Lay out your van in 3D before you build.

How to plan a van layout

1. Pick your vehicle. Choose the type, model, wheelbase and roof. The planner draws the empty cargo area with its wheel wells and doors. Measured your own rig? Open “Use your own measurements”.
2. Start from a layout, or empty. Starter layouts are fitted to the vehicle you picked. Use one as a base and change it.
3. Add and move parts. Tap a part in “Add parts” to drop it in. Drag it in the plan or in 3D; it lines up with the walls and other parts, and a sink or stove dropped on a counter sits on the counter top.
4. Get the sizes exact. Tap a part to see handles: drag a white dot to resize it, the orange ring or dot to turn it, and in 3D the blue arrow to raise or lower it. Green distances to the nearest wall or part appear around it; tap one and type the distance you want. “Edit” has the exact size, height, finish and weight.
5. Measure anything. Pick “Measure”, then tap two points in the plan or in 3D. Measurements stay on screen, in your units, until you clear them.
6. Look inside. “Walk inside” puts you in the van at eye height for your height. “Show me around” plays a short tour. “Photo” saves a picture of your build.
7. Choose the look. The “Look” tab sets the finishes, the van’s colour and the time of day.
8. Read the checks. The “Checks” tab flags problems and shows weight on the axles, fit for your height and solar through the year.
9. Print the build sheet. It has the plan, a 3D picture, the part list, where each part goes, wall drawings, a cut list and cutting diagrams.

What can I change in the look?

Pick a style such as “Birch & white”, “Cedar cabin” or “Dark walnut”, then change any surface on its own: walls, ceiling, floor, cabinets, counters and cushions. You can also set the van’s paint colour, add a window in the sliding door and switch between day, golden hour and night. At night the ceiling lights and under-cabinet strips come on. The finishes are drawn to give an idea of the look, not to match a product. “3D quality” set to Auto uses softer shadows on a computer and a lighter setting on phones; you can change it.

How do walking inside and the tour work?

“Walk inside” puts the camera at your eye height. On a computer, walk with W, A, S, D or the arrow keys and drag to look around. On a phone, use the on-screen stick and drag to look. Buttons let you stand, sit or lie in the bed, and a line tells you how much room is above your head. You can’t walk through walls or furniture. Press Exit or Esc to leave. “Show me around” flies the camera around the outside, through the door, past the kitchen and the bed; touch the screen or press any key to stop it. “View” has a switch to open the sliding and rear doors.

Can I save a picture of my build?

Yes. “Photo” hides the controls so you can line up the view, pick day, golden hour or night, and save a large picture (two or three times your screen size) with a small “Planned with RME” mark. On phones that support it you can share it straight to an app.

How are weight on the axles and left to right worked out?

Each part’s weight sits at the middle of its footprint, with water tanks counted full. The lever rule splits it between the axles: rear axle = weight × distance behind the front axle ÷ wheelbase, and the front axle takes the rest. The rear axle is placed at the middle of the wheel wells and the front axle one wheelbase ahead. A part behind the rear axle loads it by more than its own weight and lifts some off the front, so heavy parts back there are called out. For a trailer the two supports are the hitch and the axle, and the planner reminds you that a loaded trailer should have about 10–15% of its weight on the tongue. Left to right uses the same rule with the wheels under the side walls. These figures cover the build only, not the empty vehicle, people, fuel or gear. Weigh the finished van, axle by axle, and compare with the ratings on the door-frame sticker.

What does “Fit for your height” check?

• Sitting up in bed: the space from the mattress to the ceiling, or to a cabinet over the bed, against your sitting height (about 52.5% of your height).
• Counter height: a comfortable top is 5 to 25 cm (2–10″) below your elbow, and your elbow is about 61.7% of your height.
• Standing: your height against the inside height, before the ceiling and floor build-up.
• Bed length: 4–6″ (10–15 cm) longer than you.

Set your height in the Checks tab; the walk-through uses it too. Bodies vary, so these are guides from measurements of many people. A cardboard mock-up is still the best test.

How is solar by month worked out?

Pick a place from the list. Wh a day = panel watts × NASA’s average peak sun hours for that month × 0.74 for dirt, wiring, heat and charging losses, the same as our sun hours by month tool. It assumes panels lying flat on the roof and compares each month with the daily use you picked under “Your build in numbers”.

What’s in the cut list and drawings?

Counters, cabinets, drawers, wardrobes, benches, bed platforms, dinettes, desks, shelves and wall panels become simple plywood boxes the size of the part: ¾″ (18 mm) carcass, ½″ (12 mm) backs, butt joints and full-overlay doors. Each panel is listed with its size, quantity and edges to band. The panels are then laid out on 4 × 8 ft (or 1220 × 2440 mm) sheets with a ⅛″ (3 mm) saw cut between pieces, using cuts that run edge to edge so a track saw or table saw can do them. You get the number of sheets, a drawing of each sheet, and a cost at example prices you can change. Drawer boxes, hardware, cut-outs and supports are not included. The wall drawings show each wall from inside, with every part at its height and the distances along the floor and up the wall. These are planning drawings: check every size against your own van before you cut.

How are weight, water and power worked out?

• Weight: the typical weight of each part, with water tanks counted full (8.3 lb per US gallon), compared with the template’s payload. People, gear and fuel are not included.
• Water days: fresh water ÷ (2.5 US gallons × people). The number of people is the number of beds in the plan.
• Battery days: 90% of the battery’s watt-hours ÷ your daily use (light about 600 Wh, medium about 1,300 Wh, heavy about 2,800 Wh).
• Solar in the summary: panel watts × 4 sun hours × 75%. The Checks tab shows it month by month for a place you pick.

These are planning estimates. For your own numbers, use the water days calculator, the solar and battery calculator and the payload calculator.

Where do the vehicle sizes come from?

The 55 vehicle templates use the same interior figures as Van Blueprints in the RME app. They come from manufacturer spec sheets, body-builder guides and published conversion guides. Some numbers, such as wheel-well position, wheelbase on skoolies and payload, are estimates, and skoolies, box trucks, trailers and truck beds vary a lot. Measure your own vehicle before you cut anything.

Sources

• ANSUR II, 2012 US Army body-measurement survey (Gordon et al., 2014), summary tables from the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina: median height, sitting height and elbow height, used for sitting up, counter height and eye height.
• CRE-MSD, standing work height poster: 5–10 cm below the elbow for light tasks and 10–25 cm below for heavy tasks.
• NKBA Kitchen Planning Guidelines, guideline 26: two counter heights, one 28–36″ and one 36–45″.
• Bed Advice UK (National Bed Federation): a bed should be 4–6″ (10–15 cm) longer than the tallest person in it.
• GMC, “What is tongue weight?”: about 10–15% of a loaded ball-hitch trailer’s weight on the tongue.
• NASA POWER: monthly average sunlight on flat ground, 2001–2025, for the solar months.
• USGS Water Science School, water density: a US gallon of water weighs about 8.34 lb.
• Ready.gov, water: at least 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene in an emergency. The planner allows 2.5 gallons so there is water for cooking, dishes and a quick wash.
• NREL, PVWatts Version 5 Manual (2014): 14% system losses by default. The planner allows more because van panels usually lie flat and run hot.
• Battle Born Batteries, 100 Ah LiFePO₄ datasheet: rated for 100% depth of discharge. The planner keeps 10% in reserve.

Can I share or save my plan?

Your plan saves in this browser automatically, along with its look and your height. “Share link” makes a link anyone can open to get their own copy, look included, and “Save file” downloads the plan to keep or move to another device. The file uses the same plan format as Van Blueprints in the RME app. Nothing is uploaded: the link carries the plan itself. Links and files from the earlier version of the planner still open.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Switch between 3D and the plan at the top. Tap a part to pick it and drag it with one finger; drag anywhere else to look around and pinch to zoom. The bar under a picked part has Turn, Raise, Lower, Copy and Delete, and “Edit” has arrow buttons that move it one inch or centimetre at a time. Phones use a lighter 3D setting so it stays smooth. On a computer, press ? to see the keyboard shortcuts.