Plans & Takeoffs
Measure lengths, areas, and counts straight off the plans so your quantities feed directly into the cost breakdown.
Who this is for: Builders, estimators, and subcontractors pricing a job off a plan set. Builders use it to get real quantities without a paper scale ruler. Estimators use it to produce a defensible measure trail. Subbies use it to price their scope against the same takeoffs the builder is working from.
What this module is for
Plans & Takeoffs is where you measure the job off the drawings. Trace an area on a floor plan, measure a wall length, or count the downlights on a reflected ceiling plan, and the quantities land in the takeoff list ready to push into Costing Items. It replaces the scale ruler, the highlighter, and the calculator.
Before you start
Plans uploaded and calibrated. Upload Plans inside the estimate first, and set the scale on at least one sheet. Without calibration, measurements don't scale to real-world units.
An estimate to work in. Plans & Takeoffs is always inside a specific estimate.
Things worth knowing upfront
The Area Tool is activated with keyboard shortcut A, not the toolbar. The toolbar has a similar-looking Calibration Tool icon.
The Select Tool (for editing existing shapes) is keyboard shortcut E.
Right-click behaviour changes depending on where you click. Right-clicking the shape interior gives a five-item menu (Rotate, Flip, Remove). Right-clicking the border line adds Insert Vertex.
Delete removes a shape with no confirmation. The quantity drops to zero instantly.
Clicking a takeoff row reloads the server copy — any in-progress edits not yet committed will be lost.
Calibrating your plans
Calibration is a critical first step before any takeoff will measure in real-world units. Walk through upload and calibration here:
How to get there
Click Projects in the top header.
Click Estimates in the left menu.
Click the estimate you want to work on.
Click the Plans & Takeoffs tab in the estimate's sub-navigation.
What you'll see
Three-panel layout: the left panel (sheet list on top, takeoff list underneath), the centre canvas (plan rendered in the Autodesk viewer), and the right panel (detail card for the selected takeoff — name, unit, colour, running total, trash icon). Across the top is the drawing toolbar: Area, Select, Calibration, and other measurement tools.
Step-by-step: creating a takeoff and measuring an area
Click the sheet you want in the left panel. The plan loads.
Click New Takeoff. Fill in Name, Unit of Measure, Takeoff Group (optional), Fill/Line Colour, Opacity, Line Width, and Symbol Size.
Click Create. The new takeoff is selected automatically.
Press A to activate the Area Tool.
Click around the perimeter, placing a vertex at each corner.
Close the shape by clicking back on the start vertex, or double-click to finish.
The area calculates immediately. Repeat for other areas that belong to the same takeoff — they add to the running total.
Note: If the area number looks wildly wrong, the sheet probably wasn't calibrated correctly. Go back to Upload Plans and recalibrate.
Tip: On dense plans, drop Fill Opacity to around 25% when you've got multiple takeoffs on the same sheet.
Worked example: Kingston Road bathroom floor tiling
The builder is pricing the Kingston Road bathroom reno. Floor tiling needs an accurate area.
In the Kingston Road estimate, click Plans & Takeoffs.
Click the A.102 Bathroom Floor Plan sheet.
Click New Takeoff. Name: Bathroom floor tiling. Unit: m². Group: Wet areas. Fill: light blue 40%.
Press A, trace the bathroom floor outline — four corners, closed.
Area label reads 4.85 m².
Draw a second shape for the shower recess — 1.10 m². Running total: 5.95 m².
In Costing Items, link this takeoff to a tiling line item. At $95/m² supply and lay: 5.95 m² × $95.00 = $565.25, live-linked so any re-measure flows through.
Step-by-step: editing a shape
Press E to activate the Select Tool.
Click the shape. Handles appear — white circles at corners, cyan dots at edge midpoints.
Move a corner: drag a white circle. Area recalculates.
Extend an edge: drag a cyan midpoint — the edge pushes out and two new vertices are added.
Insert a vertex: right-click the edge line, choose Insert Vertex, then drag the new vertex.
Rotate or flip: right-click the interior and choose Rotate 90° CW, Rotate 90° ACW, Flip Horizontal, or Flip Vertical.
Warning: The drag has to start precisely on the handle. If you click a small distance away, you'll drag the whole shape — every vertex shifts by the same amount and the area won't change.
Note: Inserting a vertex isn't committed until you drag the new vertex and release. If you click a different takeoff first, the inserted vertex is lost.
Step-by-step: deleting a shape
Three ways, all identical, all without confirmation:
Delete key with the Select Tool active and a shape selected.
Trash icon at the top right of the area card in the right panel.
Context menu: right-click the interior, choose Remove Shape.
The shape disappears; the takeoff total drops. The named takeoff entry stays — only the shape is removed.
Warning: No undo, no confirmation. Check the area label before you press Delete.
Step-by-step: using it in the estimating workflow
In Upload Plans, upload the plan set and calibrate at least one sheet per scale.
In Plans & Takeoffs, create a takeoff for each measurable item (floor tiling, wall framing, skirting, downlights) and draw the shapes.
Switch to Costing Items. Link each line item to its matching takeoff.
If you change a shape later, the linked quantity on the Costing Item updates with it.
Totals roll up to Total Cost Summary and feed Produce Proposal.
Tip: Name takeoffs with the same language you use in Costing Items. Makes linking obvious.
Tips
Calibrate every scale, not every sheet. If A.101 and A.102 are both 1:100, calibrating one is enough. A.201 at 1:50 needs its own calibration.
Use groups when you've got more than ten takeoffs. Group by trade (Concrete, Framing, Wet areas).
Match unit to how you price. Tiling in m² matches the tiler's rate.
Colour code by trade.
Use keyboard shortcuts. A for Area, E for Select.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
Area number is obviously wrong. | Sheet not calibrated, or wrong scale used. | Upload Plans > open sheet > recalibrate against a known dimension. |
Press A and nothing happens. | Canvas doesn't have keyboard focus, or no takeoff selected. | Click the canvas to give it focus; check a takeoff is selected. |
Whole shape moved when dragging a corner. | Drag didn't start on the handle dot. | Undo, zoom in, click directly on the white circle before dragging. |
Inserted vertex disappeared. | Insert Vertex isn't committed until the new vertex is dragged and released. | Right-click, Insert Vertex, then drag it before switching takeoffs. |
Unit I need isn't in the dropdown. | Not added to Setup. | Setup > Lists > Units of Measure, add it. |
Related articles
Upload Plans — upload and calibrate the plan set before takeoffs.
Costing Items — link takeoffs to priced line items.
Estimates — the container Plans & Takeoffs sits inside.
Still stuck?
Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.