Node Mode on mobile — the direction d-pad

Node Mode is how walls get drawn on a phone or tablet. After you set a wall's start point, an on-screen direction pad opens with four arrows, a centre Free button, and three action buttons across the bottom. Pick a direction, type a length, and your next wall is placed — no precision touch dragging required. The pad is intentionally designed to feel like a classic d-pad game.

When the d-pad appears

The direction pad opens automatically on mobile after you commit a wall's start point — either by tapping near an existing node, or by setting a start with the endpoint adjust pad. It stays on-screen while you chain walls.

What each control does

The pad is anchored near the current node and you can drag it by the small grab handle at the top if it covers something you want to see.

Direction arrows (up, down, left, right) Tap one to lock the wall angle to that cardinal direction. Once an angle is picked, the Length field opens with the on-screen keyboard so you can type the segment length and tap Set.

Arrows that already have a wall connected to the current node are dimmed — you can't draw two walls in the same direction from the same node.

Free (centre button) Tap the centre button to enter free-draw. Drag your finger from the node in any direction, then lift. The angle locks to whatever direction you dragged, and the Length field opens for the typed length. Use this when you need a non-cardinal angle (for example, a 30-degree skew on a stair landing).

New Point Drops the current chain and lets you place a new start point somewhere else on the canvas. The next tap on the canvas becomes the new wall's first point. Use this when you've finished one room and want to start drawing a wall somewhere else without leaving the tool.

Connect Switches the tool into Connect mode — tap two existing nodes to draw a wall between them.

Done Closes the d-pad and ends the drawing session. Whatever you've already placed is committed; nothing is lost.

A typical flow

1. Pick the Draw Wall tool from the left toolbar.
2. Tap on the canvas to set the wall's start point. The endpoint adjust pad opens — nudge the crosshair if you need finger-precise placement, then tap Set.
3. The direction pad opens. Tap right to draw the first wall horizontally.
4. Type 12' on the keyboard, tap Set. The wall is placed.
5. Tap down. Type 8', tap Set.
6. Tap left. Type 12', tap Set.
7. Tap up. Type 8', tap Set. The room is closed.
8. Tap Done to leave the tool.

Tips

• The arrows lock to axes — if you need a 45-degree wall, use Free and drag at the angle you want.
• The d-pad is draggable by the grab bar at the top. Move it out of the way if it covers a node you're trying to see.
• If you tap an arrow by accident, tap a different arrow to re-lock the angle — only one direction is active at a time per node.
• Dimmed arrows mean the node already has a wall in that direction. If you really want to overlap, place the new wall from a slightly different start point.
• Lean into the game-style controls — pressing arrows confidently and trusting the step dial speeds the workflow up dramatically once the rhythm clicks.