Tower Unite: Condo Building Scale Explained + Scale Reference Guide

When building a condo, one of the most common mistakes people make is not factoring scale into their builds. Often times, things are much too large, which can make it hard to fill and furnish a space, leaving many people to scratch their head at why they can’t seem to make their rooms look nice.

Why does it feel so empty? Is there something wrong with me?

A similar issue happens with inexperienced people building objects and furniture out of canvas. Their furniture often feels cartoony, lacking an invisible subtlety which the average person fails to see. These issues wouldn’t be so present if they understood the importance of building with a consistent scale, to keep the proportions of their condo within reason.

Something’s not right here…

The purpose of this guide is to help familiarize yourself with the scale of Tower Unite, and to help make more visually pleasing, more realistic, and more immersive virtual spaces.

You may have noticed that when building in your condo, objects are placed on coordinate values in 3 dimensions. These coordinates are precise down to the hundredth decimal position. We will refer to these coordinates as “Map Units”, or “MU”. Think of this as a universal measurement for all objects in your condo.

The foundational tool we can use to measure distances is the Canvas Cube. This item is confirmed by the developers to be 50 centimeters in length, height, and width. Which begs the question:

“Couldn’t we use this to convert real measurements into TU by way of conversion?”

This is correct. Measuring the Canvas Cube, we find that it is equal to 50 MU in all three dimensions. This means that Map Units are directly analogous to centimeters. This makes realistically scaling our items extremely easy.

We can convert any amount of centimeters into the length of a canvas cube by dividing the distance in centimeters by 50. For example, if you have a desk that is 72 centimeters, we can divide 72 by 50, to get 1.44. Therefore, that 72cm desk would be the same height as a canvas cube scaled to 1.44.

Did you know that the number inputs in the gizmo, (The coordinates menu that appears when selecting an object.) function doubly as calculators? Addition and subtraction can be done with + and – respectively, and division and multiplication can be done with / and * respectively. Even parentheses work, which is great when finding averages between numbers. For example, if you entered:

“17+5-(-3*14)/2”

Then the gizmo would automatically input the answer of:

“43.0”

To quickly convert centimeters to cube scale, all you need to enter is:

“C/50”

Where in C represents the distance in centimeters. (So replace the C with how many centimeters you’re measuring.)

While metric measurements are very straightforward and simple, and are definitely less of a hassle to work with, converting to imperial is not as easy. Imperial is not directly analogous to metric, and therefore not fully analogous to TU, as many conversions will result in thousandth or even ten thousandth decimal numbers, which TU automatically rounds to the nearest hundredth decimal. For example, 1 inch is equal to 2.54 centimeters. This would convert onto a canvas cube as 0.0508, which would round to 0.05. For sake of quick convenience, 0.05 is the standard “inch” of Tower Unite. If you had a 2-inch wide hole, we can simply multiply the number of inches by 0.05, which gives us 0.1 on a Canvas Cube.

While the rounding of inches is not an issue on very small scales, distances as little as 1 foot will create discrepancies between direct conversion and the convenient conversion. If a foot is equal to 12 inches, then we could say that since 0.05 multiplied by 12 is equal to 0.6, then that would be equal to a foot in real life, right? This is technically incorrect. If we multiplied our original unrounded conversion of 0.0508 by 12, that would equal 0.6096, which is much closer to .61 than .6. If you really want to be thorough, you can multiply by 0.0508 for every calculation, but that’s a lot trickier to do quickly without a calculator. It’s also annoying to type in a calculator anyway. If you’re able to do multiples of 0.05 in your head, you can just add 0.01 for every foot in your final result. If a wall measures 2 feet and 7 inches, multiplying by 0.05 would equal 1.55, and because there were 2 feet, we can add 0.02, resulting in 1.57. Multiplying the original result by 0.0508 would equal 1.5748.(Pretty close, right?)

As you get into higher and higher measurements, the discrepancy will only get larger. It is recommended that you multiply with 0.0508 with any measurement beyond 2-3 feet, if you care that much about precision. But at that point, you might as well just use metric.

Most other canvas shapes follow similar measurements to the cube, those shapes being:

• Canvas Pyramid
• Canvas Tube
• Canvas Wedge
• Canvas Sphere
• Canvas Hole
• Canvas Cylinder

All of these shapes share the 50x50x50 MU/cm measurements as the canvas cube.

Other shapes use similar or different measurements, these exceptions are:

The canvas hemisphere follows a similar measurement to the others, the only difference being is that it is 25 MU/cm in height. Any scaling measurements on the Z axis should be multiplied by 2 to be analogous to a cube.

The canvas dome is much larger than the other shapes. It is 15 times larger than the hemisphere, but the same thickness as a hemisphere scaled to 1.0. It is not recommended that you use this item for dome shapes, except as a skybox/skydome and for niche use cases. Use the hemisphere instead.

The canvas polygon is quite tricky. While the Z height is the same as the standard cube, the X and Y vary depending on the variation. In fact, the length of each side of of every polygon seems to be on the ten-thousandth decimal place on a canvas cube. This makes it impossible to align with most other canvas shapes. If you need precise scaling with these shapes, use a cube as a base for your measurement, then scale your polygon as close as you can.

The torus functions a little differently than the other shapes. It’s measured by the diameter of the torus, from the center thickness of the ring, instead of measuring from the end of the model to the other. In it’s default variation, it measures a diameter of 100 MU/cm. The solid ring measures with a diameter of 10 MU/cm. Each level of thickness increases the diameter by 10. At thickness 5, the thickness of the ring becomes 50 MU/cm. Which is equivalent to a canvas cylinder. Each level of radius increases or decreases the diameter by 50 MU/cm. At radius 1, it’s diameter measures 50 MU/cm. At radius 3, it measures 150 MU/cm.

The canvas elbow is similar to the canvas torus, but is measured by the edges of the model, rather than the center of its ring. When placed, it is much larger than the torus. It’s radius setting functions more like the torus’ thickness setting. By default, the elbow measures 150 MU/cm on the X and Z axis, and 50 MU/cm on the Y axis. The diameter of the tube itself is by default 100 MU/cm. Lowering the radius setting reduces it’s diameter by 20 MU/cm with each increment.

Scaling this item to 0.5 will make it’s default thickness equivalent to a canvas tube.

At it’s default scale, the corrugated canvas measures 200 MU/cm on it’s X and Y axis. It’s Z scale is measured from the lowest and highest points in it’s wave, which is measured as 5 MU/cm.

All X and Y scaled measurements should be divided by 4 to be equivalent to a cube. All Z scaled measurements should be multiplied by 10 to be equivalent to a cube.

Since we can now easily accurately scale canvas items, it’s no surprise that we can also scale other non-canvas items. Many items in Tower Unite are inaccurately scaled when compared to real measurements of equivalent objects in reality. We can check these measurements by simply taking a canvas cube, scaling it to the measurements of the actual object, and then comparing our canvas cube to the in-game prop. If the prop is inaccurate, you can simply scale the prop to match the dimensions of the cube.

For example, a standard #2 pencil usually measures around 19 cm, or 7.5 in, in length. 19 cm on a canvas cube is 0.38. The Pencil item in-game measures to about 0.63 on a canvas cube in-game, or 31½ cm. Scaling the pencil to 0.6 makes it closer to 0.38 on a canvas cube, which makes the pencil’s scale more accurate to reality

Since we can scale condo objects, we can also scale the player characters themselves. Most games have a standard height for their player characters. Tower Unite’s can be measured by taking a canvas cube and stretching along the Z axis. With this, we can deduce that the default playermodel’s height is equivalent to 140 cm, or ~4’8″. Note that custom playermodels may be smaller or bigger than this. Also note that these measurements are based on the model’s height and not the collision capsule of the player, which is larger, meaning a player won’t necessarily fit through a hole that is 140 cm in height.

Size potions change a playermodel’s size, and thus, it’s height. For quick reference, here are the heights of the default playermodel with each size potion on.

Large – 223 cm, ~7’4″ (1.6x multiplier)
Slightly Bigger – 169 cm, ~5’6″ (1.2x Multiplier)
Small – 70 cm, ~2’3½ (0.5x Multiplier)
Tiny – 37 cm, ~1’2½ (0.25x Multiplier)

You may have noticed that the default height is pretty short compared to the average height of an adult human. Wearing a slightly bigger potion is much more accurate to reality. If you don’t want to force a scaling up of your players, you might feel more comfortable slightly shrinking your tables, chairs and such, to make up for the player’s short stature.

It can take a while to get used to the corrected scale of your objects. If objects still feel too small, even at slightly bigger scale, keep in mind that higher FOVs may make objects looks smaller.

If manually checking for the scale of architecture feels too time consuming, this section is a reference list for common architectural measurements, converted to Tower Unite scale.

Note: Most of these measurements are based on building standards in the United States. Measurements may differ in other countries.
MU and canvas cube scale are estimates. Dimensions were calculated by converting feet to MU/cm, rounded to the nearest whole number for convenience, then converted to canvas cube scale.
Reference photos with playermodel use default potionless playermodel scale.

• Walls

  Home Wall Thickness – 4-8 inches, 10-20 MU/cm, 0.2-0.4 on a canvas cube.
  Concrete Wall Thickness – 6-10 inches, 15-25 MU/cm, 0.3-0.5 on a canvas cube.
  Interior Wall Thickness – 4-6 inches in thickness, 10-15 MU/cm, 0.2-0.3 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Wall Height – 7-10 feet, 213-305 MU/cm, or 4.26-6.1 on a canvas cube.
  Standard Wall height – 8 feet, 244 MU/cm, or 4.88 on a canvas cube.
  

• Ceilings & Multi-Story Floors

  Ceiling thickness – ½ inch, or 1.5 MU/cm, or 0.03 on a canvas cube.
  Multi-story ceiling/floor thickness – 9-14 inches, 23-36 MU/cm, or 0.45-0.71 on a canvas cube.
  

Note: Rooms often vary in shape and size from house to house, these are just common sizes and dimensions for rooms.

• Living Rooms

  Small – 12×18 feet, 366×549 MU/cm, 7.32×10.98 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 16×20 feet, 487×610 MU/cm , 9.74×12.2 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 22×28 feet, 671×854 MU/cm, 13.42×17.08 on a canvas cube.
  

• Bedrooms

  Master Bedroom
  Small – 12×16 feet, 366×487 MU/cm, 7.32×9.74 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 16×20 feet, 487×610 MU/cm , 9.74×12.2 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 18×24 feet, 549×732 MU/cm, 10.98×14.64 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Secondary Bedroom – 10×12 feet, 305×366 MU/cm, 6.1×7.32 on a canvas cube.
  

• Bathrooms

  Small – 7×9 feet, 214×274 MU/cm, 4.28×5.48 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 8×12 feet, 244×366 MU/cm, 4.88×7.32 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 10×16 feet, 305×487 MU/cm, 6.1×9.74 on a canvas cube.
  

• Kitchens

  Small – 8×10 feet, 244×305 MU/cm, 4.88×6.1 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 10×16 feet, 305×487 MU/cm, 6.1×9.74 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 12×20 feet, 366×610 MU/cm, 7.32×12.2 on a canvas cube.
  

• Dining Rooms

  Small – 12×12 feet, 366×366 MU/cm, 7.32×7.32 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 11×14 feet 335×427, 6.7×8.54 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 12×16 feet 366×487 MU/cm, 7.32×9.74 on a canvas cube.
  

• Closets

  Reach-in Closets
  Depth – 22-28 inches, 56-72 MU/cm, 1.12-1.44 on a canvas cube.
  Width – 36-96 inches, 91-244 MU/cm, 1.82-4.88 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Walk-in Closets
  Small – 4×4 feet, 122×122 MU/cm, 2.44×2.44 on a canvas cube.
  Medium – 6×10 feet, 183×305 MU/cm, 3.66×6.1 on a canvas cube.
  Large – 10×16 feet, 305×487 MU/cm, 6.1×9.74 on a canvas cube.
  

• Hallways & Corridors

  Hallway
  Width – 36-48 inches, 91-122 MU/cm, 1.82-2.44 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Corridor
  Width – 68-96 inches, 173-244 MU/cm, 3.46-4.88 on a canvas cube
  

Note: Doorframe height often looks very tall compared to standard playermodel size. Using lower-end height measurements is recommended. If doors still feel too tall, doors can be shortened in height a small amount.

• Doorframes

  Height – 84½-100½ inches, 214.5-258.5 MU/cm, 4.29-5.17 on a canvas cube
  Side Jamb Width – 4½ inches, 11.5 MU/cm, 0.23 on a canvas cube.
  Head Jamb Height – 4½ inches, 11.5 MU/cm, 0.23 on a canvas cube.
  Jamb Depth – 6½ inches, 16.5 MU/cm, 0.33 on a canvas cube.
  

• Doors

  Exterior Door
  Height – 80-96 inches, 203-244 MU/cm, 4.06-4.88 on a canvas cube.
  Width – 36 inches, 91.5 MU/cm, 1.83 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – 1¾ inches, 4.5 MU/cm, 0.09 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Interior Door
  Height – 80-96 inches, 203-244 MU/cm, 4.06-4.88 on a canvas cube.
  Width – 24-36 inches, 61-91.5 MU/cm, 1.22-1.83 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – 1½-1¾ inches, 4-4.5 MU/cm, 0.08-0.09 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Sliding Glass Door
  Height – 80-96 inches, 203-244 MU/cm, 4.06-4.88 on a canvas cube.
  Width (Individual Panel) – 30-48 inches, 76-122 MU/cm, 1.52-2.44 on a canvas cube.
  Width (Total) – 60-96 inches, 152-244 MU/cm, 3.04-4.88 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – ½-1 inch, 1.5-2.5 MU/cm, 0.03-0.05 on a canvas cube.
  

• Door Handles & Knobs

  Height from Floor – 36 inches, 91.5 MU/cm, 1.83 on a canvas cube.
  Backset (Distance from door edge to center of handle base) – 2¾ inches, 7 MU/cm, 0.14 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Doorknob
  Diameter – 2¾ inches, 7 MU/cm, 0.14 on a canvas cube.
  Depth (from door to knob) – 2½ inches, 6.5 MU/cm, 0.13 on a canvas cube
  
  –
  Door Lever
  Height – 1¾ inches, 4.5 MU/cm, 0.09 on a canvas cube.
  Length – 5-6 inches, 12.5-15 MU/cm, 0.25-0.3 on a canvas cube.
  Depth (from door to lever) – 2½ inches, 6.5 MU/cm, 0.13 on a canvas cube
  

Note: Standard Sill height of 36 inches often looks tall compared to standard playermodel size. Using lower-end height measurements is recommended.

• Window Frame

  Width – 24-48 inches, 61-122 MU/cm, 1.22-2.44 on a canvas cube.
  Height (from floor) – 18-45 inches, 46-114 MU/cm, 0.92-2.28 on a canvas cube.
  Standard Height (from floor) – 36 inches, 91.5 MU/cm, 1.83 on a canvas cube.
  Height (From Sill) – 44-60 inches, 112-152.5 MU/cm, 2.24-3.05 on a canvas cube
  
  –
  Sill
  Note: Sill depth is dependent on wall thickness. Add 2 inch/5 MU/0.1 to wall thickness to get sill depth.
  Thickness – ½-1½ inch, 1.5-3.5 MU/cm, 0.03-0.08 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Trim
  Width – 2-5½ inches, 5-14 MU/cm, 0.1-0.28 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – ½ inch, 1.5 MU/cm, 0.03 on a canvas cube.
  Apron Thickness – 2-3½ inches, 5-9 MU/cm, 0.1-0.18 on a canvas cube.
  Head Height (from Sill) – 44-60 inches, 112-152.5 MU/cm, 2.24-3.05 on a canvas cube.
  

• Basic Window

  Note: Jamb Depth should be the same as wall thickness.
  Side Jamb
  Height (From Side Frame) – ½ inch, 1.5 MU/cm, 0.03 on a canvas cube.
  Head Jamb
  Height – ½ inch, 1.5 MU/cm, 0.03 on a canvas cube
  
  –
  Sash
  Width- 1½-2½ inches, 3.5-6.5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.13 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – 1-1¾ inches, 2.5-4.5 MU/cm, 0.05-0.09 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Jambliner
  Note: Jambliners should be placed inbetween sashes. Width of Jambliner is defined by depth of all sashes on one side combined, with an added ½/1.5MU/0.03.
  Height (from Side Jamb) – ½ inch, 1.5 MU/cm, 0.03 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Rail
  Height – 1½-2½ inches, 3.5-6.5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.13 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – 1-1¾ inches, 2.5-4.5 MU/cm, 0.05-0.09 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Grille
  Width – ⅝-1 inch, 1.5-2.5 MU/cm, 0.03-0.05 on a canvas cube.
  Depth – 3⁄8 inch, 0.1 MU/cm, 0.02 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Glass Pane Thickness – 3/32-1/8 inches, <0.5 MU/cm, 0.01 on a canvas cube.

• Home Stairs

  Step
  Width – 36 inches, 91.5 MU/cm, 1.83 on a canvas cube.
  Height (Rise) – 7-8 inches, 17.5-20 MU/cm, 0.35-0.4 on a canvas cube.
  Depth (Run) – 9-10 inches, 22.5-25 MU/cm, 0.45-0.5 on a canvas cube.
  Nose Diameter – ¾-1 inch, 2-2.5 MU/cm, 0.04-0.05 on a canvas cube.
  

• Commercial Stairs

  Step
  Width – 44 inches, 112 MU/cm, 2.24 on a canvas cube.
  Height (Rise) – 7-9½ inches, 17.5-24 MU/cm, 0.35-0.48 on a canvas cube.
  Depth (Run) – 9½-11 inches, 24-28 MU/cm, 0.48-0.56 on a canvas cube.
  Nose Diameter – ¾-1 inch, 2-2.5 MU/cm, 0.04-0.05 on a canvas cube.
  

• Stair Guard Rail

  Post
  Height – 32-40 inches, 81.5-101.5 MU/cm, 1.63-2.03 on a canvas cube.
  Diameter – 3-5 inches, 7.5-12.5 MU/cm, 0.15-0.25 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Post Cap
  Height- 2-4 inches, 5-10 MU/cm, 0.1-0.2 on a canvas cube.
  Diameter – 4-6 inches, 10-15 MU/cm, 0.2-0.3 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Handrail/Banister
  Height from floor – 34-38 inches, 86.5-96.5 MU/cm, 1.73-1.93 on a canvas cube.
  Width – ½-5 inches, 1.5-12.5 MU/cm, 0.03-0.25 on a canvas cube.
  Height – ½-5 inches, 1.5-12.5 MU/cm, 0.03-0.25 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Baluster
  Note: Space between balusters is dependent on step depth. Usually 2-3 balusters per step.
  You can calculate your own baluster space by taking the depth of one step, then placing your desired number of balusters per step in the middle of the step.
  For 2 balusters, take your step depth and divide it by 4, then move one baluster forward and one back by that distance.
  For 3 balusters, take your step length and divide by 3, move one forward and one back by that distance. Keep one baluster in the middle of the step.
  Diameter – 1½-2½ inches, 3.5-6.5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.13 on a canvas cube.
  Standard Space Between – 4 inches, 10 MU/cm, 0.2 on a canvas cube.
  

• Stair Handrail

  Rail
  Note: On commercial stairs, the bottom of the rail should extend past the first step, as much as the depth of one step.
  On commercial stairs, the top of the rail becomes horizontal and extends by 1 foot/30.5 MU/0.61.
  Height from floor – 34-38 inches, 86.5-96.5 MU/cm, 1.73-1.93 on a canvas cube.
  Hand Clearance – 1½ inches, 3.5 MU/cm, 0.07 on a canvas cube.
  Diameter – 1¼-2 inches, 3.5-5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.1 on a canvas cube.
  

• Deck/Balcony Rail

  Post
  Height – 32-40 inches, 81.5-101.5 MU/cm, 1.63-2.03 on a canvas cube.
  Diameter – 3-5 inches, 7.5-12.5 MU/cm, 0.15-0.25 on a canvas cube.
  
  –
  Upper Rail
  Height from Floor – 32-38 inches, 81.5-96.5 MU/cm, 1.63-1.93 on a canvas cube.
  Width – 1½-4½ inches, 4-11.5 MU/cm, 0.08-0.23 on a canvas cube.
  Height – 1¼-4 inches, 3.5-5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.1 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Lower Rail
  Height from Floor – 4 inches, 5 MU/cm, 0.1 on a canvas cube
  Width – 1½-4½ inches, 4-11.5 MU/cm, 0.08-0.23 on a canvas cube.
  Height – 1¼-4 inches, 3.5-5 MU/cm, 0.07-0.1 on a canvas cube.
  –
  Baluster
  Diameter – 1-2½ inches, 2.5-6.5 MU/cm, 0.05-0.13 on a canvas cube.
  Standard Space Between – 4 inches, 10 MU/cm, 0.2 on a canvas cube.
  

Thank you for reading. I hope this guide serves you well, and that this will help you and others easily make better condo experience, and make a better condo community as a whole.

-GoopGoop