Explore the different measurement types used in architectural takeoffs, including poly length, area, perimeter, and diameter. Understand how to properly use these tools and their practical applications in different construction projects.
Key Insights
- The poly length tool is used for continuous linear takeoffs, allowing the addition of multiple points to trace complex, non-linear structures.
- The area tool is widely used for measuring elements like flooring finishes and ceilings by tracing the corners of the room or a specific area.
- The diameter tool is useful for measuring circular objects in a plan, providing the length from one arc of the circle to another.
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All right, so now that we have done our first linear takeoff, let's go ahead and try to test out all of our other measurement types here. We've done a length takeoff, now we can go ahead and run through the next few, so poly length, area, perimeter, diameter, and then just down through the rest of this list. So let's go into our next sheet here on plan A 2.1. Let's make sure that we have our scale set properly so we can see what the scale is, 3 16ths to 1 foot.
We can see that we do have that scale set over here on the plan. So let's just go ahead and do some tests here. We'll go into our tools drop down, we will go to measure, and we will hit poly length.
Now the poly length is going to be very much like the length, but instead of just being two points, we're going to be able to keep adding additional points and creating a continuous linear takeoff here. So I'm going to start with this wall, and I'm going to go over to the next corner. I can also turn down and keep going along the whole outside perimeter of this wall.
So let's make a few clicks and just trace the wall here. When we're done, hit ENTER. When we hit ENTER, we can see that our poly line has a couple of different points, and it is able to kind of be flexible and trace the wall.
So that's the poly line. It's really just a continuous click after click as you are tracing the line that you want to take off, and it is very flexible, and it can be used for a lot of different applications. But that is going to be our test for poly line.
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Let's go ahead and delete that. So next up in the measurements list, we have the area tool. The area tool is going to be used for things like flooring finishes and ceilings and a lot of other items.
So to test out the area, let's go into the guest room, and let's go up into the closet area in the top of the guest room. To do an area takeoff, all we're going to do is trace the four corners, or however many corners there are, of a certain room. We're going to start in this corner.
We're going to drag the mouse over to the next one, drag it down, drag it back over, and then drag it up. And as soon as we complete the circle or the measurement, the rectangle or square that we're trying to create, the takeoff will automatically populate, and that will be our area takeoff. So just clicks in all of the corners of what we're trying to take off, and that is going to be the area.
We can go in and delete this takeoff now, and go to the next one. After area, we have perimeter. Perimeter is going to be really similar to a polylength, in that we can just trace the perimeter of an area here.
So inside of the office, let's go ahead and do a perimeter takeoff around the inside perimeter here. We'll just follow all of the walls, follow my exterior walls, and same as the polylength, we're just going to keep clicking at every new corner or end point. And once we're done, we hit ENTER, and that takeoff pops up.
And very similar to the polylength, but the polylength does not have to be used on just a perimeter item. It could be used for walls or anything else. So that is going to be our perimeter takeoff.
So next up on our takeoff list, we have the diameter tool. We'll go into measurements, and we will choose diameter. Let's find an item that we can do the diameter of.
For example, let's just test it out on this toilet here. So to do the diameter, you would just click on one of the outside arcs of the circle, and then you would just drag the diameter tool to the other arc of the circle. What that will do is that will automatically count up for you the length of the diameter of that circle.
So you can see here that I've gone around this toilet seat. It's not a circle, but if you go from arc to arc, it will give you that diameter right there. And that is just a helpful tool for any kind of circular objects that we have on the plan that we need to take off.
So that is going to be our diameter tool.
