Measure Area from Plans

Measuring Areas

Once your scale is set and your drawing tools are ready, you can begin measuring areas on the plan, organise them into sections, count elements, and add annotations. Everything you measure is tracked live in the Takeoff panel on the left side of the canvas.

How Measurements Are Organized

All measurements in IntoAEC are grouped into sections inside the Takeoff panel. Sections let you organize your work by floor, trade, zone, or any category that suits your project.

• Every plan starts with a default section called Uncategorized
• The Uncategorized section cannot be renamed or deleted
• All newly drawn shapes go into Uncategorized unless you move them
• You can create as many additional sections as you need
• Each section shows the name of every measurement item inside it, along with its individual result and a running total for the section

Measuring an Area Manually

To measure an area on the plan, use any of the area drawing tools — rectangle, polygon, or circle. The steps below use the rectangle as an example, but the same logic applies to all shape types.

1. Select the Rectangle (or Polygon / Circle) tool from the toolbar.
2. Click and drag over the area you want to measure on the planand double click it to complete the shape. A blue highlight fills the shape as you draw.
   
   
3. The area is calculated instantly and a live tooltip appears on the canvas showing the result — for example, Area: 23.99 m².
4. The measured item is added to the Uncategorized section in the left Takeoff panel, showing a system-generated name and the calculated area below it.
5. To rename the item, double-click the name in the Takeoff panel and type your preferred label — for example, Bedroom, Kitchen, or Living Room. Press Enter to confirm.

The Takeoff panel updates the total for the section automatically every time a new measurement is added or edited.

Editing a Measurement's Dimensions

If you need to adjust the dimensions of a shape after drawing it — for example, to correct a height, width, or depth value — you can edit them directly without redrawing.

1. Click the ruler icon next to the measurement item in the Takeoff panel, or click the three-dot menu (⋯) and select Edit Dimensions.
2. The Edit Dimensions dialog opens with two fields:
   • Height / Width — the primary dimension of the shape
   • Depth (thickness) — an optional secondary dimension, for example slab thickness for a concrete area
     
     
3. Edit the value you want to change. Only one dimension can be edited at a time for area shapes.
4. Click Save. The system recalculates the area and updates the total in the Takeoff panel automatically.

Creating and Managing Sections

Sections keep your Takeoff panel organised, especially on large plans with many measurements. You can create a new section at any time.

Creating a new section

1. Click the Create Section button in the top-right of the toolbar.
2. The Create Section dialog opens. Type a name for the section in the Section Name field — for example, Roofing, Ground Floor, or Electrical.
3. Click Create. The new section appears in the Takeoff panel above Uncategorized.
   
   
   

What you can do with sections

• Expand or collapse a section by clicking the arrow next to its name — useful when working with many items
• Rename a section by clicking the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the section name and selecting Rename
• View the total for all items in a section — shown at the bottom of each expanded section

Moving Measurements Between Sections

Once you have created a section, you can move any measurement item into it. This is how you reassign items from Uncategorized into a more meaningful grouping.

1. In the Takeoff panel, find the measurement item you want to move.
2. Click the layers icon (the move/reassign icon) next to the item, or click the three-dot menu (⋯) and select Move Item.
3. Select the destination section from the list.
4. The item moves immediately and the totals for both sections update automatically.

Note: You can only move measurements between sections if the unit types match — for example, an area measurement in m² can only be moved to another section that contains area measurements.

Changing a Measurement's Colour

Each shape on the canvas can be given a distinct colour so you can visually distinguish rooms, trades, or zones at a glance.

1. Click the ruler icon or the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the measurement item in the Takeoff panel.
2. Select Change Color.
3. Pick a colour from the palette. The shape on the canvas updates immediately to the new colour.

Adding a Count

Use the Add Count tool to count individual elements on the plan — such as doors, windows, columns, light fittings, or any repeating component. Each click places a marker on the plan and adds one to the count.

1. Click the Add Count tool in the toolbar.
2. You will be prompted to select an existing section or create a new group for the count.
3. Click on the plan at the location of each element you want to count. Every click adds +1 to the count.
   
   
4. The count appears in the selected section as Nos (number of items) and updates live as you click.
5. When finished, switch back to the Select and Move tool to stop adding counts.

Adding Annotations

Annotations let you attach written notes directly onto the plan canvas. They are purely visual — they do not affect any measurement or calculation.

1. Click the Add Annotation tool in the toolbar. The annotation icon in the toolbar highlights to show it is active.
2. Click anywhere on the plan where you want to place the note. A yellow "Enter text" box appears at that location on the canvas.
3. Type your comment or note in the text field.
4. An arrow marker is placed at the spot you clicked. You can drag the arrow to reposition it if needed after placing it.
5. The annotation stays on the canvas as a visual reference. It is visible to anyone viewing the plan inside IntoAEC but does not appear in measurement totals or material breakdowns.
   
   

Useful ways to use annotations:

• Flag areas that still need measuring
• Mark scope boundaries or exclusions
• Leave queries for team members reviewing the plan
• Note site conditions or special instructions against a specific location

Tips

• Rename measurements as soon as you draw them — it is much harder to identify items later if they all have system-generated names.
• Create sections before you start drawing if you already know your trade or floor breakdown. This way you can move items into the right section as you go rather than reorganizing everything at the end.
• Use colour coding alongside sections — for example, all Roofing shapes in red and all Flooring shapes in blue — so the canvas gives you an instant visual overview of what has been measured and what is still outstanding.