BIM Alignment Workflow

Updated January 26, 2026 05:10

What is BIM Alignment?

BIM Alignment positions your uploaded model relative to your DroneDeploy project so it lines up with your 360 Walks and floor plans.

We recommend setting up all Levels and floor plans, and adding at least one 360 Walk per level before aligning your model. If you add new levels after your initial alignment, you’ll need to align again to set correct Z/elevation.

Availability

Upload your BIM file to the project, then perform alignment so the model positions correctly relative to 360 Walks. Project admin permissions are required for BIM alignment.

If you don’t see the Alignment tools in BIM Compare, contact support to inquire about self-alignment access.

How to use BIM Alignment

The alignment process is broken into two main parts: XY alignment (plan view) and Z alignment (elevation).

Part 1: XY alignment (plan view)

Open any 360 Walk, then open BIM Compare and wait for the model to fully load. You’ll see the Alignment tools in the upper right.
Ensure a true top-down view of the model before you continue:
- Ensure the View Cube shows “Top” and that all on-screen text appears upright (not mirrored or upside-down).
- Set the camera to Orthographic (not Perspective).
- Avoid using the viewer’s “Home” button during alignment; it often resets the camera to Perspective, which can cause misalignment even if everything else is correct.
Click Continue to open the 2D alignment step.
In the 2D alignment window, choose the correct Level and drawing at the top.
On the left side, place two control points on easily matched features (e.g., a building edge or corner).
On the right side, adjust the model to match the drawing; zoom tightly to refine placement.
Click Save to apply the alignment. You can apply this to the entire project (all levels) or use per-Level calibration (see below).

Tip: If your drawings are rotated relative to North, rotate the model in top-down view so its orientation matches the drawings before placing your points (keep the camera in Orthographic and the view perfectly top-down).

Part 2: Z alignment (elevation)

Open a 360 Walk on the level you want to align and enter BIM Compare. Wait for the model to fully load and confirm you see the Alignment tools.
Use the Z slider to map model elevation to the level. You can also input an elevation value directly.
Repeat for each level. Z positions are saved to your levels in DroneDeploy and persist across new model versions—only XY alignment needs to be repeated when you upload a newer model.

Calibrate alignment per Level (override baseline)

By default, your first alignment provides a baseline for the model and applies to all Levels and Exterior—this usually works for standard buildings where levels are aligned with each other. If a level has a different footprint or is not aligned to other levels, the default alignment may not fit that level. To solve this, calibrate the alignment per Level:

In the XY alignment step, check Calibrate Alignment for Specific Levels or Exterior to override the baseline alignment for specific levels.
Click Save and Next Level to proceed level by level and store a custom alignment for each one that needs it.

This lets you keep a single baseline alignment for most levels while precisely calibrating any outliers that differ from the main footprint.

Quick checklist

View Cube = Top; text upright
Camera = Orthographic (not Perspective)
Rotate the model in top-down view to match drawing orientation, then place two control points
Avoid “Home” during alignment; it can reset to Perspective
Use Z slider to map elevations per level
Use “Calibrate Alignment for Specific Levels or Exterior” for levels with different footprints

Best practices for accurate alignment

Keep the camera in a true top-down, Orthographic view while setting XY alignment. A tilted or Perspective view can introduce errors.
Verify the View Cube shows “Top” and on-screen text is right-side up before placing control points.
If necessary, rotate the model in top-down view to match the orientation of your drawings before placing control points, then proceed with Orthographic top-down alignment.
Trim excess empty space in your BIM before uploading, or zoom into the building area and ensure a top-down view with North up; this simplifies alignment and reduces drift from a large model extent.
Ensure all model layers are aligned in elevation; far-offset or mis-elevated layers (e.g., utilities far below the building) can cause discrepancies when comparing to walkthroughs.
Confirm your 360 Walks are correctly aligned to the floor plans and that floor plans are correctly aligned to the site map; misalignment in those sources will propagate into the model compare view.

Limitations

Do not use the viewer’s “Home” button mid-alignment; it often resets the camera to Perspective, which can cause misalignment even when other steps are correct.
Rotating the Z-axis isn’t accounted for during BIM alignment; doing so will always result in misalignment of BIMs.
Sub-meter walk-to-BIM alignment is not guaranteed today; small residual errors of ~1–5 meters are expected depending on inputs and workflow.

FAQs

Q: My alignment looks close, but not exact. What's wrong? A: Re-check that the camera is set to Orthographic and the view is perfectly top-down with the View Cube reading “Top.”

Q: My alignment drifts after I press the 'Home' button. How do I fix this? A: Switch the camera back to Orthographic and re-enter a true top-down view before placing your points. The "Home" button often resets the camera to Perspective, which can cause misalignment.

Q: My alignment is still off after following all the steps. What should I do? A: Verify your 360 Walks are correctly aligned to your floor plans and that your floor plans are accurately aligned to the site map. If they are, repeat the XY alignment for the affected level(s). If you are still stuck, contact support for assistance.

Q: What happens if I upload a newer version of my model? A: If you upload a newer version of your model to the same project, you only need to repeat the XY alignment. Your saved Z mappings remain associated with your Levels and will re-apply to the new model version.

v2.2What is BIM Alignment?

BIM Alignment positions your uploaded model relative to your DroneDeploy project so it lines up with your 360 Walks and floor plans.

We recommend setting up all Levels and floor plans, and adding at least one 360 Walk per level before aligning your model. If you add new levels after your initial alignment, you’ll need to align again to set correct Z/elevation.

Availability

Upload your BIM file to the project, then perform alignment so the model positions correctly relative to 360 Walks. Project admin permissions are required for BIM alignment.

If you don’t see the Alignment tools in BIM Compare, contact support to inquire about self-alignment access.

How to use BIM Alignment

The alignment process is broken into two main parts: XY alignment (plan view) and Z alignment (elevation).

Part 1: XY alignment (plan view)

Open any 360 Walk, then open BIM Compare and wait for the model to fully load. You’ll see the Alignment tools in the upper right.
Ensure a true top-down view of the model before you continue:
- Ensure the View Cube shows “Top” and that all on-screen text appears upright (not mirrored or upside-down).
- Set the camera to Orthographic (not Perspective).
- Avoid using the viewer’s “Home” button during alignment; it often resets the camera to Perspective, which can cause misalignment even if everything else is correct.
Click Continue to open the 2D alignment step.
In the 2D alignment window, choose the correct Level and drawing at the top.
On the left side, place two control points on easily matched features (e.g., a building edge or corner).
On the right side, adjust the model to match the drawing; zoom tightly to refine placement.
Click Save to apply the alignment. You can apply this to the entire project (all levels) or use per-Level calibration (see below).

Tip: If your drawings are rotated relative to North, rotate the model in top-down view so its orientation matches the drawings before placing your points (keep the camera in Orthographic and the view perfectly top-down).

Part 2: Z alignment (elevation)

Open a 360 Walk on the level you want to align and enter BIM Compare. Wait for the model to fully load and confirm you see the Alignment tools.
Use the Z slider to map model elevation to the level. You can also input an elevation value directly.
Repeat for each level. Z positions are saved to your levels in DroneDeploy and persist across new model versions—only XY alignment needs to be repeated when you upload a newer model.

Calibrate alignment per Level (override baseline)

In the XY alignment step, check Calibrate Alignment for Specific Levels or Exterior to override the baseline alignment for specific levels.
Click Save and Next Level to proceed level by level and store a custom alignment for each one that needs it.

This lets you keep a single baseline alignment for most levels while precisely calibrating any outliers that differ from the main footprint.

Try BIM Model Management in the Interior BETA:

Click on Project Settings
Click on the BIM tab
From the 3-dot menu choose Replace Model

Here, you can also preview, realign, rename, or delete the model.

Quick checklist

View Cube = Top; text upright
Camera = Orthographic (not Perspective)
Rotate the model in top-down view to match drawing orientation, then place two control points
Avoid “Home” during alignment; it can reset to Perspective
Use Z slider to map elevations per level
Use “Calibrate Alignment for Specific Levels or Exterior” for levels with different footprints

Best practices for accurate alignment

Keep the camera in a true top-down, Orthographic view while setting XY alignment. A tilted or Perspective view can introduce errors.
Verify the View Cube shows “Top” and on-screen text is right-side up before placing control points.
If necessary, rotate the model in top-down view to match the orientation of your drawings before placing control points, then proceed with Orthographic top-down alignment.
Trim excess empty space in your BIM before uploading, or zoom into the building area and ensure a top-down view with North up; this simplifies alignment and reduces drift from a large model extent.
Ensure all model layers are aligned in elevation; far-offset or mis-elevated layers (e.g., utilities far below the building) can cause discrepancies when comparing to walkthroughs.
Confirm your 360 Walks are correctly aligned to the floor plans and that floor plans are correctly aligned to the site map; misalignment in those sources will propagate into the model compare view.

Limitations

Do not use the viewer’s “Home” button mid-alignment; it often resets the camera to Perspective, which can cause misalignment even when other steps are correct.
Rotating the Z-axis isn’t accounted for during BIM alignment; doing so will always result in misalignment of BIMs.
Sub-meter walk-to-BIM alignment is not guaranteed today; small residual errors of ~1–5 meters are expected depending on inputs and workflow.

FAQs

Q: My alignment looks close, but not exact. What's wrong? A: Re-check that the camera is set to Orthographic and the view is perfectly top-down with the View Cube reading “Top.”

v2.2

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If you are a Project Coordinator or Admin, contact your DroneDeploy representative, or support@dronedeploy.com, to learn more about BIM compare and get access to BIM Alignment.

After your BIM file has been uploaded to your project, alignment must occur in order to position the model relatively to your DroneDeploy project, for correct positioning relative to your 360 Walks. Project admin permissions are required for BIM alignment.

Demo Video

Note: We recommend setting up all of your levels + floor plans, and adding at least one 360 walk per level before aligning your model. Levels added after the initial model alignment will require another alignment to ensure we set the elevation/z position correctly.

XY Alignment

Open any 360 Walk
Open BIM Compare mode and allow the model to fully load
You should see the Alignment tools in the upper right.
Orient the model into the middle of the right screen, and ensure you're in the top down view:

Once you're in the top down view of the model, choose Continue:
Once the 2D alignment page opens, choose the level and drawing you'd like to align to at the top of the window.

First, on the left side, place the points 1 and 2 on easy-to-match locations. This is typically the edge or corner of a building. This will allow you to drag and align the model to the drawing.
Once you've chosen two points, move to the right side and adjust the model to match the drawing. Zoom into the window to better align the two maps.
Great! Your model is aligned with your project in XY coordinates. You can choose to apply this to the entire project (all levels) by choosing Save in the top right corner.

Alignment per Level

When you've aligned the model, this will apply to all levels in the project. For this to work best, all levels in your project should be aligned to each other. If they are not, you have the option to align the model per level.

To align per level, check the Calibrate Alignment for Specific Levels or Exterior option:

Then choose Save and Next Level in the top right to work on your next alignment.

Leaving this box unchecked will apply your alignment to all levels in the project.

Z Alignment

Next, you’ll want to map elevations in your model to your levels. This ensures you’re viewing the correct z-position in the model relative to your 360 walks.
Open a 360 walk on the level you’d like to align and enter BIM Compare mode
Wait until the model fully loads - You should see the Alignment tools in the upper right - if you don’t, reach out to support@dronedeploy.com to inquire about self-alignment.
Use the ‘Z’ slider in order to reposition your model correctly relative to your chosen level. You may also input elevations directly for your z position.
Repeat these steps for each level. The z positions will be saved to your levels in DroneDeploy, so even if you upload a newer version of your model, they should apply - only XY alignment will need to be repeated.

Note:

*Interested in having your models automatically aligned? Reach out to your customer success manager or account executive in order to enable this workflow if a good fit for your needs*

Try BIM Model Management in the Interior BETA:

With BIM Model Management, you can replace your model anytime and maintain alignment. You can also re-align, preview, rename, or delete a model.

Upload using Add Files and choose from local or Autodesk Import.

Additional notes for successful models

When using BIM files with large amounts of empty space surrounding the building model, alignment may become challenging because the process operates based on the total model space rather than focusing directly on the building structure. To ensure accurate alignment, here are two effective approaches:

Trim Excess Model Space: Users can remove all unnecessary empty space and extra content, such as tables or annotations, from the model. Once the model is cleaned, re-uploading it will streamline the alignment process.
Manual Zoom and Align: With the existing file, users can click “Align,” utilize the model tree browser to zoom into a specific part of the building, and ensure a top-down view with North facing up. After zooming out to capture enough of the building in view, users can proceed with alignment by clicking “Continue.”

Additionally, ensure that all model layers are properly aligned in elevation. Misaligned layers, such as utility layers positioned far below the main building model, may cause discrepancies in alignment, affecting the comparison with recorded walkthroughs.

FAQ

I’ve followed the steps above - why is my alignment off?

Check if your 360 Walk is correctly aligned to your floor plan - misaligned walks will not be positioned correctly relative to the model.
Did you align your model to the drone map? If your floor plans on levels are misaligned relative to the map, then any 360 Walks on levels may appear misaligned relative to your model. Taking care when aligning floor plans on levels can alleviate this.
Is your position only slightly off? Errors of 1-5 meters are expected given the alignment process. Sub-meter accuracy for walk-to-BIM alignment is not guaranteed nor likely today.
If none of the above is true, you can reach out to support@dronedeploy.com for assistance

I uploaded a new version of my model - do I have to realign it?

If you upload a new model to the project, you will need to repeat the XY alignment steps, but not the Z/elevation alignment. We store the Z alignment mappings to your levels, so they will be saved until updated and can be applied to new versions of the model originally aligned.

Will 360 Walk uploaded after alignment be positioned correctly?

Yes - once the model is aligned to your project in X&Y, and aligned to your levels in Z, then all future walks added will be aligned. Note - if you add new levels after initial alignment, you will need to repeat the Z alignment steps for the new levels.

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