Projects, drawings and your workspace
The three levels
Section titled “The three levels”| Level | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Project | A job | Marina Villas |
| Drawing Set | A revision or discipline within it | Landscape Rev C |
| Drawing | One sheet | Sheet L-102, Villa Type A |
Drawing sets are what make revisions manageable. Keep Rev B and Rev C as separate sets and you can compare them, rather than overwriting work when a revision arrives.
For a job with many sheets, group PDFs into folders within a set so the list stays navigable.
Adding drawings
Section titled “Adding drawings”Upload PDFs into a drawing set, or drag and drop them onto it. Several can be added at once.
The drawing opens in the editor once processing finishes. Large sheets take longest the first time and are quicker on later opens.
Set the scale on every sheet. Scale is stored per drawing, not per project, and sheets in one set are frequently at different scales, for example a site plan at 1:500 next to a detail at 1:20. Never assume a new sheet inherited anything.
Your workspace
Section titled “Your workspace”PixelTakeoff stores your projects in a workspace folder in the standard application data location for your operating system. The location is fixed, so there is nothing to choose or configure.
Finding it
Section titled “Finding it”Settings → Advanced → Data Location shows the Workspace path and lets you copy it to the clipboard.
You need that path for one reason above all others: backups.
Backing up
Section titled “Backing up”Treat the workspace folder the way you would treat any other job records. If your machine failed today, whatever is in that folder is what you would have.
Point your existing backup at that path. Whatever your business already uses for machine backups is the right answer here, and this folder simply needs to be included in it.
For a job that matters, keep a PTW export as well. A Standalone PTW with PDF included is a single self contained file holding both the takeoff and the drawing it was measured on, so it is a complete off machine copy of that job that does not depend on the workspace surviving.
Moving work between machines
Section titled “Moving work between machines”To another PixelTakeoff user, or your own second machine: export a Standalone PTW with PDF included. One file carries the live takeoff and the drawing. Open it in PixelTakeoff, including by double clicking it.
To someone without PixelTakeoff: export a TakeOff Sheet PDF, which is a flat record they can read but not edit.
See Summary, export and import.
Licensing
Section titled “Licensing”A license is tied to one machine. To move a seat, deactivate the old machine first from Settings → License & Activation → Deactivate this device, then activate on the new one. Contact support only if the old machine is lost or already gone, since you cannot deactivate from a computer you no longer have.
See Settings for the rest of that screen.
Housekeeping
Section titled “Housekeeping”Name projects the way your business refers to jobs, not by a code only you recognise. You will be searching these in a year.
Keep revisions as separate drawing sets rather than replacing sheets in place, so you keep the ability to show what changed.
Delete deliberately. Deleting a project or drawing set removes the takeoff inside it.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”Can two people work on the same job at once? Work lives in your own workspace, so share it by exporting a PTW rather than by both opening the same folder.
Does my drawing get uploaded anywhere? PixelTakeoff is local first, so your drawings live in your workspace folder rather than being uploaded to a project server.
Can I move my workspace somewhere else, such as a synced drive? No, the location is fixed. To keep off machine copies, either include the folder in your machine backup or export important jobs as PTW files.
I moved the workspace folder and my projects are gone. Move it back. The app looks in the standard location and does not follow the folder elsewhere. You can confirm the path it expects under Settings → Advanced → Data Location.
How big does a workspace get? It grows with the number and size of drawings. If space becomes a concern, archive completed jobs by copying them elsewhere and removing them from the workspace.