This article covers the most common issues users encounter in the Takeoff Application and the steps to resolve them.
The Open Takeoff Button Is Not Visible
If you see a Ready Takeoff button instead of Open Takeoff, the Takeoff environment has not yet been initialized for this Bid.
Click Ready Takeoff to initialize the environment.
Once complete, the button will change to Open Takeoff.
Click Open Takeoff to enter the Takeoff Application.
Architectural Sheets Are Not Displaying Correctly
Sheet is blurry or not rendering — Ensure the file was uploaded as a high-resolution PDF or image. Very large files may take a moment to fully render after upload.
Sheet scale looks wrong — Verify that the scale has been set correctly for the sheet. Use the calibration tool if the sheet does not include a printed scale bar.
Pages are out of order — Use the sheet renaming feature to reorder or rename sheets so they appear in the correct sequence.
Products Are Not Appearing in the Budget
If products are placed on a sheet but are not showing up in the Budget View:
Check that the product was placed and not just selected. A product must be placed (clicked onto the sheet) to appear in the budget.
Verify the product is configured in your Product Library. Custom products created in Takeoff may need their costs defined before they appear in the cost summary.
Try forcing a calculation. In some cases, manually triggering a recalculation updates the budget totals. See What is forcing a calculation and why do it? for details.
Costs or Quantities Look Incorrect
Material costs are wrong — Check the Setup View to confirm material costs are set correctly for this bid. Costs in Takeoff can be adjusted per-bid and may differ from your library defaults.
Labor rates look off — Verify labor rates in the Setup View. Rates applied here override the library defaults for this bid only.
Quantities are not calculating — Force a calculation to refresh the totals. If quantities are still incorrect, check whether the scale is set correctly on the relevant sheet.
Snap Points Are Interfering with Placement
If products are snapping to unintended positions when placing them on a sheet, snap points may be enabled.
Navigate to the snap settings and toggle snap points off. See How do I turn on/off Snap Points? for step-by-step instructions.
Changes Made in One Bid Are Appearing in Another
Each Bid has its own independent Takeoff. If you are seeing unexpected data in a Bid, confirm you have the correct Bid open. Check the Bid name in the header of the Takeoff Application to verify you are in the right Takeoff environment.
The Takeoff Looks Different Than Expected After Cloning
When you clone a Bid, the Takeoff data from the original is copied into the new Bid. Any changes made to the cloned Bid's Takeoff are independent and will not affect the original. If the clone does not reflect the latest version of the original, check whether the original Bid was modified after the clone was created.
Related Articles
What is the Takeoff Application?
What is forcing a calculation and why do it?
How do I turn on/off Snap Points?
How do I calibrate an architectural sheet?
How do I set scales on Architectural Sheets in Takeoff?
How do I clone a Bid?