Using FastBid to Measure and Take-off Drawings

Step 1: Open a drawing in FastBid

Step 2: Check the drawing size

Step 3: Find the Drawing's scale (Zoom, Pan, or Magnify)

Step 4: Open the "Measure take-off tool" (on Toolbar)

Step 5: "Set Scale" for Measuring

Step 6: Select "Measure Function" (area, line, count... )

More information: Selecting "Measure Function"

Select the type of measurement you wish to take-off:

Area	Measures an area on the drawing of any size and shape. You start by selecting one point, then work your way around the selected area, one point at a time. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. The selected area fills in to show you what is being measured. The completed area is recorded in the Dialog Box when you return to the start point or when you select "Finish" in the Dialog Box. You may take-off curved areas by using the "Trace Curve" Button.
Rectangle	Measures a rectangular area. You start with one corner of the rectanglular area and drag the box to the opposite corner. A rubber band box is attached to the curser as you move. When you release the mouse button, the area is recorded in the Dialog Box.
Continuous Length	Measures a connected sequence of lengths on the drawing. You start by selecting one point, then work your way along the path, one point at a time. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. At the end of the sequence, you may double-click the mouse button or select "Finish" in the Dialog Box to record the total length of the line. You may take-off a curved line by using the "Trace Curve" Button.
Interrupted Length	Measures a non-connectd sequence of lengths on the drawing. You must select the start and end point of each line. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. The length of all lines and the number of segments (pieces) are totaled and recorded in the Dialog Box after each segment is completed.
Item Count	Counts items in the drawings. For each Left mouse click, an item is counted. A symbol is placed on the drawing for each count to show the items that have been selected. The count is totaled and recorded in the Dialog Box after each mouse click.

Step 7: Use mouse to measure drawing (use "Ctrl" for Zoom)

More information:
How to Measure the Drawing

Whenever the "Measure Takeoff" Dialog Box is displayed, your mouse curser will display as a cross-hairs. A Left mouse click will initiate a measurement.

For each mouse click, a Magnifier window will appear at the point...hold the mouse button down while you precisely position the cross-hairs. When you release the mouse button, a rubber band line will be attached to the point...you may move to the next measuring point.

If you need to Zoom during a measurement, hold down the "Ctrl" key...this will suspend the measurement and allow your Left mouse button to perform its normal Zoom functions. When you release the "Ctrl" key, the measurement will resume. The Right mouse button's Pan and Zoom functions are not changed during measurement.

See the table and images below for details about each type of measurement.

Area	Measures an area on the drawing of any size and shape. You start by selecting one point, then work your way around the selected area, one point at a time. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. The selected area fills in to show you what is being measured. The completed area is recorded in the Dialog Box when you return to the start point or when you select "Finish" in the Dialog Box. You may take-off curved areas by using the "Trace Curve" Button.
Rectangle	Measures a rectangular area. You start with one corner of the rectanglular area and drag the box to the opposite corner. A rubber band box is attached to the curser as you move. When you release the mouse button, the area is recorded in the Dialog Box.
Continuous Length	Measures a connected sequence of lengths. You start by selecting one point, then work your way along the path, one point at a time. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. At the end of the sequence, you may double-click the mouse button or select "Finish" in the Dialog Box to record the total length of the line. You may take-off a curved line by using the "Trace Curve" Button.
Interrupted Length	Measures a non-connected sequence of lengths. You must select the start and end point of each line. A rubber band line is attached to the curser as you move. The length of all lines and the number of segments (pieces) are totaled and recorded in the Dialog Box after each segment is completed.
Item Count	Counts items in the drawing. For each Left mouse click, an item is counted. A symbol is placed on the drawing for each count to show the items that have been selected. The count is totaled and recorded in the Dialog Box after each mouse click.

Examples of the different types of measurement takeoffs:

Step 8: Copy Measurements to computer's clipboard (cache)

Step 9: Paste measurements into estimating software (use "Ctrl-v")

Step 10: Customize the "Measure Takeoff tool" settings

More information:
Customizing "Measure Takeoff Tool" Settings

To change the optional settings for FastBid, select the "Set FastBid Options" button on the Toolbar.

Here are the options available in the "FastBid Options" Dialog Box:

Optimization Tuning (Internet Connection)	FastBid uses "progressive retrieval" to speed-up your viewing of drawings and specifications. FastBid first retrieves the part of the image you need to fit in your current Zoom window...then, while you are viewing the Zoomed window, the remainder of the document image is retrieved in the background. Faster viewing occurs when FastBid is "tuned" to match the speed of your Internet connection: If you have a high speed connection, select "I have a faster connection"...otherwise, select "I have a slower connection". If you don't know what your connection speed is, then try both options to find which works best. Note: if you select "I don't want progressive retrieval", the entire image must be downloaded before it will display. This option is slower and is not recommended.
Auto-Shrink (Measure Dialog Box)	When checked, the Measure Dialog Box will shrink to a smaller box and allow more room in the drawing display. As soon as the mouse pointer "hovers" over the Dialog Box, it returns to full size. If left unchecked, the Measure Dialog Box remains full sized. Notice that the Measure Dialog Box can be dragged to any convenient location on your monitor screen (regardless if Auto-shrink is checked or left unchecked).
Measure Line Color	The color of a measuring line displayed during a take-off is a matter of personal preference. Click the "Measure Line Color" button to bring up the color selection Dialog Box and select an appropriate color.
Scroll Bars	This selection turns On or Off the Scroll Bars located at the side and bottom of the drawing display. When On, they provide one method to "Pan" the display. Turn the Scroll Bars Off if you need more space for the drawing display. Note: the fastest method to "Pan" the display is to hold down the Right mouse button and drag the display.
Magnifier Size	Choice of "Magnifier Size" is a matter of personal preference. The "Magnifier" window automatically appears each time that a measuring point is selected (with a Left mouse click). Try each option to see what works best.
Scale to Gray	Scale to Gray sets the amount of contrast in the drawing display. The standard setting is Medium...this works for almost all images. If the image has a dark background, try High to see if this improves readability. For images that have light linework, gray tones or photos, try Low.

Select Drawing Scale	Using the scale shown on the drawings, click on the appropriate "radio button".
Enter a Scale	At the bottom of the Dialog Box, there are two lines where you can directly enter an appropriate scale. Use these for drawings that have non-standard scales.
Pick Distance	Use "Pick Distance" whenever you have known dimensions in a drawing that you can use as a reference. This is the most reliable method because it avoids problems associated with drawings that are not to scale or that have been posted at something other than the original Full Size. (See the image below)