Full-Size Set and Ground Plans, Printed 1:1 for Film, TV and Theatre

Big Floor Plans prints set plans, stage layouts and rehearsal-room ground plans at true 1:1 scale on a durable synthetic sheet. Unfold it on a stage, warehouse or rehearsal-room floor, then walk the set and block scenes before construction or load-in. Printing is $0.45 per square foot with a $100 minimum. Proofs typically come back in about 48 hours, and production takes 5 to 7 business days after you approve the proof.

Send your plan for a quote · Price your footprint · See 1:1 layouts we’ve printed

What is a 1:1 printed set plan?

A 1:1 printed set plan is your approved 2D set or ground plan, the same PDF your art department or stage manager already uses, printed at actual size on a sheet you unfold on the floor. A 10-foot wall prints 10 feet long. Door swings, platforms, furniture, actor marks, camera positions and dolly track all land where they will be built. A calibration ruler with tape-measure markings runs along the edge, so anyone can check the scale with a tape before relying on it. It’s a physical form of spatial previsualization.

Can’t use spike tape in the rehearsal room? Unfold a printed ground plan.

A 1:1 printed ground plan works like a ground cloth that arrives already taped out. The plaster line, center line, walls, doors, platforms, stairs and furniture footprints are printed at full size. Unfold it, check the edge ruler and start blocking. Spike marks go on the print, not the studio floor.

Most stage managers tape out the ground plan by hand before first rehearsal, measuring every corner from the center line and plaster line. On a full set that can take hours, and some studios don’t allow tape on the floor at all. The printed plan folds back into its box between calls.

Film and TV: walk the set before the shop builds it

A production designer, a director, a DP and a 1st AD each read the same plan differently. On a 1:1 print they can stand in it together.

Production design: walk doorways, openings, wall positions and hero pieces while they’re still lines on a PDF.
Directing: block entrances, exits and crosses around real furniture footprints.
Camera and grip: stand on camera positions and see the dolly run and crane-base footprint in the room.
1st AD and UPM: see where carts park, where the crew walks and how much room a changeover needs.

Changes get marked on the sheet and go back into the production drawings, so the shop builds from the updated set.

Virtual production: mark the LED volume before load-in

On an LED stage, the practical set, the performers and the camera all share one footprint with the wall. A printed stage map can show the LED wall edge, the stage edge, the camera tracking zone, the practical set pieces and the line where the practical set hands off to the digital environment. Origin marks, fiducials, QR codes, ArUco markers and AprilTags print where you specify, at no extra print charge.

Your virtual-production team still owns the LED configuration, camera tracking, lens data and calibration. The print gives everyone the same physical reference before stage time starts. Epic’s Virtual Scouting tools in Unreal Engine cover the digital side of the same walk.

Motion capture, XR and immersive venues

Mocap teams can mark the capture volume, camera positions, performer start marks, prop zones and no-go areas before capture day, then rehearse inside them with real performers. Location-based VR, mixed-reality attractions and immersive installations use the same approach for play areas, walls, sensors, guest paths and reset routes. We call this physical greyboxing: taking a blockout off the screen and onto a real 1:1 footprint. It’s our own term, not an industry standard. If the experience never has to fit a real room, keep it on screen.

What you can print on it

Set walls, doors, windows and openings
Platforms, stairs, risers and scenic footprints
Furniture and major props
Actor marks, spike marks and blocking paths
Camera positions, dolly track and crane-base footprints
Crew lanes, cart parking and equipment zones
LED wall edges, stage edges and camera tracking zones
Capture volumes, play spaces and no-go zones
Origin marks and registration targets: QR, ArUco, AprilTag and image targets
Labels, notes and dimensions

If it’s in the approved PDF, it prints at no extra charge.

How it works

Define the production footprint. Pick the set, stage, rehearsal room or volume to review, and the decisions each department needs to make on it.
Submit a scaled PDF. A vector PDF from Vectorworks, AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp or your previs tool works best. Include camera marks, actor marks or zones you want printed.
Review the digital production proof. It typically comes back in about 48 hours. Check scale, orientation, labels and marks, then approve. Production runs 5 to 7 business days after approval, and the print ships folded in a box by FedEx Ground.
Deploy and conduct the physical review. Let the sheet relax flat on the floor, hold a tape to the edge ruler, then walk it with the departments responsible for each decision.

After it’s down: mark locked decisions in permanent marker and moving ones in dry erase or tape, testing markers on a corner first. Approved changes go back into the production drawings, the Unreal environment or the rehearsal paperwork. See the full Big Floor Plans process

How much does a full-size set floor plan cost?

Printing is $0.45 per square foot with a $100 minimum, at any size. Shipping is quoted separately. Examples before shipping:

Rehearsal-room ground plan, 36 × 22 ft (792 sq ft): about $356
Film set, 40 × 24 ft (960 sq ft): about $432
LED volume stage, 60 × 36 ft (2,160 sq ft): about $972
5,000 sq ft stage layout: $2,250
10,000 sq ft layout: $4,500

Large layouts print as separate panels laid side by side. Heat-welding them into one sheet adds $0.05 per square foot, for $0.50 per square foot in total. Print only the footprint that needs review, not the whole stage. Price your footprint in the calculator

Printed plan vs. tape, projection and digital previs

Tape on the floor: cheap material, but someone measures every point by hand, and it starts over in every new room. Tape is still the right call on a live stage on shoot day, where it lies flush and takes wheeled gear.
Projection studios: quick to switch between layouts inside a dedicated studio. The print travels to your stage, rehearsal room, warehouse or location and stays down as long as you need it. Compare projected and printed floor plans
Digital previs and virtual scouting: better for lenses, lighting, height and fast changes. The print adds real human scale for the decisions that need it.

Real prints at real scale

Big Floor Plans hasn’t published a film, TV or theatre case study yet. The same print and material are already in use on large industrial and commercial jobs:

IMA Life: a 1:1 equipment layout on the polished concrete floor of a high-bay hall.
Simtra BioPharma Solutions: full-scale panels across a manufacturing hall floor in Bloomington, Indiana. “The panels are installed and look great. We have had several walk-through visits, and the response has been great!”
Kroger Facilities & Engineering: a full-scale layout walked by Facilities, IT and Engineering teams. “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.”
The Lagasse Group: “The material is durable, easy to work with and cut, lightweight, resistant to getting marked up with footprints. Shipping and lead time was fast.”

Read the case studies · Client reviews · Project gallery

Frequently asked questions

How is a printed ground plan different from taping out a ground cloth?

Taping out a ground cloth means measuring every point from the center line and plaster line by hand, then rolling the cloth out for each rehearsal. A printed ground plan arrives with the layout already on it at true 1:1 scale, with a calibration ruler along the edge so you can check the scale with a tape. You still add spike marks on top, and it folds back into its box between calls.

How far ahead of first rehearsal or load-in should we order?

Count back from the day you need it on the floor. The digital proof typically takes about 48 hours, and production runs 5 to 7 business days after you approve it. FedEx Ground transit comes on top of that. Allow roughly two weeks from sending the PDF to the box shipping. These are typical times, not guaranteed dates.

What if the set is bigger than our rehearsal room?

Print only the part you need, such as the playing area that fits the room, and mark that area on your PDF. You pay $0.45 per square foot for the area printed, with a $100 minimum.

How do we know the scale is right?

Every print has a calibration ruler with standard tape-measure markings along the edge. Check it with a tape on site before anyone relies on it.

Can we reuse it for a remount or a tour?

Yes, if the design hasn’t changed and the sheet is in good condition. It folds back into its box between uses.

Can furniture, props and equipment go on it?

People and rehearsal furniture, yes. We don’t publish a rolling-load rating, so test a corner with dolly wheels or heavy pieces first. On a live stage on shoot day, keep tape for the marks.

Does it replace digital previs or Unreal Engine?

No. Digital tools stay better for 3D design, lighting, lenses and fast iteration. The print adds full-size physical review for the decisions that depend on real human scale.

Can the print include AR or tracking markers?

Yes, on request and at no extra print charge. You supply the marker and its position, and your team handles the software and calibration. Printed markers support alignment but don’t guarantee tracking accuracy. See AR tracking anchors

What the print does and doesn’t do

Big Floor Plans prints the physical layout. Production design, stage engineering, rigging, stunt coordination, safety planning, camera tracking, motion-capture calibration and AR/XR software stay with your production team. The print shows the floor plane. It doesn’t show height, overhead conditions, lighting or lens behavior.

Projected vs. printed floor plans · AR tracking anchors · Full-scale spatial validation · Preconstruction Decision Review · How Big Floor Plans works · Full FAQ