Routes & directions

Drawing wayfinding on image maps

Map makers All guides

You do not need vector artwork to offer directions. The on-map drawing tools work just as well on an image floor, so a photo, a scan or a flat floor plan can carry a full walkable network. This guide covers what is the same and what to watch for on image maps.

It is the same tools

An image (raster) floor uses exactly the same drawing tools as a vector floor. Open the Wayfinding tab, tick Enable wayfinding on this map, click Draw wayfinding on the map, and you get the same Route, Barrier, Stairs and Lift tools. Everything you draw sits on top of the image.

Because you draw the network by hand here, an image floor with drawn paths routes just like a vector one. The visitor cannot tell the difference.

Draw the network

  1. Trace the walkable paths

    Use the Route tool to tap along every corridor and open route on the image, down the middle of the walkable space. See Draw walking paths onto your map.

  2. Mark steps

    Use the Barrier tool over any steps or blocked ways, so step-free routing can avoid them. See Mark steps and barriers for step-free routing.

  3. Add floor connectors

    On a multi-level site, place Stairs and Lift markers and give the pair on each floor the same name. See Connect floors with lifts and stairs.

One thing to get right first

Distances on directions depend on the map's scale. On an image floor there are no drawing units to read a size from, so set the scale yourself. On the Wayfinding tab, under Walk time & distance, either set the four GPS corners for the floor so distances come from real coordinates, or turn off Auto-calculate scale from GPS and type a value into Scale, metres per map unit. Without this the walk time is only a rough guess.

The paths still connect the same way on an image floor: anything that touches or crosses joins. If a route will not form, check that your lines actually cross where you want a junction. See Fix drawn routes that do not connect.