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 the one shown below:
- Click the button
- Click the first point (vertex) to anchor the takeoff object
- Click each point (vertex) or corner
- Proceed until you reach the last point
- When you get to that last point double-click
Do not draw the last segment and try to double-click on the starting point (anchor) because you may create an "uncloseable area" (see Related Articles). When you double-click on the last point the program completes the last segment for you automatically connecting it to the first (anchor) point.
Once drawn each clicked point becomes a move handle if it can be moved of course. There are some program rules that prevent moving a vertex specifically if grab the move handle in the middle of a segment you may not be able to move the segment if the program cannot correctly move connected segments.
If you try to complete (or close) an area takeoff and nothing seems to happen when you double-click or the object turns yellow with a bold red outline that means you inadvertently created an "uncloseable" object.
You need to back out the takeoff object by pressing the ESC key until you find the point where you crossed lines and try again. See Related Articles for more information on Uncloseable Areas.
Before drawing any takeoff you must set and verify Scale; see Related Articles
Related Articles