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Set the drawing scale

What this accomplishes

Section titled “What this accomplishes”

Sets the page scale so area and length measurements convert to real-world units.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • A page open in Takeoff
  • Edit access (scale controls are disabled in view-only mode and on aerial pages)

Check whether scale is set

Section titled “Check whether scale is set”

In the takeoff navbar, open the scale control. If no scale is configured, the UI shows No scale (highlighted as needing attention).

Option A — Auto-Scale

Section titled “Option A — Auto-Scale”
  1. Open the scale menu.
  2. Under Auto-Scale, review AI-detected scale candidates when available.
  3. Select the correct candidate.

Toast on success: Auto scale complete.

Option B — Preset scale

Section titled “Option B — Preset scale”
  1. Open the scale menu → Scale.
  2. Choose a preset:
    • Imperial examples: 3/64" = 1', 1/8" = 1', 1" = 20'
    • Metric examples: 1 : 50, 1 : 100
  3. Confirm the selection.

Imperial vs metric presets follow your Use Metric System preference in Takeoff Settings.

Option C — Draw a scale line

Section titled “Option C — Draw a scale line”
  1. Open the scale menu and select Draw, or use the Draw Scale keybind.
  2. Click the start point on a known dimension, then click the end point.
  3. Enter the real-world length that line represents.
  4. Confirm.

Option D — Custom scale

Section titled “Option D — Custom scale”
  1. Open the scale menu.
  2. Choose Custom.
  3. Enter the scale values your drawing requires.
  4. Apply.

Option E — Copy from another page

Section titled “Option E — Copy from another page”
  1. Open the scale menu.
  2. Choose Copy from….
  3. Select a page that already has the correct scale.

Expected result

Section titled “Expected result”

The navbar shows the active scale instead of No scale. New length/area measurements use that scale.

Change an existing scale

Section titled “Change an existing scale”

Repeat any option above on the same page. Setting a new scale replaces the previous page scale. Auto-Scale does not overwrite a scale you already set unless you choose a new value yourself.

Cautions

Section titled “Cautions”
  • Always verify Auto-Scale against the printed scale bar or known dimensions.
  • Measurements drawn before a correct scale may need review after you fix the scale.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”
Issue What to try
Scale menu disabled You may be view-only, or the page is an aerial page.
Auto-Scale empty/failed Use Draw or a preset from the title block.
Quantities look wrong Re-check scale units (ft vs m) and Use Metric System.
Section titled “Related guides”