This guide walks you through creating your first takeoff in On-Screen Takeoff® from start to finish.
You’re not going to learn everything here; you’re going to complete your first takeoff so you can see how it works and trust the results.
By the end, you will:
- Create a project
- Add a plan
- Scale your plan
- Perform a basic takeoff
- View your results
Before You Begin
Make sure On-Screen Takeoff is installed and you can log in.
See Downloading and Installing On-Screen Takeoff and Logging into On-Screen Takeoff for detailed instructions
Step 1: Create a New Project
- Open On-Screen Takeoff
- Go to the Projects tab
- Click New > Project
- Enter a project name and basic details
- Continue to Step 2
✔️ Your Project is started, next, you’ll add a plan/drawing
Need Help? Creating a Project
Step 2: Add Your Plan (Drawing)
- In the Plan Organizer at the bottom, click the Add Plan button
- Locate and Select your PDF or other plan file
- Click OK and then OK again
✔️ You should now see your drawing on screen on the Takeoff Tab
Need Help? Filling out the Cover Sheet - Step 2: Adding Plans
Step 3: Set the Page Scale
- Locate a wall or other line on the drawing that has a dimension label
- Click Edit > Calculate Scale
- Click two points on the drawing with a known distance
- Enter the correct measurement (for example, 10 ft)
- Confirm the scale
If the scale is wrong, every measurement you create will be wrong. This is the most important step.
✔️ You should now see a scale applied to the page
Need Help? Calculating Page Scale and Verifying Scale
Step 4: Perform Your First Takeoff
- Create a Linear Condition
- Next, select the Condition from the list
- Click and drag on the drawing to define the measurement
- Release the mouse button to finish
✔️ You should now see a measurement on the plan and a result (LF, most likely) in the Conditions list
Need Help? Creating Linear Conditions and Drawing Linear Takeoff for detailed instructions.
Step 5: View Your Results
- Go to the Estimate tab
- Confirm your measurement appears in the list
✔️ Your takeoff is now captured as quantities you can use in an estimate
You’ve completed your first takeoff and generated measurable results in less than 5 minutes.
Next Steps
Now that you’ve completed your first takeoff, you can:
- Want faster results? Use Takeoff Boost (if available on your account)
- Create Area and Count takeoffs
- Price your Estimate
Related Articles
- Getting Started with On-Screen Takeoff (Full Guide)
- Comprehensive overview of all features and workflows