What changed in Vanometry

Scale person

Add a life-size person from Accessories to check headroom, reach and bed length. Set the height and choose a pose: standing, reaching up, seated, sitting in bed or lying down. The person rests on the bed or seat under it and is not counted in the parts list, the cost or the weight.

Measure tool

The new Measure tool (M, or the ruler button) shows the distance between any two points, snapped to the corners and edges of items and the vehicle. It also measures clear space: the headroom over a bed, the width of an aisle, or the gap between two cabinets. Values follow your inch or centimeter setting.

Wiring and plumbing runs

With Pro you can draw 12 V and 120 V cable, fresh water and drain lines through the build, snapped to the floor, the walls and your items. The total length of each type goes into the parts list and the spreadsheet exports, and a 12 V run that feeds an item gets a suggested wire size.

Item search understands more words

Search in the Add menu now matches each word on its own and knows other common names for items. Searches such as “mini fridge”, “pulldown bed”, “a counter” and “bathroom” now find the fridges, the Murphy bed and bed lift, the base cabinets and the bathroom items.

Requested by a user

Interior dimension pages for every vehicle

New pages list the bare interior length, width, height and payload of every vehicle template in the planner, in inches and centimeters. They use the same numbers the editor builds from.

Planner comparison page

A new page compares Vanometry, VanCAD and Vanspace 3D feature by feature. Each cell was checked against that product’s own website or documentation.

26 ft U-Haul truck

The vehicle picker now includes U-Haul’s 26 ft truck, with its published interior size and the Mom’s Attic over the cab. Its flat floor is about 24 feet long, so searching for “24 ft” finds it too.

Requested by a user

Walk mode no longer gets stuck

In walk mode your body is now as narrow as a person turned sideways, so you fit through any gap you could squeeze through in the real vehicle. If you keep walking into furniture, you pass through it after a moment, and walls stay solid. Walk mode also starts you in the largest open area of the floor.

Sign in with Google

You can now sign in or create an account with your Google account. Vanometry receives only your name, email address and profile picture.

Resized vehicles keep their shape

Changing a vehicle’s dimensions no longer turns it into a plain custom box. A longer school bus stays a school bus, and a resized Sprinter keeps its curved walls, open cab and factory side door. The vehicle panel has a one-click way back to the published size.

Start from your own measurements

If your vehicle is not listed, choose My rig is not listed in the vehicle picker and enter its length, width and height in inches or centimeters.

Five more vehicles

New templates: the 10 ft U-Haul, 22 ft and 24 ft box trucks, the Ford Transit Connect LWB and the Ram ProMaster City. The 24 ft box truck’s height is an estimate, and its listing says so.

Suggest an item or a vehicle

The Add menu has a Suggest an item link, and the vehicle picker has Suggest a vehicle we should add. Each one sends your suggestion to us by email.

Parts and Power on the phone toolbar

On phones, Parts and Power now sit on the bottom bar instead of inside the ⋯ menu.

Fewer editor crashes

If one model or texture fails to download, the editor now shows a plain box for that item instead of an error page. Pages translated with Chrome’s built-in translation no longer crash on the next edit.

New logo

The Vanometry logo is now a box truck with a dimension arrow across its cargo box.

A clear message when 3D cannot start

On a device or browser without WebGL, the editor, the demo and shared builds now explain what happened and what to try, instead of showing an empty drawing.

Your first work saves to a new account

If you create an account before you place anything, your first real work is now saved to that account as your first design.

Light theme

The editor and shared builds now open in a light theme. You can switch to dark in the ⋯ menu under Settings, and each device keeps its own choice.

Share images on drafting paper

Link previews and the downloadable blueprint now use the same light drafting-paper look as the website, so they are easy to read in light social media feeds.

Room under a raised bed lift

Only the moving bed platform of a bed lift counts for overlaps now. Benches, couches and gear under a raised bed no longer flag against the guide rails, and lowering the bed onto something still does.

Updated demo build

The demo now shows a newer version of Mike’s 16 ft box truck design, a build in progress.

Bed lift

The Sleep category in the Add menu now has a Bed lift: a bed on four guide rails that you can raise and lower. It comes in Queen and Full, runs across the vehicle, and lists the mechanism, the frame and deck, and the custom mattress as separate parts.

Windows and cabinets on V-nose walls

Windows, doors and wall-mounted items now attach to the two angled walls of a V-nose trailer, the same way they attach to straight walls.

V-nose cargo trailers

Cargo trailers now have a V-nose by default, with a switch and a depth field in the vehicle panel that shows both numbers, for example 13′9″ box + 20″ V-nose. Trailer dimensions and payloads were checked against manufacturer specs, and 7×12 and 8.5×24 trailers were added.

Guides to choosing a conversion vehicle

Six guides cover the benefits and tradeoffs of box trucks, cargo trailers, vans, school buses, step vans and shuttle buses, and how each one compares with the others.

Designs stay in step across devices

If you edit the same design on two devices, the editor now loads the newer copy when you open the design or return to the tab. When both copies changed, it asks whether to keep this version, use the other device’s version or save a copy.

Separate finishes for each side of a partition wall

Each side of a partition wall can now have its own finish, so a shower wall can be tiled inside and paneled outside. The item panel labels the two sides Front and Back.

Toilets sit on shower pans

A toilet placed on a shower pan now stands on top of the pan instead of showing as an overlap, so a wet bath lays out correctly. Moving the pan moves the toilet with it.

See what an item overlaps

When an item overlaps something, its panel lists each overlapping item and by how much. Select a name in the list to go to that item.

Better models and finishes

Thirteen appliance models were upgraded, and surface flaws were repaired on fourteen models. Each surface now offers its own set of finishes, with new woods, stones, paints and tiles.

PlayStation 5 and trash cans

New items: a PlayStation 5 that stands upright or lies on its side, a 13 gallon step trash can and an 8 gallon pull-out trash can.

Report a problem from the editor

The ⋯ menu in the editor has Report a problem. It emails your note to us with the page, vehicle, view and browser, and it does not send your layout.

One panel at a time on phones

On phones, the item, vehicle, Parts and Power panels now open one at a time in a bottom sheet. An item opens with its common actions first, and Customize shows every option.

Remixing keeps your previous design

Remixing a shared build now opens it right away. The editor keeps a copy of the design you had open, and you can restore it from the design menu.

Parts rows select their items

Selecting a row in the Parts drawer now selects that item in the design. The save indicator shows whether the design is stored in this browser, saving, saved or failed to sync.

Power planner

A Power drawer next to Parts compares your daily power use with solar harvest and usable battery storage, from the items in your design. Everyone gets the three totals and a one-line verdict. With Pro you can set your sun and shade, add loads that are not in the layout and see whether the battery and inverter are sized for the build.

Batteries and tanks fit inside cabinets

Batteries, power stations, water tanks, water heaters and propane tanks placed fully inside a base cabinet, pantry, bench seat or storage box no longer show as overlapping it.

Five new items

New items: a twin-over-twin bunk bed, an e-bike, a 7 gallon water jug, a portable propane heater and a portable washer.

Walk on a phone

Walk mode now has an on-screen thumbstick on touch screens, so you can move around as well as look. It works in the editor and on shared builds.

Sharper 3D and faster loading

Items now cast soft contact shadows, and wall and floor finishes match the same finishes on furniture. Model files are about half their previous size with no loss of detail, so designs load faster.

A 3D demo on the home page

On larger screens the home page shows the demo build as a 3D model you can turn with the mouse. On phones it shows a picture that links to the full demo.

Planner pages open the right vehicles

The editor buttons on the van, box truck, step van, cargo trailer and school bus pages now open the vehicle picker on that type of vehicle.

Undo a deleted design

Deleting a design is now instant, and an Undo line in the design list brings it back for the rest of the session. The editor moves to your next most recent design instead of leaving the deleted one on screen.

Tip lumber flat or on edge

Plywood, studs and other lumber now have a Tip button that changes which face is up. A plywood sheet goes from on edge to flat in one click.

Requested by a user

Clearer dimension editing on phones

On phones, the vehicle chip now shows a pencil mark, and the welcome screen says that you can change the measurements of your vehicle and everything in it.

Requested by a user

Metric units

You can switch the planner to centimeters in the ⋯ menu. Grids, rulers, item sizes, blueprints and plan sets all follow the setting, and new visitors start in centimeters when their browser is set to a region outside the US.

Wall outlet

New item: a 120V duplex wall outlet that mounts flush on any wall.

Shuttle buses and step vans

New templates: a cutaway shuttle bus on the E-350/E-450 chassis, and 14, 16 and 18 ft step vans with their published wheel boxes and walk-through cab. Step vans also have their own planner page.

Platform bed frame

Beds have a new Platform frame: a plywood deck on 4x4 legs, up to 48 inches high for a garage under the bed, priced from its own cut list. The space under any bed frame is now open, so storage under the bed does not flag as an overlap.

Undo and redo on touch screens

Phones and tablets now have undo and redo buttons next to the view controls, and tapping a number field no longer zooms the page on iPhone.

Factory side doors on vans

Picking a van now adds its factory sliding-door opening on the passenger side, sized from the manufacturer’s spec. Delete it to panel it over, drag it to the driver side, or add a second one for dual sliding doors.

Add menu search and placement badges

The Add menu now searches the whole catalog, including sizes and types, and closes after you place an item so you can see where it landed. Items that go on the roof, a wall or a counter, or that hang, carry a badge that says so.

Wheel wells on box trucks and trailers

Rectangular vehicles can now have wheel wells, and 8.5 ft wide cargo trailers start with them at their published positions. You can change or remove them in the vehicle panel.

Share links appear right away

When you share a design, the link now appears and copies right away. The preview images and blueprint download finish in the background.

Hanging items and desk surfaces

The hanging plant and fruit hammock hang from the ceiling or from under a wall cabinet. Desks and the dinette table can hold items that normally sit on a counter.

Ten designs with a free account

A free account now holds ten saved designs.

Open cab end on vans and buses

Vans and buses now show the cab end open, with a simple seat shape, instead of a solid wall. Walk mode starts at the cab end, looking back through the build.

Roof plan sheet and copyable parts list

Plan-set PDFs now include a roof plan when the design has roof gear, and long wall elevations continue onto extra pages. The Parts drawer has Copy list, which copies the checklist as plain text, and your account menu can download all of your designs as a file.

Starlink, skylight and accessories

New items: a Starlink dish and a skylight for the roof, and an Accessories category with a hanging plant, a fruit hammock and an Instant Pot.

Sink in any countertop

The kitchen sink now installs into any countertop, not only the sink base cabinet.

Changing vehicles asks first

Picking a different vehicle for a design that already has items now asks first, because items may move to fit. When you are signed in, you can also open the new vehicle as a separate design.

Walk through shared builds

Anyone with a share link can now walk through the build in first person, on a phone or a computer, without an account.

Vehicle planner pages

New pages for van, box truck, cargo trailer and school bus conversions list the dimensions of each template.

Vehicle picker with pictures and search

The vehicle picker now shows a picture of every vehicle, grouped by type, with a search that knows words like “skoolie”. The 20 ft U-Haul joined the list.

School buses

New templates: a Type A short bus, 30, 35 and 40 ft Type C school buses, and a 40 ft flat-nose Type D bus.

Walk inside your design

Walk mode puts you inside the design in first person. Press 8 or the walk button, drag to look around, and move with WASD or the arrow keys.

More real 3D models

Several items that had shown as plain boxes got real 3D models during the week, including the rooftop air conditioner, futon sofa, camp stove, cassette toilet, tankless water heater and water tanks.

Item panel with pictures and swatches

The item panel now shows types as pictures, sizes as chips and finishes as swatches of the real textures.

Add menu with pictures

The Add menu now shows one category at a time, with a picture of every item. Items that come in several types expand in place so you can pick one directly.

Preview an item before you add it

Hovering over an item in the Add menu shows it in your design at the spot where it would land.

Beds without a frame

A bed can now have no frame, with the mattress on the floor. Parts then lists only the mattress.

Lumber

New items: 2x2, 2x4, 2x6 and 4x4 lumber and a plywood sheet, sized however you need and priced by volume.

Password reset and van wall finishes

The sign-in dialog has a forgot-password link and a button to show the password. Van walls now take the same wall finishes as box trucks and trailers.

Keyboard shortcuts and box select

Press ? to see every keyboard shortcut. F recenters the view, Shift+R rotates counter-clockwise, Ctrl+A selects everything in the current view, and Escape closes dialogs and menus. In the top, wall and roof views you can drag a box to select several items.

Wall cabinets stay on the wall

Wall cabinets, the range hood, the mini-split and TVs now always sit flush against a wall. The arrow keys slide them along the wall and raise or lower them.

Countertop ovens and a portable sink

New items: 13 qt and 32 qt countertop ovens and a portable sink.

A year of Pro, paid once

Pro is now one payment for a year of access, and nothing renews on its own. You get one reminder email 14 days before your access ends.

Your own product links

With Pro you can paste a link to the exact product you are buying on any line in Parts. Your link shows above ours and stays out of the designs you share.

One-click sharing

Sharing is now one click, with buttons for posting to social sites. Every shared build also has a blueprint page at its own address.

Fourteen window sizes and RV entry doors

Windows now come in fourteen sizes taken from real products, and the door list starts with RV entry doors.

New designs keep your vehicle

A new design now starts on the vehicle you were using, and Duplicate is always visible in the design list. Windows also have see-through glass.

48V rack battery

New item: a 48V rack-mount battery.

Right-drag moves the camera

Dragging with the right mouse button now always moves the camera, even when the pointer starts on an item.

Chevrolet Express and Ford E-Series vans

New templates: the Express / Savana 135″ and 155″ EXT, and the E-Series / Econoline regular and extended vans.

Beds, fridges and headboards as real products

Mattresses now come in several thicknesses, a Twin XL size was added, and bed frames, headboards and fridges match real products with links.

Editor layout for phones

On phones, the editor header fits on one line, with the views in a floating group and the other actions in a More menu.

Terms, privacy and account deletion

Vanometry now has a terms of service and a privacy policy, and you can delete your account from the account menu.

Roof view and solar panels

The roof view, on the 7 key, is where solar panels go, and the editor totals their wattage. Panels come in 100, 200 and 450 watt sizes.

Vanometry Pro

With Pro you can track costs and weight, download a dimensioned plan-set PDF and export an Excel cost ledger. The parts list stays free.

Parts lists that fit your vehicle

Parts starts with the items a box truck, cargo trailer or van conversion usually needs beyond the layout itself.

Accounts and saved designs

Create a free account to keep your designs in your account instead of only in this browser, and switch between several designs.

Demo build

The demo page shows Mike’s 16 ft box truck conversion, a build in progress.

Kitchen counters and cabinets

Base cabinets now share one continuous countertop, and the sink and induction cooktop sit flush in it. Cabinets, wall cabinets and the pantry use real 3D models.

Select several items

Shift+click selects several items to move, nudge, duplicate or delete together.

Vehicle templates

Pick a box truck, cargo trailer or van template with its real interior dimensions, including curved van walls and wheel wells. The 15 ft U-Haul includes the Mom’s Attic as usable space.

Wall views, doors and windows

Wall A and Wall B show each long wall straight on, where you can drag items along the wall and up or down. Doors and windows attach to the walls.

Vanometry is live

Vanometry launched at vanometry.com: a free 3D layout planner that runs in the browser, where one unit is one real inch and overlapping items are highlighted. You can undo any change, and every design can be shared as a link with a blueprint sheet.