What problem this solves
The classic renovation mistake: install a beautiful console table by the entry wall, then discover the front door swings directly into it. The door either scuffs the table or can’t open past 45°. By the time you notice, the table is delivered, the floor is finished, and you’re rearranging the room with a sledgehammer. This tool catches the conflict at sketch stage: enter the hinge point, the door width, and the swing direction, and the tool draws the swept arc in plan view, plus a small halo for the door thickness and operating clearance.
Designers often forget that a door doesn’t just need its arc free — it also needs the area around the arc free, because people pull doors open and step back. The 15 cm halo around the arc is the practical minimum so fingers don’t get pinched against furniture when the door is fully open.
Who it’s for
- Designers placing entryway furniture (consoles, hooks, benches)
- Bedroom designers placing wardrobes near the door
- Bathroom designers placing towel bars or vanities near the door
- Kitchen designers checking pantry door clearance against an island
Why 90°, 180°, and pivot behave differently
A standard interior door opens 90° before the stop engages; it can be pushed further by hand to 180° (against a wall-mounted hook). A pivot door — where the hinges are top and bottom of the door leaf, not at the jamb — swings fully both directions and has a much larger arc because the pivot is offset from the wall by the door thickness. This tool models all three. If you’re specifying a pivot door, plan for a 360° swept zone rather than 180°.
Limitations
- Door stop is treated as 90° or 180°; intermediate stops (typical for closets, at 110°) aren’t modelled.
- Pocket doors, barn doors, and sliding doors have a different footprint — they need a wall-clearance check, not an arc.
- Furniture is rectangles only; the floor lamp in the arc isn’t modelled unless you add it as a rectangle.
- The conflict check uses the rectangle centre — a piece whose edge just clips the arc won’t always flag.
- Arc is calculated flat; for a stair door, the hinge point and door plane differ.
Practical fixes for arc conflicts
Three options. First, move the piece: a 30 cm shift usually clears the arc. Second, swap the door type: a pocket door or barn door eliminates the swing entirely. Third, swap the piece: a wall-mounted console (zero floor footprint) replaces a console table. For existing doors, magnetic catches and door closers can limit the arc to 90° (good for child safety and small rooms), but they don’t add clearance to the room — they just stop the door where it would have stopped anyway.