Upload Plans
Load the plan set for a job and get it ready for on-screen takeoffs.
Who this is for: Builders, estimators, and subcontractors who need to bring a plan set into an estimate before measuring quantities.
What Upload Plans is for
Upload Plans is where you bring the drawings into an estimate. Drop in the PDF from the architect, or the IFC or RVT model from the draftsperson, give each plan a title and plan type, and the platform processes it so it can be viewed and measured. Once a plan says Ready for Viewing, it's available inside Plans & Takeoffs for calibrating scale and running digital takeoffs.
Before you start
You need an estimate to upload plans into. Plans sit inside an estimate, not at the project level — each estimate has its own set of plans.
If the plan type you need (Architectural, Structural, Electrical, etc.) isn't in the list, add it under Setup > Lists > Plan Types before uploading.
Things worth knowing upfront
Supported file types: PDF, RVT (Revit), IFC (BIM/3D model). Multi-page PDFs become a single plan record with each page as a sheet inside the viewer.
After clicking Upload Plan, the file is sent to Autodesk for processing. Status goes from Processing X% to Ready for Viewing. Usually under a minute for PDFs, longer for RVT/IFC.
You can't open a plan in Plans & Takeoffs until it reaches Ready for Viewing.
Plan Type is a multi-select — a PDF covering Architectural and Structural can be tagged with both.
Plans are per-estimate. If the same set applies to another estimate on the same project, upload it again there.
How to get there
Click Projects in the top header.
Click Estimates in the left menu.
Click the estimate you want to add plans to.
Click Upload Plans in the estimate's sub-navigation.
What you'll see
A table listing every plan uploaded to this estimate. Two buttons at the top: Access Plans (opens the Plans & Takeoffs viewer) and New Plan (opens the upload panel).
Column | What it shows |
Title | The display title you gave the plan on upload. |
Plan Type | The plan types tagged (Architectural, Structural, etc.). |
File Name | Original filename. |
File Type | Extension (pdf, rvt, ifc). |
Upload Status | Processing X% or Ready for Viewing. |
Date Uploaded | Upload timestamp. |
Step-by-step: uploading a new plan
Click New Plan. A panel opens on the right.
Fill in Title (e.g. "Architectural Set — Rev C"), Plan Type (multi-select), and File (drag and drop or click to select).
Click Upload Plan at the bottom of the panel.
The panel closes. A new row appears with Upload Status at Processing 0%, climbing as Autodesk prepares the file. Status flips to Ready for Viewing when done.
Note: You can navigate away while it processes — the status updates in the background.
Watch out: The action button is labelled Upload Plan, not Save. Close the panel before clicking it and nothing is uploaded.
Worked example: Brennan Street architectural set
The builder just got the Rev C architectural drawings back from the architect for the Brennan Street Kitchen & Bathroom Renovation. 14-page PDF covering floor plans, elevations, and sections.
Open the Brennan Street estimate, click Upload Plans, click New Plan.
Title: Architectural Set — Rev C. Plan Type: Architectural. File: brennan-st-rev-c.pdf (14 pages, 8.4 MB).
Click Upload Plan.
Status climbs over 45 seconds. Hits Ready for Viewing.
Click Access Plans. The viewer opens with all 14 sheets listed in the left panel.
Step-by-step: using uploaded plans in the estimating workflow
Upload the plan and wait for Ready for Viewing.
Click Access Plans, or click Plans & Takeoffs in the estimate sub-nav.
Select the sheet from the left panel.
Calibrate the scale using the Calibration tool — pick a known dimension, draw along it, enter the real-world length.
Use the takeoff tools (Area, Length, Count) to measure quantities. Each measurement feeds into Costing Items as a linked quantity.
See the Plans & Takeoffs tutorial for the full measurement walkthrough.
Understanding Upload Status
Status | What it means | Can you open it in Plans & Takeoffs? |
Processing X% | File uploaded, Autodesk is preparing it. | Not yet — wait for Ready for Viewing. |
Ready for Viewing | Fully processed and usable. | Yes. |
Step-by-step: deleting a plan
Find the plan row.
Use the delete action on the row.
Confirm.
Warning: Deleting a plan removes any takeoffs drawn against it. If those takeoffs are linked to Costing Items line items, the quantities lose their source shape.
Tip: When a revised plan set comes through, upload as a new plan rather than deleting the old one. Title it with the revision (Rev C, Rev D). Keeps the history on older revisions intact.
Tips
Put the revision in the title. "Architectural Set — Rev C" beats "plans.pdf" three weeks later.
Tag every applicable plan type. Multi-select is there for a reason.
Upload the whole set as one PDF when you can. Splitting sheets into separate uploads makes calibration clumsier.
Upload early. Processing runs in the background.
Add Plan Types you need to Setup first. So every estimator tags plans the same way.
Troubleshooting
Symptom | Cause | Fix |
Status stuck on Processing. | Large file or slow Autodesk queue. | Refresh. If stuck past 10 minutes on a PDF, reach out via chat. |
Plan Type not in dropdown. | Not added to Setup. | Setup > Lists > Plan Types, add the option. |
Access Plans opens empty viewer. | No plans at Ready for Viewing yet. | Wait until at least one plan is ready. |
File didn't upload — no new row. | Panel closed before Upload Plan was clicked, or wrong file type. | Re-open New Plan, confirm PDF/RVT/IFC, click Upload Plan. |
Uploaded the wrong revision. | Wrong file dropped. | Upload the correct revision as a new plan. Decide whether to delete the old one. |
Related articles
Plans & Takeoffs — calibrate scale and measure quantities against the plans you've uploaded.
Estimates — create the estimate that plans are uploaded into.
Setup — Lists — add or edit Plan Types.
Still stuck?
Reach out through the chat bubble in the bottom right of Core Estimator and we'll give you a hand.