Getting started
A job and its drawings
A job holds the drawings, the takeoff, the quote and everything sent from it. Drop tender PDFs on the page and every sheet is filed, numbered and ready to measure.
Use it when
- A new tender arrives as a PDF set
- You want to try the tools on the sample job first
- A revised set lands and the old one must be superseded, not lost
Steps
- Jobs → ＋ New job (or open the sample job)
- Drag the PDF set onto the page — or click the drop zone
- Watch the left panel fill with drawings; click one to open it
Example. Drop “A-101 Ground floor plan.pdf” and “A-102 Level 1.pdf” on the page: two drawings appear in the left panel, each with its number, revision and a thumbnail.
Document control
The Docs tab is the register: every drawing’s number, revision, discipline and status. A new issue chains by number; the old revision reads SUPERSEDED and your markups carry over to the new one.
Use it when
- Checking which revision you measured
- A client issues Rev C — bring it in without losing the Rev B takeoff
- Filing specifications, schedules and reports beside the drawings
Steps
- Click the Docs tab
- Read the columns: number · revision · type · status
- Right-click a row for supersede, rename, classify
Example. A-101 Rev B is measured. Rev C arrives: drop it in, the register pairs it with Rev B, flags B superseded and offers to move the marks onto C.
Set the scale
Every quantity depends on the scale. TakeoffHQ reads it from the title block when it can; otherwise you pick a preset (1:50, 1:100…) or calibrate on a known dimension.
Use it when
- A drawing with no scale in the title block
- A PDF printed to “fit page” — the stated scale is wrong
- Checking a drawing before you trust its quantities
Steps
- Press S (or in the toolbar) on the drawing
- Pick a preset, or Calibrate: click two points of a known dimension and type its length
- The 1:50 badge on the drawing shows the scale in use
Example. A plan says 1:100 @ A1 but was printed to A3. Calibrate: click both ends of a 6000 mm grid dimension, type 6000, and every mark on the sheet is corrected.
Measuring tools
Pan & Select
Pan moves the drawing; Select picks a mark to edit, move or delete. The wheel always zooms; Space-drag pans from any tool.
Use it when
- Getting around a big sheet
- Picking a mark to change its item, colour or points
- Checking what a mark belongs to
Steps
- Scroll to zoom, hold Space and drag to pan
- Press V for Select, click a mark
- Right-click it for the full menu; Delete removes it
Example. Zoom into the kitchen, Space-drag across, click the carpet area — its item lights up in the panel on the right.
Count
One click, one of something. Counts carry a symbol, a size and a number; odd-shape mode traces the footprint so the 3D model shows the real thing.
Use it when
- Power points, light fittings, doors, sanitaryware
- Anything priced per number
- Workstations and loose furniture
Steps
- Press C
- Click the first symbol — name the item when asked (GPO, Downlight…)
- Click each one — Backspace undoes the last
- Right-click a count for size, shape and the footprint
Example. Arm Count on the Electrical trade, click the eight GPO symbols on the Ground floor: “GPO — 8 nr” in the panel, numbered on the plan.
Polyline
Click along a run and the length adds up: skirting, walls, cable routes. ⇧ holds 45°, Backspace steps back, double-click finishes.
Use it when
- Skirting, cornice, kerbs, pipework
- Partitions — give the item a height and the m² follows
- Anything priced per lineal metre
Steps
- Press P
- Click each corner of the run; double-click to finish
- Name the item when asked (Skirting, Stud wall…)
- The length shows live; the item reads lm
Example. Trace the skirting around Office 1: 24.6 lm. Set the item’s height to 2700 and the same line prices as 66.4 m² of partition.
Segments
Two clicks, one straight length. Faster than Polyline when every run is a single straight piece.
Use it when
- Individual beams, lintels, downpipes
- Checking a dimension against the drawn length
- Short runs that do not join
Steps
- More → Segments (or L)
- Click the start, click the end — done
- Repeat; each is its own mark
Example. Click both ends of each window head: five segments, 11.2 lm of lintel.
Arc
Three clicks — start, a point on the curve, end — and the true curved length is measured. Arcs also live inside Polylines and Areas (a mid-point on any edge).
Use it when
- Curved bulkheads and reception desks
- Radiused walls
- Curved kerbs and paths
Steps
- More → Arc (J)
- Click start · a point on the curve · end
- It reads as lm on its item
Example. The curved reception front: start, a point on the curve, end — 7.9 lm instead of a chord of 7.1.
Area
Click the corners of a space and the m² is measured — with the perimeter alongside, so one area prices floor, ceiling and skirting. It snaps to nearby points as you hover.
Use it when
- Floor finishes, ceilings, paint
- Roof planes, slabs, paving
- Anything priced per m² — raked areas take an angle
Steps
- Press ⇧A
- Click each corner; double-click to close
- Name the item when asked (Carpet, Ceiling…)
- Right-click → ⟋ Raked area for a sloped surface
Example. Trace the open-plan office: 212 m². The same mark gives 61 lm of perimeter for the skirting item linked to it.
Box
Drag a rectangle. Hold ⇧ and drag another and they join into one area. The quickest way to take a rectangular room. ⌥-drag a corner to adjust it.
Use it when
- Rectangular rooms and L-shapes (two boxes)
- Boxing a column or riser to cut out of a floor area
- Quick checks of a zone’s size
Steps
- Press B
- Drag over the room; name the item when asked
- ⇧-drag to join another box
- To cut a hole: box it as its own item, right-click → Cut out of…
Example. Box the meeting room, ⇧-box the store next to it: one area of 38 m². Box the duct riser on its own, right-click it → Cut out of the item below, and it comes off the floor area.
Grid
Lays a grid over an area and counts the cells or the lines: ceiling tiles, pavers, battens, purlins at a spacing.
Use it when
- Ceiling tiles 600 × 1200 over a room
- Pavers or raised-floor tiles
- Battens or purlins at centres
Steps
- More → Grid (G)
- Draw the area, then set the spacing and offset
- Count cells or lines in the dialog
Example. Grid the office ceiling at 1200 × 600: 184 tiles and the cut tiles around the edge flagged.
Dimension
Two clicks show a true dimension at the drawing’s scale. It is not a quantity — it is a check, a note to yourself, or a figure for the client.
Use it when
- Checking a drawn dimension against the drawing
- Marking a clear height or a setback
- Annotating a markup before it is sent
Steps
- Press D
- Click two points
- Drag the text to tidy it; it prints with the markups
Example. Dimension the corridor width: 1,820 — narrower than the 2,000 the brief asked for. Note it as a query.
Points — edit a shape
Drag the corner points of any area, box or polyline. Add a point by clicking an edge, remove one with Backspace. The quantity updates as you drag.
Use it when
- The room was traced a little wrong
- A wall moved in a revision
- Turning a box into an L-shape
Steps
- More → Points (A), or double-click a shape
- Drag a point; click an edge to add one
- Esc to finish
Example. The carpet area missed the alcove: drag the corner out, click the edge to add a point, pull it into the alcove — 212 → 216 m².
Smart tools
Match — count every copy of a symbol
Box one symbol and TakeoffHQ finds every copy on the drawing (or the whole set) and counts them. Rotated and mirrored copies included; you confirm the hits.
Use it when
- 40 downlights on an RCP
- Every GPO, every sprinkler head
- Furniture repeated across a floor
Steps
- More → Match (Y)
- Drag a tight box around one symbol
- Review the hits, untick any wrong ones, Confirm
Example. Box one downlight on the reflected ceiling plan: 38 hits, numbered. Untick the two in the legend and confirm.
Text — count by label
Type a label (D01, GPO, WS) and every place it is written on the drawing becomes a count — with the legend as the source of what each code means.
Use it when
- Door and window schedules by tag
- Equipment tagged with codes
- Room names and numbers
Steps
- More → Text (F)
- Type the label; pick exact or contains
- Confirm the hits
Example. Type D01: 12 hits across both floors, each landing as a count under the Doors item with the schedule row attached.
Wall — follow the drawn wall
Click a wall on the drawing and the tool follows it — corners and all — reading the drawn thickness. One click per wall instead of a point per corner.
Use it when
- Partition layouts with many short walls
- Measuring both faces of a wall for lining
- Demolition walls shown dashed
Steps
- More → Wall
- Click on a drawn wall; it traces to the next junction
- Keep clicking to extend; double-click to finish
Example. Click the long corridor wall: it follows the line through four corners, 31.4 lm, thickness 92 read off the plan.
Room — one click, one room
Click inside a room and the enclosed area is found from the walls around it. Floor, ceiling, perimeter and wall area in one click.
Use it when
- Floor finishes room by room
- Ceilings and painting by room
- Building a room schedule fast
Steps
- More → Room (R)
- Click inside the room
- If it leaks through a door, close it with ⇧-click
Example. Click inside each office on the ground floor: six areas, named from the room labels, 138 m² in all.
Stair
Draw the walk line and set the rise: risers, treads, goings and the flight length are worked out, checked against the minimum going, and the 3D shows the flight.
Use it when
- Feature stairs and fire stairs
- Checking a stair fits the rise in the space shown
- Pricing balustrade off the walk line
Steps
- More → Stair
- Click the walk line from bottom to top
- Set rise, riser height and min going in the dialog
Example. Rise 3600, going 250: 20 risers need 5.0 m; the walk line drawn is 4.1 m — the item warns the flight is 0.9 m short.
Roof
Trace the wall outline, flip edges hip ↔ gable, set eaves, pitch and spacing — and the roof generates itself: sheeting on the true pitch, ridge, hips, valleys, rafters or trusses, ceiling joists, eaves and insulation.
Use it when
- Pitched roofs from a plan with no roof framing drawing
- Pricing roofing, framing and insulation together
- Checking a pitch change quickly
Steps
- More → Roof
- Click around the outside walls; close the shape
- Flip edges, set eaves/pitch/spacing, Generate
Example. Outline the house, 450 eaves, 22.5°, trusses at 600: the Roof Framing trade fills with 14 items, every length on the pitch.
Raked areas
Measure a sloped surface off the plan, set the rake angle on the item and click the low edge: the quantity becomes the on-slope area (plan ÷ cos angle), the drawing shows the angle and a fall arrow, the 3D tilts the surface.
Use it when
- Raked ceilings and soffits
- Ramps and sloping slabs
- Pitched linings measured from a plan
Steps
- Measure the area with Area as normal
- Right-click it → ⟋ Raked area — angle & low side…
- Type the degrees, click the low edge
Example. The raked ceiling over the foyer is 48 m² on plan at 15°: 49.7 m² on the slope, and the 3D shows which way it falls.
Notes, markups & links
Note — capture drawing text
Drag a box over any text on the drawing and it is captured as a note: specs, general notes, schedule rows. Flagged notes land on the quote as clarifications.
Use it when
- General notes that change the price
- Finishes schedules and door schedules
- A spec detail you want attached to an item
Steps
- Press N
- Drag a box over the text
- Flag it or attach it to an item from its menu
Example. Box the note “All partitions to underside of slab, acoustic rated”: it lands on the Partitions item as its spec and prints with the quote.
Markups — arrows, clouds, redlines
The markup shelf: arrow, callout, cloud, redline pen, highlight, text, stamp, signature. Markups ride the drawing, print on the PDF and show in the share link; they never change a quantity.
Use it when
- Marking a query for the architect
- Clouding a change between revisions
- Redlining a site photo or a detail
Steps
- Press M for the shelf
- Pick a markup, draw it
- Right-click to edit text, colour or line weight
Example. Cloud the moved wall, add a callout “RFI 04 — confirm setout”, stamp PRELIMINARY: the drawing issues from Docs with all three on it.
Linked items — one measurement, many items
An item can follow another: skirting follows the carpet’s perimeter, insulation follows the wall, a count per wall end. Measure once; the linked quantities move with it.
Use it when
- Skirting, cornice and painting off a floor area
- Wall lining both faces off one wall line
- Fixings per metre, brackets per end
Steps
- Right-click an item → Linked item… (or the ⇗ tool)
- Pick what it follows: area, perimeter, faces, ends, count
- It appears under the item with its own rate
Example. Carpet is measured. Add Skirting as a linked item “perimeter of Carpet” — 61 lm, and it changes when the carpet does.
To Take — the scope list
A list of what still has to be measured, built from the tender (paste it, read the drawings, or let the AI draft it). Each line arms the tool and becomes the item when you measure it; ticked lines fall off.
Use it when
- Working through a scope line by line
- Making sure nothing in the brief is missed
- Handing a takeoff to someone else with the list to follow
Steps
- Takeoff panel → To Take tab
- Paste lines, or ＋ add one
- Click a line to measure it; when done
Example. Paste 30 lines from the tender schedule. Click “Skirting 68 mm” → the Polyline tool is armed under a Skirting item; measure, and the line ticks.
Pricing
Takeoff palette — measure with the item ready
Space opens the palette: your trades and items with their colour, size and rate. Pick one and measure — the mark lands with the item’s name, code and rate already on it.
Use it when
- Repeating the same items job after job
- Keeping colours and codes consistent across the team
- Measuring fast without naming items first
Steps
- Tap Space (or Palette)
- Pick a trade, then an item
- Measure; Esc returns to the palette
Example. Space → Partitions → “SW92 Stud wall 92 mm, 2700 h” → trace the walls: priced and coloured as you go.
Item properties — height, width, AFFL
An item’s properties turn a line into a wall and a count into a box: height, width, length, AFFL. They drive the m² on the quote and the 3D model.
Use it when
- Partitions measured as lines but priced per m²
- Joinery counts with a size
- Services with a mounting height
Steps
- Click the item’s (or double-click its name)
- Type H / W / L / AFFL in mm
- Every mark in the item follows
Example. Set the Stud wall item to H 2700: 24.6 lm becomes 66.4 m², and the 3D shows a 2.7 m wall on the plan.
The quote — pull from takeoff
⟲ Pull from takeoff turns every measured item into a quote line with its live quantity. Measure more and the line updates; price it and the total is yours.
Use it when
- First pass of a price as soon as the takeoff is in
- Re-checking quantities after a revision
- Building the client’s quote document
Steps
- Click the Quote tab
- ⟲ Pull from takeoff
- Type rates; ⇗ on a line jumps to its markups
Example. Pull: 14 lines. Type rates on six, the total reads $48,200. Measure another room and the carpet line moves to 231 m² by itself.
Rates — your book, applied
The rates library keeps your prices by item and unit. Pick a rate on a line, or let the palette carry it, and the same figure lands every time.
Use it when
- Pricing the same items on every job
- Keeping a team on one set of rates
- Updating a price once and everywhere
Steps
- Right-click a quote or estimate line → Pick a rate from the book…
- Choose or add a rate
- Type = in a rate cell to build the rate up from components
Example. Right-click the carpet line → Pick a rate: “Carpet tile supply & lay $68/m²” — the line prices and the rate remembers the item.
Built-up rates
A rate built from its parts — labour, material, plant, subcontract — each with its own quantity per unit. Change the labour rate and every built-up rate follows.
Use it when
- Rates you want to explain line by line
- Jobs priced with different labour rates
- Supply quotes against a component
Steps
- Right-click a line → Build up the rate… (or type = in the rate cell)
- Add components with qty per unit and a rate
- The line’s rate is the sum
Example. Stud wall /m²: plasterboard 2.1 m² @ $9, studs 3.2 lm @ $4.20, labour 0.6 h @ $85 → $82.50/m².
Sending & sharing
3D — see what you measured
Every mark with a height becomes a solid: walls, floors, ceilings, counts as boxes, roofs on the pitch. Floors stack by level; click an element to find it on the plan.
Use it when
- Checking heights and AFFLs look right
- Showing a client or a subbie the scope
- Finding what is missing from a floor
Steps
- Click 3D on the drawing
- Chips filter trades; ▤ floors; ◱ isolate an area
- Click an element → shows it on the drawing
Example. Open 3D on the ground floor: partitions stand at 2.7 m, the ceiling sits at 2.7, the raked foyer ceiling tilts — and a 3.6 m wall stands out as a typo.
Share link — the client’s 2D and 3D
A link anyone can open: the marked-up drawings, the legend, optional quantities, and the same 3D the app has. No login, revocable, passcode if you want one.
Use it when
- Sending a client the measured scope for approval
- Giving a subbie the drawings with your markups
- Showing a 3D without a meeting
Steps
- Share (top right) → Share link
- Choose drawings, trades, quantities and a passcode
- Copy the link; revoke it from the same dialog
Example. Share → tick “Quantities” → copy the link into the email. The client opens it on a phone, taps and walks the model.
RFQs — price it with subcontractors
Send each trade its package — the measured scope, the drawings it needs, the dates — on one link. Prices come back into the estimate; addenda go out numbered.
Use it when
- Tendering a job with subcontractor prices
- Getting three prices on the partitions
- Issuing a scope change to everyone holding the package
Steps
- Subcontractors tab → Set up the tender
- Pick the trades and firms, send
- Prices land in the Estimate; △ Changes since sent shows drift
Example. Set up the tender, invite three partition firms: they open the link, see the marked-up drawings and the quantities, and type a price per line.