Getting started with VanPlot

Create your account

VanPlot runs entirely in your browser — there is nothing to install. All you need is an email address and a password (at least 6 characters).

Prefer one click? The login page also offers Google sign-in — press it and you land on the same dashboard, with no password to remember. You can use either method with the same email address.

1. Go to /login and choose No account? Sign up.
2. Enter your email and a password, then press Sign up.
3. Open the confirmation email I send you and click the activation link.
4. Back on the login page, sign in with the same email and password — you'll land on your dashboard.

Create your first project

The dashboard is home to all of your builds. New project at the top opens a short wizard that narrows your van down step by step instead of listing all 159 variants at once; your existing projects appear below it as cards, newest changes first.

1. Choose Existing van or Custom van body. A custom body is for a vehicle outside the database — you type its interior and exterior dimensions, wheelbase and weights yourself (see Choosing your van).
2. For an existing van, type into the search box ("sprinter l3", "jumper") or pick the brand, then the model (Fiat Ducato, Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, VW Crafter and many more), then its size and drive variant (for example L2H2 · FWD) — every variant card shows interior dimensions and approximate payload, so the pick is informed.
3. Choose what to start from: an Empty van, or a starter layout — Weekender (rear bed, side kitchen, fridge, water & gas), Family camper, Mobile office, Modular wet-room or Rear lounge. Templates are built live from the van you picked, so they always fit.
4. Give the project a name — "My camper build", "Ducato weekender", anything you like — and press Create project — the 3D editor opens with your van ready to plan.

A quick tour of the editor

The editor has three zones. The toolbar across the top runs, left to right: the Body button (opens the Van inspector — vehicle, insulation, and openings), undo/redo, the move tools (free move, move/rotate/resize gizmos, rotate 90°, duplicate, remove, measure), the view cluster — 3D · Top · Walk · Photo as one segmented switch, plus the Roof view, doors-open and auto-hide toggles and the Tilt test — and on the right, save status, Build Sheet, Snapshot, History, and Share. The left sidebar shows what's in your van (Components), the catalog you add from (Library), wiring and plumbing runs (Systems), and saved arrangements (States). When you select an item, the Inspector opens on the right with its dimensions, position, color, weight, and cost.

Moving the camera: drag to orbit around the van, scroll to zoom, and drag with the right mouse button to pan. Press T to flip into a straight-down floor-plan view and back, W to walk through at eye height, and P for photo mode.

Your work saves itself

There is no save button to remember: VanPlot autosaves a moment after every change, and the status chip in the toolbar tells you where you stand — Saved, Unsaved, or Saving…. See Projects, autosave & version history for how snapshots and restore points work.

Where to go next

Read Choosing your van to dial in the vehicle, insulation, and body panels, then Placing components to learn the placement tools — moving, rotating, duplicating, grouping, and snapping.