Creating interactive indoor maps with wayfinding capabilities has never been easier. Whether you're mapping a shopping mall, office building, hospital, or university campus, Mapboot's browser-based editor gives you everything you need to build professional indoor navigation systems, no coding required.
We've put together a comprehensive video tutorial series to help you get started. From your first project setup to advanced multi-floor pathfinding, these tutorials will guide you through every step of the process.
What is Mapboot?
Mapboot is a browser-based indoor map editor that allows you to create interactive floor plans with built-in routing and wayfinding capabilities. Users can search for locations, get directions, and navigate through your mapped spaces, all from their browser or mobile device.
The platform is designed with simplicity in mind. You don't need to be a developer or designer to create functional indoor maps. If you have a floor plan and a vision, Mapboot handles the rest.
The Complete Mapboot Tutorial Series
Tutorial 1: Project Setup & Floor Plan Import
Watch: Build Interactive Floor Plans with Routing , Mapboot Setup Project
Every great map starts with a solid foundation. In this first tutorial, we walk through creating a new project in Mapboot and importing your floor plans.
What you'll learn:
- Creating a new project in Mapboot
- Importing floor plan images
- Using the grid system for accurate scaling
- Matching your floor plan dimensions to real-world measurements
The grid system is particularly useful here, each square represents one meter by default, making it easy to calibrate your map using known dimensions like doorway widths or wall lengths.
Tutorial 2: Drawing Basics
Watch: How to Draw Maps in Mapboot, Editor Tutorial
With your floor plan imported, it's time to start drawing. Mapboot uses three simple building blocks: points, lines, and polygons.
What you'll learn:
- Understanding the three selection modes
- Adding points and creating shapes
- Working with intersections and shared points
- Using snapping for precision
- Drawing access points for doorways
One key concept: when lines intersect in Mapboot, they automatically create a shared point. This keeps your geometry connected and makes drawing intuitive. The snapping tool helps maintain clean designs with precise intersection points.
Tutorial 3: Styling Your Maps
Watch: Mapboot Styling Tutorial: Walls, Surfaces & Visual Design
Now that your map is drawn, it's time to make it look good. Mapboot's styling system is intentionally minimal, only essential visual information is included.
What you'll learn:
- Line-based styling for walls
- Creating surfaces from closed line loops
- Wall styles: light, thick, and invisible
- Surface styles: floor, public, and private areas
- Using preview mode and visibility toggles
Mapboot offers three wall styles: light walls for indoor spaces, thick walls for exterior boundaries, and invisible lines for routing paths and surface boundaries. Surfaces follow a similar hierarchy, light styles for public areas and darker tones for private zones.
Tutorial 4: Routing Network
Watch: How to Create Routing Networks in Mapboot, Editor Tutorial
The routing network is the backbone of your indoor navigation system. It defines all the walkable paths users can take through your space.
What you'll learn:
- Creating location points
- Setting up names, tags, and descriptions
- Configuring access points for routing
- Assigning surfaces to locations
- Understanding the pathfinding node network
- Connecting routes to location access points
- Troubleshooting pathfinding issues
Routing lines display as green in the editor to distinguish them from regular lines. The most important thing to remember: points must be truly connected, not just overlapping. If pathfinding fails, move points around to verify your connections.
Tutorial 5: Connecting Floors
Watch: Mapboot Connections Tutorial: Link Floors & Buildings
For multi-floor buildings, you need to connect your levels so pathfinding can work across floors. This tutorial covers stairs, elevators, escalators, and even building-to-building connections.
What you'll learn:
- Selecting multiple floors for editing
- Understanding selection order
- Setting up access point twins
- Connecting stairs and elevators
- Linking separate buildings
- Publishing and testing your map
A helpful tip: disable surfaces when working with multiple floors. Otherwise, the top floor's surfaces will hide the points you need to select on lower floors.
Tips for Success
After completing these tutorials, keep these best practices in mind:
Keep it simple. Mapboot is designed for clarity. You don't need to include every architectural detail, focus on what's relevant for navigation.
Test your routes. Always verify your pathfinding works by testing in the viewer. Try routes between different floors and distant locations.
Check your connections. Most pathfinding issues come from points that appear connected but aren't truly joined. When in doubt, move points around to verify.
Toggle dev mode off. Before publishing, make sure dev mode is disabled for all floors. Floors left in dev mode won't appear in your published map.
Who Uses Indoor Maps?
Interactive indoor maps with wayfinding are valuable for:
- Shopping malls and retail centers – Help customers find stores and navigate large spaces
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities – Guide patients and visitors to departments and rooms
- Universities and campuses – Help students locate classrooms and buildings
- Corporate offices – Assist employees and visitors with navigation
- Convention centers and event venues – Direct attendees to booths, sessions, and amenities
- Airports and transit hubs – Simplify wayfinding in complex environments
- Museums and cultural institutions – Enhance visitor experiences with guided navigation
Get Started with Mapboot
Ready to build your first indoor map? Head over to www.mapboot.com to create your free account and start mapping.
Have questions? Reach out to us at contact@mapboot.com or leave a comment on any of our tutorial videos.