Quick Start

Start your Active Takeoff software from the Start menu or with the icon located on your desktop or in the taskbar

Create a measuring project :

In the Welcome Popup, click on the "Create a New Project" button. Type in a project name in the "Project name" field then click on the "OK" button. This field is required and will give the project a file name. The software will redirect you to the Plans tab.

Importing plans :

In this tab, you can directly import PDF format or pixelized image format plans.  Select and click on the appropriate button to import plans according to their format. Make sure the plan files are actually saved on your computer. If they are attached in an email, you must first extract them or save them before opening the files. Also, check if the files are not protected by a password.

In the "Import PDF Files" or the "Import Image Files" popup dialogs, select one or many files to import and click on the "Open". The result of your import will show in the Plans tab.

Load a plan for editing :

Double-click on a plan in the "Plans" tab to display it in the "Home" tab to start measuring. If necessary, Active Takeoff will detect if the rotation of the plan is needed. In this case, flip and/or rotate the plan until readable. Click on the "Apply Changes" button to confirm the changes.

Calibrate the scale :

Before you start measuring, it is likeable to calibrate the scale of the plan. A popup window will alert you if no scale has been calibrated for the plan. Click the "Scale" button in the ribbon at the top of the interface to open the "Scale Adjustment" window. The scale can be calibrated in three (3) ways : In imperial (US) format, metric format or by manual adjustment. First select the system in which you want to set the scale in the "System" dropdown menu and then select the desired proportion. For a manual adjustment, click the "Manual adjustment" and follow the instructions in the next window.

Important Note : Some plans may have lost their scale integrity before being opened in Active Takeoff. It is mandatory to confirm the scale integrity before measuring a plan. Failure to validate the scale integrity may result in invalid and inaccurate results.

Measuring a plan :

Use the appropriate tools to measure the required items on the plan.

Area : For all items requiring results in square units (floors, sidings, lawns etc.)

Perimeter et Length : For all items requiring results in linear units (walls, fences, trims, etc.)

The Perimeter tool generates continuous segments by clicking on the ends of the segments to be measured; once all segments are measured, right-click the mouse on the end of the last segment to release the tool and end the measurement.

The Length tool generates individual segments. Left-click from the start of a segment then left-click again at the end of the segment.

Counter : For all items requiring results in simple units.

A name can be assigned to each group generated by the measuring tools. Many groups of similar or different nature can be created on one or many pages of the same plan. This way, many occurrences of the same group can be automatically added from many pages while keeping the same group name.