Customizing the properties of your classifications is key to creating clear, organized, and professional-looking markup. These properties can usually be set before you start a takeoff (by editing the classification) or after (by selecting an existing takeoff and editing its properties).
Classification properties are typically managed in the Quantities Panel.
Common Customizable Properties
Color:
Line Color: The color of the line for a linear takeoff.
Fill Color: The color of an area takeoff.
Symbol Color: The color of the symbol used for a count takeoff.
Why it’s important: Color-coding your takeoffs by trade or material type (e.g., all concrete is gray, all drywall is yellow) makes the drawing instantly readable.
Fill Pattern:
For area takeoffs, by default, it uses a semi-transparent fill so you can still see the drawing underneath. In addition, you can customize the polygons by applying a fill pattern (e.g., cross-hatch, diagonal lines, dots). This is useful for differentiating between materials that might share a similar color.
Symbol Type:
For count takeoffs, you can choose from a library of symbols (e.g., circle, square, triangle, star, etc.) to represent different fixtures or items.
Setting Defaults
You can set the default opacity and line width in Settings under the Control Menu. These properties will be applied on all the area, linear, or count classifications.
Customizing these properties not only aids your own workflow but also makes your exported PDFs much clearer for colleagues, clients, and other stakeholders.