, and a column in a door's approach, as blocking.

## Mark a zone

A zone marks part of a floor, such as a play area, a seating area or a waiting area, with its own name and floor finish.

1. Press **Draw zone** in the tool bar.
2. Drag a rectangle on the plan, or click two opposite corners.

The new zone is named **Zone** and a number. On its card you can change its **Zone name** and **Finish**.

To change its shape, press **Edit boundary**. Each corner has its own fields, such as **Vertex 1 X** and **Vertex 1 Y**, and buttons such as **Insert after vertex 1** and **Remove vertex 1**; a zone keeps at least three corners. Press **Apply boundary** to use the new shape, or **Cancel**.

To remove a zone, press **Review zone removal**, then **Remove zone**.

## Resize the venue

**Venue size** changes the outside size of the building on the floor you are on, while one corner stays where it is.

1. Open **More tools** (⋯) and choose **Venue size**. The drawer shows the **Current outside dimensions**.
2. Under **Resize shell**, type the **Outside width (m)** and **Outside depth (m)**, and choose the corner that stays put in **Keep corner fixed**: **Top left**, **Top right**, **Bottom left** or **Bottom right**.
3. Check the diagram: solid is the current outline, dashed is the new one, and the dot marks the fixed corner.
4. Press **Review resize**. The review lists the walls, doors, windows and rooms that change. Press **Apply resize**, or **Cancel**.

Items, zones, columns and stairs stay where they are. If the new size won't work, for example because something would end up outside the walls, the message says why and nothing changes.

> **Note:** Venue size works when the floor's outside walls form one rectangle with an even thickness on each side. Otherwise the drawer explains why it can't resize.

![The Venue size drawer with a larger outside width typed in and a diagram of the current and proposed outline.](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/screenshots/venue-size-panel.webp)

## Zoom and pan

| Control | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Zoom in** and **Zoom out** | Zoom between 100% and 400%, a quarter at a time. |
| The zoom level, such as **100%** | **Reset view**: back to the whole plan at 100%. In a narrow window it shows an icon instead. |
| **Pan view** | While it is on, drag the plan to move it around, or press the arrow keys with the plan focused. Turn it off to edit again. |
| `Ctrl` + mouse wheel | Zooms in or out at the pointer. |

## View options

**View options**, at the end of the zoom controls, holds:

| Option | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Show structure** | Shows or hides everything except the items: walls, rooms, doors, windows, zones, columns and stairs. While it is off, the drawing tools and painting are unavailable. |
| **Show items** | Shows or hides the items. While it is off, you can't place items. |
| **Show grid** | Shows or hides the grid. |
| **Snap to grid** | Rooms, walls, items and handles snap to the grid as you place and move them. |
| **Grid spacing** | The size of a grid step, in the unit you use. |

These settings belong to the plan: they are saved with it, and **Undo** reverses them. The 3D view has its own view options for walls and room labels; see [Look at your plan in 3D](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/the-3d-view.md#choose-how-walls-show).

![The 2D View options panel: Show structure, Show items, Show grid, Snap to grid and Grid spacing.](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/screenshots/view-options-2d.webp)

## Metres or feet

Open **More** (⋯) and choose **Metres** or **Feet** under **Measurement units**. Every field, label and size follows, and this browser remembers the choice. Switching units doesn't resize anything.

## Related

- [Rooms and walls](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/rooms-and-walls.md)
- [Floors and stairs](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/floors-and-stairs.md)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/keyboard-shortcuts.md)
- [A tour of the planner](https://floorplancraft.com/docs/planner-tour.md)

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Source: https://floorplancraft.com/docs/more-drawing-tools · Updated 2026-11-07