There are three tools available for drawing Area takeoff, the most common is the Polygon (complex shape) tool ( ). A complex shape does not need to be very complex - anything that is not a rectangle or an oval is "complex". To draw a complex area such as…

When you are drawing polygonal area takeoff, just like when drawing Continuous Mode linear takeoff, you can draw curved segments. When you are drawing a polygon area takeoff (previous article), to instruct the program that the next segment is to be a 'curve',…

As you are drawing a polygon, you may inadvertently draw an object that cannot be "closed" (completed). When this happens, the program does not accept the double-click action when you attempt to complete the object and the area takeoff object usually flashes…

Use the Rectangle tool ( ) to draw boxes (rectangles or squares) of Area takeoff quickly and easily. To draw a rectangular Area takeoff object, Click the button on the Area Takeoff Tools toolbar Click in any spot where you want to begin takeoff (this creates…

Use the Elliptical tool to takeoff circular and oval objects. To draw an Elliptical Area takeoff object, Select the Elliptical Area Takeoff tool . Click in the spot where you want to begin takeoff. For an elliptical takeoff object, the corners are where the…

Gridded Areas allow you to calculate building objects such as ceiling or floor tiles, bricks, wall panels, any surface that includes a repeating, rectangular pattern, and you want to account for the pattern (such as the number of tiles, bricks, etc.). Drawing…

After aligning your grid to the plan (previous article), the program can show you partial tiles - those tiles around the perimeter and around any Backouts or Attachments that are not full tiles. We cover Backouts and Attachments in the articles that follow…

When you draw Area takeoff, sometimes, there are regions or "sub-areas", within the boundaries of the takeoff object, that you do not want to include in the Results, at least not with the Takeoff Item you used for the main area. We call those Backouts and…

After you draw a backout (see Drawing Backouts (Deducting Some Area), the previous article), you can select a different Takeoff Item or even multiple Takeoff Items, and "auto-fill" the backout by double-clicking within the backout. Auto-fill with a Single…

You can set up an Area Takeoff Item to factor in slope. The program calculates all Results (surface area, perimeter, even volume) based on the Takeoff Item's Slope and the direction of the sloped takeoff. Set up your Takeoff Item to Factor in Slope To draw…