Map basics

Keeping multi-level maps aligned

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A multi-level map is a stack of images — one per floor — that visitors flick between. When those images share the same size, framing and orientation, the building feels solid: the same corner is always the same corner, and switching floors doesn't lurch. Here's how to get that right.

Why it matters

Mapvera measures each level from its own image, so levels of different sizes still work technically. But if floors are cropped or scaled differently, the map appears to jump, resize or shift as visitors switch between them — and a landmark that should sit directly above another won't. Consistent images make the stack feel like one place.

The golden rule: one shared canvas

Draw or export every level on the same canvas — identical width, height and position. The easiest way is to keep all floors as layers or artboards of the same size in one design file, line up a fixed reference (a lift core, a stair, an external wall), and export each layer without moving anything.

If you're working from separate files, add the same outer boundary — the building footprint or site edge — to each one at the same position. That shared frame is what makes the floors register on top of each other.

A repeatable method

  1. Set one canvas size

    Decide a single width and height (or SVG viewBox) and use it for every level. Same size, same aspect ratio, same orientation.

  2. Pick a fixed reference point

    Choose something that appears on every floor — a lift shaft, a stairwell, a corner of the footprint — and place it at exactly the same spot on each level.

  3. Export each floor identically

    Export each layer or artboard without repositioning or re-cropping, so all the images line up pixel-for-pixel.

  4. Upload in building order

    On the Levels tab, arrange levels so the top of the list is the top floor — that's the order the on-map level switcher uses. Set your main entrance level as "Show by default".

  5. Check the switch

    In the preview, flick between floors. A fixed feature like the lifts should stay put. If a floor jumps or resizes, its image isn't on the shared canvas — re-export it.

Keep level IDs stable

Each level has an ID that landmarks use to say which floor they're on. Renaming a level's visible name is fine any time, but changing its ID unlinks the landmarks that pointed to it. Set IDs once, up front, then leave them alone.

Same shape, sharp result

Matching the aspect ratio across levels also stops the frame changing shape as visitors switch floors — see the aspect-ratio guide. And if you can export your floors as SVG, they'll stay crisp at every zoom on every level, which is ideal for a building people will explore closely.