Turn Exhibit Captions into a Floor-Plan Sketch Brief

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Paste two things into an ordinary AI chat that accepts text: (1) your caption or label list, each with a short title and any physical description, and (2) whatever venue facts you know — room shape, approximate size, doors, windows, fixed furniture, power points, lighting, floor, accessibility route. Then paste the complete prompt (appended below) in the same message.

If you do not know a measurement, leave it blank. The prompt uses [TO MEASURE] instead of guessing.

Check the output by scanning for: every item appearing once in the inventory and the legend, [TO MEASURE] wherever a real size is unknown, no claim that anything is insured, fire-rated or installed, and a not-to-scale note in the sketch steps. If any of these are missing, ask the chat to redo that section.

What this prompt does

It produces a written brief document only — not a drawing, not a booking, no contact with anyone. Sections come in a fixed order: item inventory table, grouping logic into two to four zones, placement notes per zone, sightline and flow notes, numbered sketch instructions for an artist, an accessibility and safety checklist, and open questions. Every distance is marked as an estimate; unknown dimensions stay as [TO MEASURE]. You can hand the brief to a sketch artist, or follow it yourself.

Prerequisites and limits

You need a text list and any venue facts you already have. The prompt will not invent room sizes, objects, dates or artist names, and will not state that an item is protected, insured, fire-approved or compliant. Those stay decisions for the venue and its insurers. Output quality depends on your input: thin venue facts mean weaker placement and flow sections, and the prompt should tell you which sections are weak.

source reviewed; runtime not tested

FAQ

Do I need any software or account beyond a chat? No. It is an ordinary text prompt for a general AI chat. No terminal, API or setup is needed.

Can the sketch be treated as final? No. It is a draft for review. Confirm all measurements, fixings and access requirements on site first.

Attribution

Original TokRepo prompt, licensed CC BY 4.0. Reference: ChatGPT release notes, used only as general context for a text workspace. The complete prompt and its Chinese translation are appended separately.

Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me plan a small exhibition or display layout. I will paste a list of exhibit captions or object labels plus whatever venue facts I know. Your job is to turn that list into a written brief that a sketch artist or I can follow to draw a labelled floor-plan sketch. You are producing a brief document only. You are not drawing the plan, not booking anything, not contacting anyone, and not claiming to know real room measurements I have not given you.

Input I will provide, in any format:

1. Caption or label list: each item's short title and, if available, its physical description (size, framed or freestanding, wall-hung, fragile, needs power, needs a case, heavy).
2. Venue facts I know: room shape, approximate dimensions, door and window positions, fixed furniture, existing power points, lighting level, floor surface, any accessibility route. Leave blanks where I do not know.
3. Optional constraints: maximum number of items, must-see order, quiet zone, children's area, one-way flow preference, budget note about cases or mounts.

What to produce, in this order:

A. Item inventory table. Columns: item number, short title, physical type, space need, power needed (yes/no/unknown), fragility flag, suggested zone. Copy titles exactly as I gave them. Do not invent objects, dates or artist names.

B. Grouping logic. Propose two to four zones with a one-line reason each, based on theme, chronology or physical need. State clearly which grouping is a judgement call rather than a constraint I gave.

C. Placement notes per zone. For each zone, give a plain-language placement instruction: which wall or corner, approximate distance from the nearest door or window, and whether the item should be at eye level, low, or in a case. Mark every distance as an estimate and mark unknown dimensions as [TO MEASURE].

D. Sightline and flow notes. For each zone, describe what a visitor sees first on entering, what blocks a clear view, and where two people could stand without colliding. Note any item that must not be placed facing a window or a bright light source, and any item too small to read from more than about one metre.

E. Sketch instructions for the artist. A numbered list of drawing steps: outline the room, mark doors and windows, draw zones, place numbered item markers, add a legend matching item numbers to titles, add an arrow for the suggested visitor route, add a scale note that says the plan is not to scale unless I supply measurements.

F. Accessibility and safety checklist. List checks tied only to the venue facts I gave: route width, turning space near cases, seating if mentioned, trip hazards from stands or cables, and any unknown that must be measured on site before the sketch is treated as final.

G. Open questions. A short list of the measurements or facts I still need to supply before anyone acts on this brief.

Rules:

• If I give no dimensions, do not guess any. Use [TO MEASURE] and keep the layout relative.
• Never state that an item is protected, insured, fire-approved or compliant. Those are decisions for the venue and its insurers.
• Do not add objects, themes or historical claims that were not in my input.
• Keep the tone practical and short. No marketing language.
• At the end, add a line: 'This brief is a draft for review. Confirm all measurements, fixings and access requirements on site before installation.'

Worked example of the input format I might paste: [FICTIONAL EXAMPLE INPUT] Captions: 1 'River Clay Bowl, 1200s' freestanding, fragile, needs case. 2 'Trade Route Map, 1500s' wall-hung, large, needs low light. 3 'Fisherman's Net Weight' small, heavy, low display. 4 'Town Charter Copy' framed, medium, wall. 5 'Children's Dig Box' activity, floor, needs open space. Venue: single room, one door on the south side, one window on the east wall, roughly rectangular, exact size unknown, wood floor, one power point near the door.

Illustrative output shape for that example (shortened): Item 1 -> Zone A (fragile case group), place against the north wall about [TO MEASURE] from the door, in a locked case if budget allows. Sightline: visible on entry; do not place near the east window because of light exposure. Item 5 -> Zone C, open floor area at least [TO MEASURE] from any case, clear of the route arrow. Sketch steps: outline room, mark the south door and east window, draw Zones A-C, add numbered markers 1-5, legend, route arrow curving clockwise from the door, note 'not to scale'. Open questions: room length and width, window sill height, whether the case budget exists, power point distance from north wall.

Pass or fail checks tied to that example:

• Pass if every item appears once in the inventory and legend.
• Pass if the brief says [TO MEASURE] wherever a real dimension is unknown.
• Pass if no item is claimed to be insured, fire-rated or installed.
• Fail if the draft invents a room size, an extra object or a historical fact.
• Fail if the route or placements are stated as final rather than draft.
• Fail if the sketch steps skip the legend or the not-to-scale note.

When I paste my real caption list and venue facts, run the same structure and the same checks, and tell me honestly which sections are weak because my input was thin.

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes

Original TokRepo prompt · CC BY 4.0. Reference documents retain their own rights.