Floored Launches Protofit, A Space Layout Service That Makes Test Fits Suck Less

Floored launched two-and-a-half years ago at Disrupt NY 2013 as a great way to generate 3D models for real estate purposes. Now, it is tackling another aspect of the real estate industry — test fits.

This new service, called Protofit, lets you design and tweak test fits directly in your browser. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping stuff in The Sims. Protofit even lets you automatically design floors based on a few requirements, such as a certain number of desks and conference rooms. Then you can tweak the design later.

Compared to existing solutions, anyone can create test fits. You don’t need to work with a professional who knows everything about AutoCAD and test fits. While you might need an architect or interior designer for the finishing touches, it’s a great sketching tool to speed up the process with your clients.

And the best part is that, in the future, you will be able to export your test fit and previsualize your floor in 3D using Floored’s 3D engine, Luma.

“We receive CAD plans and we change that into Excel-like spreadsheets. We automatically calculate the most efficient way to programmatically draw,” co-founder and CEO David Eisenberg told me. “If I want to create an office, it will lay out the most efficient way. We see how many people can fit on a plan. These metrics normally take days to calculate, and now we can do it in real time.”

Protofit becomes the main front-facing product for Floored, while the 3D modeling activity won’t stop. There are a few features in the works already for the new service. First, as I already told you, the company will generate interactive 3D scenes from the 2D plans. Then, Floored will optimize Protofit for different industries. You can imagine Protofit for retail and industrial real estate, Protofit for hospitals, and hopefully Protofit for residential buildings.

Next year, you’ll also be able to export directly to AutoCAD. Floored will work with commercial real estate owners and brokers at first and sell annual subscriptions for an undisclosed price.

The test fit market seems much bigger than the 3D modeling one. This seems like a nice move for the company. And as Eisenberg told me, Floored couldn’t have come up with something like Protofit without first building Luma, its first product.