How to use Smoov

Smoov is a university timetable planner that runs entirely in your browser. You don't need an account to start. Open the app and work through the three steps:

1. 1Subjects: add the subjects you need to enrol in, by hand or by importing from your university system.
2. 2Classes: for each subject, add the class times on offer (lectures, tutorials, labs and so on).
3. 3Preferences: tell Smoov what matters to you, like fewer days on campus, no early starts or a proper lunch break.

Hit Optimise and Smoov works out several timetable options, ranked by how well they match your preferences, and explains what each one trades off.

In the first step, add each subject you plan to enrol in. Enter the subject code (e.g. “COMP1234”) and, if you like, a display name (e.g. “Intro to Programming”). Smoov warns you if you add the same subject code twice.

Free accounts can add up to 4 subjects. Premium users can add up to 6 subjects.

If you're at UTS, USYD and ANU, you can import your subjects and class times directly from Allocate+ instead of entering them by hand. More universities are coming. Import only works in a desktop browser.

1. 1Open Allocate+ in your browser and go to your timetable.
2. 2In Smoov, click Import from Allocate+ and copy the script it gives you.
3. 3Open your browser's developer console (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+J) on the Allocate+ page and paste the script.
4. 4Copy the output and paste it back into Smoov's import dialog.

You'll see a preview of every subject it found. Leave out any you don't want before you confirm the import.

For each subject, add every class option on offer. Each class has:

• Activity type: lecture, tutorial, lab, workshop, seminar, practical, studio, recording and more.
• Mode: in person, live online or async. Async classes have no set time and don't appear on the timetable.
• Day and time: the day of the week, start time and end time, to the half hour.
• Location: optional campus or building details.

Use the duplicate button to copy a class and change just the time or day. Click any field to edit it in place.

Preferences are soft constraints. Smoov tries to meet them, but still finds timetables when it can't meet them all. Each option tells you which preferences it met and which it traded off.

Fewer days on campus

Pack classes into fewer days, even if they run longer.

No early starts

Nothing before 10am where possible.

Fewer gaps

Classes back to back, no dead hours between them.

Keep a day free

Pick a day and keep it clear of classes.

Breathing room

At least 30 minutes between classes.

Done by 4pm

All classes over by 4pm.

A proper lunch break

Keep 12 to 1pm free.

Afternoon classes

Classes that start at 12pm or later.

Free accounts can turn on up to 3 preferences at a fixed medium weight. Premium users get all 8 preferences with adjustable weights (very low, low, medium, high, critical).

If you have regular commitments outside uni, like a part-time job, sport training or appointments, block out those times so Smoov never puts a class in them.

When you click Optimise, Smoov runs a constraint-satisfaction solver in a background thread, so the page stays responsive. The solver uses backtracking with two standard heuristics (minimum remaining values and forward checking) to work through the possible timetables quickly.

Every valid timetable is scored against your preferences, and the top results are picked to be genuinely different from each other, not small variations on the same week.

Free accounts get 2 timetable options. Premium users get up to 4 options.

Each option shows:

• Its name and rank: options are listed best fit first.
• The week: a compact view of your classes, coloured by subject.
• The numbers: days on campus, 8am starts, your longest gap and when you finish.
• The tradeoffs: which of your preferences the option meets, and which ones it costs you.

On the results page, hover over any class on one option and the same class is marked on every other option, so you can see which times change between them.

Smoov supports the two ways universities allocate classes. Set it in step 3 (Preferences), or let it detect the mode when you import from Allocate+.

Free accounts see the top 3 rankings per activity. Premium users see every ranking, with frequency bars showing how robust each choice is.

Found the right time for one class? Click that class on an option to “anchor” it. Anchored classes stay put: when you optimise again, Smoov keeps them fixed and only rearranges everything else.

That lets you build your timetable in rounds: optimise, lock the bits you like, tweak your preferences, and optimise again.

Once you've picked an option, you can take it with you in a few ways:

ICS download

Imports into Apple Calendar, Outlook and most calendar apps. You'll be asked for your semester start date so events land in the right weeks.

Google Calendar

Opens Google Calendar with the event details filled in. No sign-in or API access needed; it uses Google's public URL scheme.

Image export

Saves your timetable as a PNG you can share or print. On supported devices you can also use the native share sheet.

Share link

Makes a URL anyone can open to see your timetable, even without a Smoov account. The timetable is compressed into the URL itself.

ICS and Google Calendar export are Premium features.

SmoovSync lines your timetable up with your friends' timetables. One person creates a room and shares its 6-character code. Everyone else joins and uploads their top options.

1. 1Share the 6-character room code with your friends.
2. 2Everyone uploads their top options.
3. 3Smoov finds the combination with the most shared free time.

It scores each combination by:

• Shared free blocks (time you can all hang out)
• Overlapping lunch breaks
• Common campus days
• Shared days off
• Shared classes (same subject at the same time)

The group view lays everyone's timetables over each other, so you can see when you're all free.

Smoov works without an account. Everything is stored locally in your browser. You only need to sign in if you want to upgrade to Premium.

Signing in uses a 6-digit code sent to your email, so there's no password. Enter your email, then type in the code.

You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time from the billing portal, in the user menu in the header.