Markups: Annotations, Measurements, Snapshots and Callouts

User Personas: Project Management

The Markups, Measurements, and Snapshots tools allow project teams to visually communicate changes, questions, and field conditions directly on drawing sheets. Users can annotate drawings, verify dimensions, capture snapshots for use in other documentation such as RFIs, and link key areas of a sheet to other sheets within the sheet set. 

These tools help ensure clear communication between office and field teams by keeping markups, measurements, and references connected to the source drawings.

To perform the actions described in this article, a user must be assigned a license for the Drawings tool and have the Drawings - General Permissions permissions.

Use the links below to quickly jump to a topic:

• Previewing Sheets
• Annotations
  • Using the Markup Toolbar 
  • Applying a Markup to the Sheet 
  • Change the Styling of a Markup 
  • Move, Rotate, or Resize a Markup 
  • Undo or Redo a Markup 
  • Delete a Markup 
• Measurements
  • Set a Measurement Scale
  • Add a Measurement to the Sheet 
• Snapshots
  • View and Manage Snapshots
  • Create a Snapshot
  • Link a New Snapshot to an RFI
  • Download and Delete a Snapshot
• Callouts

Previewing Sheets

1. Select Projects from the global navigation menu, then choose the desired project
2. From the slide-out menu, Select Sheets under Drawings
3. Use the search bar ,sort and filter to refine the list.
4. Select a sheet to open, view and manage

The Sheet View provides a detailed, interactive space for reviewing drawings, navigating callouts, viewing sheet versions, and accessing sheet details and data. The space is divided into the main areas:

• Callouts Panel
• Sheet Viewer
• View Controls
• Details Panel
• View Toggles

These components allow users to easily navigate, analyze, review markups, and quickly access relevant information.

Callouts Panel

Displays all callouts auto-detected or manually created on the sheet

• Select the Launch icon to navigate to the callout-referenced sheet. Sheet will open in sheet view mode
• Clicking the View icon will navigate and auto-zoom to the callout in the current sheet.

Sheet Viewer

A high-resolution image of the sheet showing all drawing content, markups applies, and any callout links. 

View Controls

Located along the top of the viewer, viewer controls will allow you to:

• Adjust zoom level (percentage dropdown)
• Zoom in ⊕ or zoom out ⊖
• Pan across the sheet 

Details Panel

• Sheet Name and Sheet Number
  Identifies key sheet information such as Sheet Number, Sheet Name, and Issue Date
• Set
  Identifies name of drawing set containing the active sheet (e.g. Set 2)
• Discipline
  The discipline associated with the sheet (e.g. Architectural, Structural, etc.) The available disciplines can be configured by an admin under Company Settings
• Tags
  User-created labels that can be applied to sheets at any time. Multiple tags can be added to help filter and organize drawing sets.
• Version
  Denotes the iteration of the current sheet. Versions of the same sheet are identified by the sheets on a project that share the same sheet number. The Sheet Viewer will always display the latest version of a sheet uploaded to a set.
• Linked Documents
  Displays a list of RFIs that are linked to the sheet via snapshots.

View Toggles

Toggles the sheet viewer with the desired information:

• Hide/Show Sheet markups
• Hide/Show Sheet callouts
  • Embedded callouts are shown/hidden, this pertains to clickable areas defined in the source PDF (e.g. links to external BIM systems)
• Hide/Show sheet linked callout areas  
  • Identified callouts are shown/hidden, this pertains to callouts identified during the drawings upload process or manually added.

Annotations

Team members can use a range of simple markup tools to add annotations that draw attention to specific areas of a drawing. The markup toolbar includes clouds, shapes, arrows, lines, text, and other tools to support clear communication.

Using the Markup Toolbar

The markup toolbar is available while editing a sheet. After you select Edit, the View, Annotate, Shapes, and Measure options appears on the top of your sheet. By selecting selecting one of these options, additional tools will appear. Once a markup tool is selected, style preset options appear on the toolbar and can be used for the markup if desired. 

Layout of the Markup Toolbar

Applying a Markup to the Sheet

Each of the markup options is different, but the general method for most markups is to first select the markup option on the toolbar, then hold and drag your cursor along the image to apply the markup to the desired area on the sheet.

From Sheets:

1. Select a sheet to view it, then select Edit
2. Select one of the markup options on the toolbar to reveal the markup tools
   • Select from annotations, shapes, and measurements
3. Apply markups as desired then select Save

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard while drawing a shape to constrain a 1:1 proportion or while drawing lines to easily snap the line to a 180° or 45° angle.

Change the Styling of a Markup 

Before you have applied the markup to the sheet: 

After selecting a markup option on the toolbar, you can choose one of the preset style options for the markup. The preset style options can be customized by selecting the arrow icon on the style to reveal a menu of style options. The selected style will be applied to your next markup.

How to configure the preset style options

Change the style of an existing markup: 

Select the markup with your cursor then select Style (palette icon) on the floating menu to reveal style options. The selected style will be applied to your markup.

How to change the style options for an existing markup

Move, Rotate, or Resize a Markup 

To move a markup: While the markup is selected, hover your cursor over the markup until your cursor switches to the move icon. Hold and drag your cursor to move the markup to the desired location.

To rotate a markup: While the markup is selected, a rotate icon will appear adjacent to the markup. Hover your cursor over the rotate icon, then hold and drag your cursor to rotate the markup as desired.

To resize a markup shape: While the markup is selected, adjustment points will appear on or around the shape. Hover your cursor over one of the adjustment points (some shapes require that you wait until your cursor switches to the resize icon before adjusting) then hold and drag your cursor to resize the markup as desired.

To resize a freehand text markup: Select the markup with your cursor then select Style (palette icon) on the floating menu to reveal style options. Select the desired font size that you wish to apply to the text.

Move	Rotate	Resize	Adjustment points on a shape

Undo or Redo a Markup

Use the Undo and Redo options in the toolbar to undo or redo markup actions respectively. Markups can only be undone or redone in the same edit session.

Delete a Markup 

Delete a single markup: 
Select the markup with your cursor then select Delete on the floating menu to delete the markup.

Delete multiple markups: 
You can use the Eraser tool to delete multiple markups by selecting it and then holding and dragging your cursor over any markups that you wish to delete. Alternatively, you can use the Select tool to select one or more markups and then hit Delete on your keyboard.

How to delete the selected markup

Select multiple markups by holding the Control (Ctrl) key (or Command ⌘ on Mac) on your keyboard while selecting each markup.

Measurements

The measurement tools allow you to verify distances, widths, and dimensions directly on your sheets. Use measurements to confirm field layouts, compare planned versus actual conditions, or communicate changes to your team.

Set a Measurement Scale

A scale must be created before measurements can be added to a sheet. Multiple scales can be created.

Setting a Manual Scale: 

While editing a sheet:

1. Select Measure on the toolbar then select Add New Scale from the floating scale menu
2. Select either Custom or Preset then select your desired scaling options for the sheet
3. Select Create when finished

How to input a scale

Calibrate a Scale Based on a Known Distance:

While editing a sheet:

1. Select Measure on the toolbar then select Add New Scale from the floating scale menu
2. Select Calibrate then use your cursor to select two points of a known distance on the sheet
3. Enter the distance in the dialogue box then select Apply
4. Select Create when finished

How to calibrate a scale

Add a Measurement to the Sheet 

While editing a sheet:

1. Select Measure on the toolbar then choose a measurement tool and select the desired scale
2. Apply the markup to the sheet then select Save when finished

Use the Enable snapping for measurement tools setting (available in the style preset options menu) for easier and cleaner measurement markups.

Snapshots

The Snapshots tool lets you select and capture a portion of a drawing, including any applied markups, and save it as an image for easy sharing. Snapshots can also be used to start related project documents, such as RFIs, helping streamline your team’s documentation process.

1. Select Projects on the global navigation menu, then select the desired project from the list
2. Select Snapshots under Drawings from the slide out menu
3. Use the sort and filter icons on the log to refine the list
4. Select a Snapshot to view it
   • Select the ︙ (3-dot/ellipsis) for the snapshot for additional options such as Delete and Download

Snapshot Preview: Displays a preview of the snapshot image, the autogenerated Snapshot file name, and the date the snapshot was taken.

Sheet Info: The originating sheet name and number. Select the hyperlink to open a preview of the originating sheet.

View and Manage a Snapshots

From the Sheets Log:

1. Select a sheet to view it, then select Snapshot
2. Use the buttons on the toolbar to zoom ⊕ ⊖ and pan on the sheet until the desired area is captured in the preview
   • During this step, you can choose whether to save the new snapshot to Snapshots or attach the new snapshot to an RFI
3. Select Done when finished

Create a Snapshot

Snapshots are cropped and flattened images of a section of a sheet. To create a snapshot of a sheet, start from the Sheets View. Once the snapshot is created, the system auto-generates its name based on the originating sheet name and it is saved under Snapshots on the project menu under Drawings.

Add annotations and any other markups to your sheet prior to taking a snapshot. All annotations, markups and measurements will appear in the snapshot. This is particularly beneficial when tying a snapshot to an RFI or for quick reference of a particular detail, etc.

How to Create a Snapshot

Link a New Snapshot to an RFI

A new snapshot can be attached to a new or existing RFI during snapshot creation.

While creating a snapshot:

Create a New RFI:

1. Select Save and create new RFI
2. Fill in the fields then select Done

Add to an Existing RFI:

1. Select Save and attach to existing RFI
2. Select Existing RFI and choose the desired RFI, then select Done

Download and Delete a Snapshot

From the Snapshot Log:

• Select the ︙ (3-dot/ellipsis) for the snapshot to Delete or Download

From the Snapshot Preview:

• Select the Download or Delete buttons.

Callouts

Currently being updated. Please check back at a later time.