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Takeoff & Estimation
Uploading Plans

Uploading Plans

Learn how to upload construction documents for takeoff.

Supported File Types

BuildVision accepts various file formats for takeoff:

FormatExtensionBest For
PDF.pdfArchitectural plans, blueprints (recommended)
CAD.dwg, .dxfAutoCAD drawings (converted automatically)
Images.png, .jpg, .tiffScanned plans, photos

PDF is recommended - it preserves vector data from CAD software, which means more accurate measurements and better AI detection.

How to Upload

Drag and Drop

  1. Open your project
  2. Go to Documents or the Takeoff workspace
  3. Drag files from your computer onto the browser window
  4. Wait for upload to complete

Click to Upload

  1. Click the Upload button
  2. Select files from your computer
  3. Click Open to start upload

Email Upload

Each project has a unique email address for receiving documents:

  1. Go to your project Settings
  2. Find the Project Email address
  3. Send plans as attachments to that email
  4. Documents appear in your project automatically

Multi-Page PDFs

When you upload a multi-page PDF:

  • Each page is automatically separated into individual sheets
  • Pages are named like "Floor Plan - Page 1", "Floor Plan - Page 2"
  • You can rename sheets for better organization
  • Each page can be measured independently

Best Practices

For Best AI Results

  • Use original PDF files from the architect when possible
  • Avoid heavily compressed images
  • Ensure drawings are legible - if you can't read it, AI can't either
  • Higher resolution images produce better results (300+ DPI for scans)

Organizing Your Documents

After upload, organize files for easier navigation:

  1. Rename files - Click the name to edit (e.g., "A101 - Floor Plan")
  2. Set document type - Floor Plan, Elevation, Section, Detail, etc.
  3. Group by discipline - Architectural, Structural, MEP

File Size Limits

Plan TypeRecommended Max
Single page50 MB
Multi-page PDF200 MB total
Image files25 MB each
⚠️

Very large files may take longer to process. If you have issues, try splitting large PDFs into smaller sets.

Troubleshooting

Q: My PDF won't upload

  • Check file size (max 200 MB)
  • Ensure the file isn't corrupted
  • Try re-exporting from the source software

Q: AI detection is poor quality

  • The original file may be low resolution
  • Try getting the native CAD file from the architect
  • Use a higher quality scan if working with paper drawings

Q: Pages are in wrong order

  • Click and drag pages to reorder in the document list
  • Rename pages to include numbers (01, 02, 03...)

Next Steps

OverviewScale Calibration