Linear takeoff
Linear takeoff measures length rather than area: edging, kerbs, fencing, pipe runs, retaining walls, irrigation lines.
Select Linear Region (L) to start. As with areas, set the name and colour
first, because together they form the group that carries your total.
Drawing modes
Section titled “Drawing modes”Linear Region has several modes, selected from the toolbar that appears when the tool is active. Each suits a different kind of line.
| Mode | Shortcut | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Polyline | 1 | Straight runs with corners. Click each corner in turn. |
| Dashed Trace | 2 | Following a line that is dashed or broken on the drawing. |
| Freehand Trace | 3 | Drawing the path yourself by dragging. |
| Ellipse | 4 | Circular and elliptical runs. |
| Dot Trace | 5 | Placing points along a route and letting PixelTakeoff follow the line between them. |
| Auto Boundary | 6 | Following the edge of an area automatically. |
| Auto Line | 7 | Following a drawn line automatically. |
Polyline is the one to learn first. It is predictable, works on any drawing, and is quickest for anything with straight segments.
The automatic modes (Dot Trace, Auto Boundary, Auto Line) are much faster on long curved runs, since they follow the drawing for you rather than asking you to click your way along it. They need the line to be clear enough to follow, so on a poor scan fall back to Polyline or Freehand Trace.
Curves and Smooth Curves
Section titled “Curves and Smooth Curves”Curved runs are common in landscape work: a curved bed edge, a winding path edge, a circular planter.
When Smooth Curves is on, a curved run is drawn and measured as a genuine curve. The line looks correct on screen, and the measured length follows the curve itself rather than cutting across it.
This matters for quantities. A straight line between two points on a curve is always shorter than the curve itself, and on a strongly curved run the difference is significant. Measuring along the curve is the correct behaviour and is what you are billed for when you install edging around a curve.
Leave Smooth Curves on unless you specifically want straight segments.
Length and derived areas
Section titled “Length and derived areas”A linear item often drives an area as well as a length, and that area may be what you actually price.
In Measurement Settings for a linear group, set H1: Depth and PixelTakeoff derives an area alongside the linear metres:
- L is the length of the run.
- A₁ is length multiplied by H1.
- A₂ is length multiplied by H2: Second Height, when you set one.
Two heights are useful when one run drives two quantities. A kerb might need its face area for one rate and a bedding area for another, both derived from the same measured length.
Worked example: a 45 m edging run with H1 of 300 mm gives A₁ of 13.5 m².
Editing a linear region
Section titled “Editing a linear region”Moving a point. Drag any point on the line to move it. The length updates as soon as you release.
Adding and removing points. Add a point on a segment to introduce a corner, or remove one to straighten.
Branches. A run can branch, which suits irrigation and drainage layouts. The group total includes the main line and every branch.
The Cut tool
Section titled “The Cut tool”Cut (C) removes a section from the middle of a linear run.
Draw a polygon over the part you want gone and confirm. Everything inside the polygon is removed and what remains stays as measured runs. If you cut through the middle, you are left with two separate runs whose lengths add up to the original minus what you removed.
Use it where a run is interrupted, for example edging that stops at a driveway crossing and resumes on the other side. Cutting is quicker and more accurate than deleting and retracing.
Checking your work
Section titled “Checking your work”Compare against the drawing. Zoom out and confirm your line follows the route you meant, with no stray segment shooting off from a misclick.
Sanity check the number. A boundary edging run around a villa plot reading 8 m or 8,000 m is telling you the scale is wrong.
Watch for double runs. If a trace was restarted partway, you can end up with two overlapping runs and a doubled total. The layer panel shows one row per run, so a group with more rows than you expect is worth opening.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”Should the length follow the curve or the straight line between points? The curve. That is what gets installed and what you pay for, and it is what PixelTakeoff measures when Smooth Curves is on.
My curved run looks slightly short. Confirm Smooth Curves is on. With it off, the run is measured as straight segments between points, which is shorter than the true curve.
Can I convert a linear run into an area? Not directly, but setting H1: Depth gives you A₁, which is the derived area of that run and is usually what you wanted.
Why does my linear group show both a length and an area? Because H1 is set. L is the run length and A₁ is that length multiplied by H1. Both come from the same measurement.