Routes & directions

Fix drawn routes that do not connect

Map makers All guides

When directions will not draw between two places, the drawn network almost always has a gap: two lines that never quite touch, or a stair or lift whose two ends are not named the same. This guide walks through the usual causes in order.

Do the lines actually touch?

Connections come from geometry, not names. Anything that touches or crosses connects, and anything that does not stays separate. A path drawn a hair short of the corridor it should meet looks joined but is not, so no route can cross the gap.

  1. Find the join that fails

    Route to a place that works, then to one that does not. The break is somewhere between them.

  2. Extend the line past the junction

    Pick the Select tool, take hold of the loose end, and drag it so it clearly crosses the line it should meet, rather than stopping just short.

  3. Re-test the route

    Confirm the journey now forms across that junction.

Watch for disconnected islands

If part of your network never joins the rest, it becomes a separate island. Places on different islands cannot be routed between, and this is the most common cause of no route found. Look for any run of paths that has no crossing into the main network and add a line that bridges them.

Every destination also needs a path reaching it. A place with no line running up to it has nowhere for the route to end, so bring a Route line to each landmark you want people directed to.

A cross-level route that will not form nearly always comes down to the floor connectors. Two markers link only when they share a name and each is connected into its own floor's paths.

  1. Check both ends exist

    Confirm the stair or lift has a marker on every floor it serves, placed on the floor that is showing.

  2. Check the names match exactly

    Select each marker and confirm both ends carry the same name. A mismatch, even a small one, leaves them unlinked. See Connect floors with lifts and stairs.

  3. Check each end reaches paths

    Each marker must sit on or beside a Route line on its floor, so a route can actually reach it.

Step-free routes only

If the normal route works but the step-free one fails, the step-free way is blocked. Stairs and Barrier lines are both avoided in step-free mode, so the destination needs a lift or a level path as an alternative. See Mark steps and barriers for step-free routing.

When a place really can only be reached by stairs, step-free directions tell the visitor exactly that and suggest turning step-free off. That is your cue the spot needs a lift or level path added.