SpaceTease — How it works

Welcome to SpaceTease

SpaceTease lets you plan any room, garage or yard in 3D before you move a single piece of furniture. It tells you whether things fit, flags tight walkways and blocked doors, and exports a measured plan you can print or share.

The screen at a glance

How this guide is organized

1. The left panel, top to bottom. Each step explains what the section does and what you'll see change in the right panel.
2. The right panel in detail. Selecting and editing objects, warnings, and every way to move around the view, including the Move view button, the arrows and the scrollbars.
3. Review. How to save, what happens when you close, how to sign in to get back to your saved work, and how to export.

Part 1: The left panel, top to bottom

Step 1: Space (top of the left panel)

Every plan starts with the Start from a template menu under Space. It's also where you reopen your saved projects.

What's in the menu:

Templates vs. projects. A template opens as a fresh, unsaved copy. Once you change it, an orange ● Save button appears in the top bar until you save it as a project. Projects in My Projects save automatically. (More in the Review at the end.)

Add a room window

1. Choose New room… (name it yourself).
2. Type a Room name, then the Width, Length and Ceiling height.
3. Pick a Floor: Wood, Light oak, Tile, Carpet or Concrete.
4. Press Add room. The empty room appears in the right panel and is saved to My Projects.

Garage window

1. Choose New garage (1 or 2 car)….
2. Give it a Name, then pick 1-car garage or 2-car garage.
3. For a 2-car garage, choose One double door or Two single doors.
4. Under Additional space, use − and + to add Extra width (on the side) or Extra depth (at the back) for storage or a workshop.
5. Set the Ceiling and Floor, and tick Park car(s) inside to see your cars in place.
6. Press Save garage. The garage appears in the right panel and is saved to My Projects.

Property setup window (yards and patios)

1. Choose My property (enter my home's size).
2. Enter a Name and the Lot (property lines): Width (along the street) and Depth (street to back).
3. Under Home: outside measurements, enter the home's Width, Depth and Wall height.
4. Set the Front yard depth (lot line to home) and the distance From left lot line, or choose center it.
5. Optionally size a Front patio / porch and a Back patio / deck.
6. Press Save & start planning.

In the right panel your home's outside walls stay locked in place. Everything in the yards and on the patios can be moved and resized freely. New buttons appear at the top of the right panel: Whole lot, Front yard and Back yard.

Step 2: Your room or Your property (sizes and surfaces)

The next section down shows the settings for whatever is open: Your room for rooms and garages, Your property for yards. Every change shows in the right panel right away.

Typing measurements. Every size box accepts the way you naturally write it: 14' 6", 440cm, 4.4m, or a plain number like 174 (inches in ft/in mode, centimeters in cm mode). The box tidies it into your chosen units when you leave it.

Your room

Room shape (L-shaped rooms, closets, chimneys)

Not every room is a rectangle. Use Room shape to cut a block out of any corner. Together the room and its cut-outs make L-shaped rooms, alcoves, a closet that juts in, or a chimney breast.

1. Click ＋ Add a corner cut-out (L-shape).
2. Choose the Corner: Back left, Back right, Front left or Front right. Back is the top of the plan.
3. Type the cut-out's Width and Depth.
4. Add up to four, one per corner. Click ✕ on a row to remove one.

In the right panel: the corner becomes solid wall. Anything that was standing there moves to the nearest free spot. Wall art, windows and doors can hang on the cut-out's walls. Furniture can't be placed inside it, Walk view won't let you walk into it, and the fit warnings treat it like a wall. The room's area in the status bar leaves the cut-out out.

📐 Trace a floor plan

Have a floor plan from a listing, your landlord or your builder? Put it under your room, to scale, and match it.

1. Click 📐 Trace a floor plan… and Choose image… (a photo or screenshot; for a PDF, take a screenshot of the page).
2. Click both ends of a wall whose length you know. A red line joins them.
3. Type that wall's length (for example 12' 6" or 380cm) and press Use this plan.
4. The right panel switches to Plan view with the image under your room, to scale.
5. Line it up with ◀ ▲ ▼ ▶ and ⟳ (turn 90°), and use the see-through slider to fade it. Then set your room's Width and Length to match its walls.

Set scale again re-measures, and Remove image takes it away (your room and furniture stay).

✨ Suggest a layout

Not sure how to arrange the room? Click ✨ Suggest a layout. SpaceTease tries many arrangements of the objects already in the room and shows the three best, each with a plan preview and its fit check.

• Beds and sofas go against walls, nightstands next to the bed, the coffee table in front of the sofa, and chairs around tables.
• Doors, windows, wall items and rugs stay where they are.
• Click Use this layout to apply one, or ↻ Try again for new ideas. Undo brings your previous layout back.

Your property (yards)

Patios

Patios are optional. Tick Add front patio or Add back patio to show one against the house in the right panel, then adjust it:

1. Use Width − / + and Depth − / + to resize it, or type a size.
2. Pick a Surface: Pavers, Wood deck, Concrete, Flagstone or Gravel.
3. Use Shift left / right ◀ ▶ to slide it along the house.
4. Untick the box to remove the patio.

When the right panel shows only the Front yard or the Back yard, the left panel shows only that side's patio option.

Sun and shade

See where sun and shadow fall on your yard, patio and garden at any time of day.

1. Tick Show sun & shade.
2. Choose which way the Front of home faces (North, Northeast, East and so on).
3. Pick a Season: Summer, Spring / fall, or Winter.
4. Drag the Time of day slider from 6 AM to 8 PM.

In the right panel: the sunlight and shadows move as you change the time, and N, E, S, W markers show the compass directions around the lot. A note says where the sun is, for example Sun in the southwest, 45° above the horizon. Use it to place umbrellas, seating, plants and play areas. Positions are approximate, worked out for the middle of the US.

Step 3: Options (the tick boxes)

These change how the planner helps you. They don't change your plan itself.

Minimum walkway

Choose how much space you need to walk between things. Any gap narrower than this is flagged as a tight walkway in the right panel.

Wheelchair accessibility check

Tick Wheelchair accessibility check (rooms and garages) to plan for a wheelchair user, aging in place, or an accessible renovation.

In the right panel: the clear floor space shows as shaded areas, blue when clear and red when something's in the way. Problems appear in the status bar as ⚠ clearance problems; click it to jump to each one.

Step 4: Add object (bottom of the left panel)

This is the catalog of furniture, appliances, structure pieces and yard items. Click any tile and that object appears in the right panel:

• It's placed in a free spot so it doesn't land on top of something else.
• It's selected (outlined) with its size shown above it.
• The object panel opens at the top right of the right panel so you can change it (see Part 2).
• The status bar updates the item count and any warnings.

Search

1. Click the Search objects box (or press / on your keyboard).
2. Type what you want, such as sofa, grill or bike. Everyday words work too: couch finds sofas, refrigerator finds the fridge, and bbq finds grills.
3. Press Enter to add the first match, or click any tile in the results.
4. Click ✕ or press Esc to clear the search.

Categories

The buttons under the search narrow the catalog. Each tile shows the object's name and standard size.

• Indoors: All, My items, Living, Bedroom, Kitchen, Office, Bath, Garage, Structure (doors, windows and other building parts)
• Outdoors: All, My items, Patio, Garden, Yard

Create object (your own pieces)

1. Click the ＋ Create object tile (in All or My items).
2. Type a Name and pick the closest Shape: Box, Round, Table, Seating, Bed, Drawers, Cabinet, Shelves, Wall art or Photo cutout.
3. Enter its Width, Depth and Height. Sizes like 36, 3' 2", 90cm or 1.2m all work.
4. For wall-mounted pieces, set Off floor (how high its bottom edge sits).
5. Pick a Color, or under Finish choose a stock material or art print, or upload your own photo.
6. Press Add to room. It appears in the right panel and is saved to My items.

Shortcut: paste the size from a store page. In the Create object window, paste the product's size into Paste the size from a store page and press Use size. SpaceTease fills in Width, Depth and Height for you. It understands the way stores write sizes, for example 84"W x 38"D x 34"H, W 84 in, D 38 in, H 34 in, 213 x 97 x 86 cm or Width: 7' 2", and it ignores part sizes like seat or arm height. Check the result against the store page.

My items

My items keeps objects you've made or saved, ready to reuse in any project. Remove one with the ✕ on its tile. You can also save any object already in the right panel with ☆ Save to My items in its object panel.

There is no limit to how many objects you keep in My items.

Part 2: The right panel in detail

Now that you know the left panel, here's everything you can do in the right panel: choosing how you look at your plan, checking the fit, editing objects, and moving around.

Choosing how you see it (top bar)

The buttons near the top left of the screen control what the right panel shows.

Near the top right:

The other top-bar buttons (● Save, Layouts, Export and ✓ Full version) are covered in Part 3.

The status bar and fit warnings (top left of the right panel)

• Name · size · area, for example Bedroom · 12' 0" × 12' 0" · 144 sq ft.
• Item count, for example 10 items.
• Fit check. A green ✓ Everything fits means no problems. Otherwise you'll see orange warnings:
• ⚠ items overlap: two objects sit in the same space.
• ⚠ tight walkway: a gap is narrower than your minimum walkway (Step 3).
• ⚠ door blocked: something is in the way of a door's swing.
• Click a warning to jump to the problem. The object is selected so you can move it. Click again to go to the next one.

A fourth warning, ⚠ clearance problems, appears when the wheelchair accessibility check finds blocked floor space, or when a parked car has no room to open its doors.

Selecting and moving objects

1. Click an object to select it. It's outlined, its size shows above it, and the object panel opens.
2. Drag the object to move it along the floor. Measurements to nearby walls and objects show as you drag.
3. Use the arrow keys to nudge a selected object a little at a time.
4. Press R to turn it 90°, or Shift+R for 15°.
5. Press Delete (or Backspace) to remove it, or Ctrl+D (Cmd+D) to duplicate it.
6. Click empty space, or press Esc, to deselect.

Wall items stay on the wall

Art, shelves, wall TVs, upper cabinets, windows, doors and garage doors always attach to a wall. Drag one and it slides along the walls; it can't float in the middle of the room. Set its height with Off floor in the object panel.

Yards: Whole lot, Front yard, Back yard

When a property is open, buttons at the top of the right panel switch between the Whole lot, the Front yard and the Back yard. Front and back are separate views: each shows only its own yard, objects and patio. New objects go into the yard you're looking at.

Garages: room to open the car doors

In a garage, shaded strips beside each car show where its doors swing (30", 76 cm). They're green when clear, orange when only one side can open, and red when neither can. Shelves, bins or a wall too close on both sides show as a ⚠ clearance problem: you couldn't get in or out. If only one side is clear, make sure it's the driver's side.

The object panel (top right of the right panel)

When you select an object, its panel opens at the top right of the right panel (at the bottom of the screen on phones). Every change shows instantly and can be undone.

Moving plan (in the object panel)

Planning a move? Each piece of furniture has a Moving plan section:

• Tag it Keep, Sell, Donate or Buy (or — for none).
• See at a glance whether it fits through your doors: SpaceTease checks its two smallest sides against the narrowest door in your plan, or a standard 32" door if you haven't added one. For example: ✗ Won't fit through your 2' 4" door: its narrowest side is 2' 10". Check hallways and stairs too, or plan to take it apart.
• Download the full moving list from the Export window (see Exporting your plan).

Moving around the view

You can look at your plan from any angle and get to any spot. Four tools work together: the Move view button and the arrow pad (bottom right of the right panel), the scrollbars (along the bottom and right edges), and your mouse, trackpad or fingers.

✋ Move view (the big button)

This button switches what dragging empty space does. Each view remembers its own setting.

• When it's on, the button reads ✋ Moving · tap for 360°. Tap it again to switch back.
• Hold the Space bar to switch to Move only while you hold it.
• Hold Shift while dragging in Move to raise or lower the view (in Walk, your eye level).
• Dragging an object always moves the object. These modes only apply to empty space.

The arrow pad

Press a button once for a small step, or hold it down to keep going.

The scrollbars

One scrollbar runs along the bottom edge of the right panel and another down its right edge. They work like the scrollbars on any page or map.

• Drag the thumb (the darker bar) to slide the view.
• Click the empty track on either side of the thumb to jump most of a screen that way.
• Scroll your mouse wheel while pointing at a scrollbar to move along it.
• The thumb's size shows how much you can see: zoom in and it gets shorter. You can always scroll until the edge of your room or yard reaches the middle of the screen.
• The bars follow your view: even after you turn the view, the bottom bar still moves left and right on your screen.

⤢ Fit view

The ⤢ Fit view button at the very bottom right puts the whole room or yard back on screen from the starting angle. Use it any time you get lost. In Walk, use ⤢ on the arrow pad instead.

Mouse, trackpad and touch

The tip line at the bottom of the right panel always shows the controls for the view and mode you're in.

Walk view (standing inside your room)

Click Walk in the top bar and the right panel puts you inside the space at a normal eye height of about 5' 3" (1.6 m). You can't walk through walls, or into the house when you're in a yard.

Part 3: Review: saving, getting back to your work, and sharing

Saving your work

Projects save themselves. Anything in My Projects is saved automatically every time you change it. There's no Save button to remember, even when you close the browser.

An edited template needs saving once. When you change a template (for example the Bedroom), an orange ● Save button appears in the top bar. Save it in any of these ways:

If the plan has problems, SpaceTease tells you before saving. When you save (with ● Save, the Save pop-up, or Layouts → Save current) while something is flagged in red, a message lists each problem, for example Sofa overlaps Coffee table or Door can't open fully: Dresser is in its swing. Red problems are overlapping objects, blocked doors and blocked clearances.

• Go back and fix keeps the plan unsaved and selects the first problem so you can move it.
• Save anyway saves it as it is.

Tight walkways (orange) don't stop a save.

Each project needs its own name. If the name is already used, you'll be asked to choose another.

Opening your saved work again

On the same device: open SpaceTease. Whatever you were working on opens automatically. To switch, open Start from a template and pick a project under My Projects at the top.

On another device: sign in with the email you bought with (full version). See the next section.

The Layouts window

Click Layouts in the top bar (Save on phones).

Getting back to your saved work: signing in

Your account is the email you buy SpaceTease with. It's made for you at checkout, so there's nothing to sign up for. Sign in with that email on any phone, tablet or computer, using your password or a 6-digit code we email you. Signing in unlocks the full version and brings your saved projects with you.

One price, everything included

SpaceTease is a one-time $10 purchase with no subscription, and all future updates are included. You get unlimited projects and My items, print-ready image and PDF exports, and your projects on every device. There is no free version: until you buy or sign in, the app shows a Get SpaceTease screen with Buy once for $10 and Sign in with your email.

1. Buying (your account is made for you)

1. Open SpaceTease (on the website, click Get SpaceTease). The Get SpaceTease screen appears.
2. Click Buy once for $10 and pay on Stripe's secure checkout.
3. You come back to SpaceTease already unlocked and signed in. The thank-you screen shows your account email.
4. Optional: under Set a password, type a password (at least 8 characters) and press Save password. You can skip this and always sign in with an emailed code instead.
5. A welcome email arrives with your account email and a backup license key. Keep it.
6. Press Start planning. The top bar now shows ✓ Full version, and your projects start syncing to the cloud.

2. Sign in on another device

1. Open SpaceTease on the other phone, tablet or computer. (On the SpaceTease website, Sign in at the top takes you straight there.)
2. On the Get SpaceTease screen, click Sign in with your email.
3. Type the email you bought with, then either:
4. type your password and press Sign in, or
5. press Email me a code, check your inbox, and type the 6-digit code. You're signed in as soon as the sixth digit goes in. A code works for 10 minutes; Send a new code gets a fresh one.
6. Your projects appear under My Projects and your objects under My items. Pick a project to carry on where you left off.

Only have your backup license key? On the sign-in screen, click Sign in with a license key, paste it and press Activate.

3. Keeping devices in step (cloud sync)

• Every project in My Projects and everything in My items syncs to every device where you're signed in.
• Changes upload a few seconds after you make them. Your other devices pick them up as soon as you switch back to SpaceTease on them, or within about 90 seconds while they're open.
• If you're offline, changes wait and sync when you're back online.
• An edited template syncs once you save it as a project, so press ● Save before switching devices.
• Click ✓ Full version to see which email you're signed in with, your password setting, the sync status (for example Up to date · last synced 2:15 PM) and a Sync now button.
• A project with a very large number of photos may be too big to sync. You'll be told, and it stays saved on that device.

Setting or changing your password

Click ✓ Full version. Under Set a password (or Change password), type the new password (at least 8 characters) and press Save. Your other devices stay signed in.

Changing your account email

1. Click ✓ Full version.
2. Next to Account email, click Change and type your new email.
3. Press Send code. A 6-digit code goes to the new email, to prove it's yours.
4. Type the code. Your account moves to the new email right away, and your password, projects and My items come with it.

From then on, sign in with the new email. We also send a note to your old email, so you'd know if anyone else tried this. Each email can have only one SpaceTease account.

Forgot your password?

On the sign-in screen, press Email me a code and sign in with the 6-digit code. Then set a new password under ✓ Full version. Your projects are safe in your account the whole time. If the code email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder, or contact support.

Signing out of a device

Click ✓ Full version, then Sign out (useful on a shared or borrowed computer). SpaceTease locks on that device until you sign in again. Your projects stay on it and in your account, and you can sign in again any time.

Exporting your plan

Export in the top bar turns what's in the right panel into a clean, measured floor plan you can print, send to movers or a landlord, or take shopping.

1. Click Export. A preview of the plan appears.
2. Tick what to include:
3. Item names & sizes: labels each object with its name and size.
4. Room measurements: shows the room or yard dimensions.
5. Fit warnings: marks overlaps, tight walkways and blocked doors.
6. Click Download image (PNG) for a picture, or Download PDF for a printable document. The PDF has the floor plan, your current 3D view and a list of every item with its size.
7. Click Close when you're done.

For yards, the export shows the part you're viewing: the whole lot, the front yard or the back yard. If a download doesn't start, right-click (or long-press on a phone) the preview and save the image.

Moving list. In the Export window, click Download the moving list. You get a spreadsheet file (opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets) with every item, its size, your Keep / Sell / Donate / Buy tag, whether it fits through your door, and a count for each tag.

Keyboard shortcuts

On a phone or tablet

• Tap ☰ at the top left to open the left panel. It closes by itself after you add an object, so you can see the right panel.
• The object panel slides up from the bottom of the screen when you tap an object.
• Layouts is labeled Save to fit the screen.
• Use one finger to spin or slide, two fingers to pinch-zoom and turn, and the arrow pad and scrollbars for precise moves.

Common questions

Where are my plans stored? In your browser on the device you're using. With the full version they're also kept in your account in the cloud and synced to every device where you're signed in. Use Layouts → Download backup now and then for an extra copy.

I closed the browser. Did I lose my work? No. Projects save automatically. An unsaved template is also still there on that device when you come back; press ● Save to add it to My Projects.

I picked a template and lost my changes. If you chose Don't save, press Undo right away to bring them back. Next time, choose Save in the pop-up.

My new device doesn't show my projects. Make sure you're signed in on it (Sign in with your email on the Get SpaceTease screen), then click ✓ Full version → Sync now.

I'm lost in the view. Press ⤢ Fit view (bottom right), or ⤢ on the arrow pad in Walk view.

Why is my picture on the wall floating? It isn't: wall items always attach to a wall. Use Off floor in the object panel to set its height.

The warning says a walkway is tight but it looks fine. Change Minimum walkway under Options to Tight (24"), or turn off Show fit warnings.

Do I get updates? Yes. Every update is included and appears automatically the next time you open SpaceTease.