What is the Drawings Tool Feature? #
The Drawings feature is designed to streamline the management of construction project drawings throughout the construction phase. By offering advanced tools for collaboration, revision tracking, and version comparison. Drawings will help teams avoid errors, stay aligned, and ensure the use of accurate and up-to-date plans.
- Instant Access to Latest Drawings: Ensure your team always references the most current finalized drawings, avoiding delays and costly miscommunication.
- Compare Feature: Save time and reduce errors by quickly identifying changes between drawing versions. Contractors and coordinators can visually demonstrate updates, ensuring clarity for all stakeholders.
- Revision Management: Maintain a centralized log of drawing revisions to prevent confusion and missed updates, ensuring all teams work from the correct version.
- Real-Time Collaboration: Enable seamless team collaboration with tools for markups, annotations, and sharing in real-time.
- Automated Title Block Extraction: Simplify the process of capturing key metadata from drawings, saving time and improving organization.
This module is your go-to solution for managing construction drawings efficiently, keeping your projects on track and aligned with project goals.
Navigation #
The Drawings tool can be accessed within a project via the left-side menu under Project Management > Drawings.
Drawings will be broken out into groups like the document manager, with the various drawing sets displayed on the left-hand side. Each Set will display a log of all committed drawings within the current set. On the left side, you will find the sets you have created to organize your drawings. You can sort the list by clicking on the column headers and filter the drawings by their revision.
Drawing Sets #
A drawing set is a collection of drawings that serve as a communication tool for a construction project. Sets may include many different types of drawings, such as floor plans, site plans, elevations, sections, and existing plans.
Creating New Sets #
Multiple sets can be housed within a single left side menu in the Drawings tool. Standard set breakouts will already be present based on your organizations template project. Users with appropriate permissions may follow the steps below to create spaces for additional drawing sets.
- Open the left side menu that you want to create the set under.
- Click the + button at the top of the set menu.
- Enter in your Set Name and assign Set Date.
- Click Save.
Adding New Drawings #
Step One: Upload #
New Drawings can be uploaded at the set level. Drawing sets can be uploaded as is and Projectmates will use AI to extract the key data and separate the sheets.
- Open the left side set menu that you want to upload to.
- Click on the blue Upload button in the upper right-hand corner.
- Ensure that you are uploading to the correct set and make edits if necessary.
- Drag and drop or search and upload your drawings.
Note: You can upload individual drawings or multiple drawings at once. Only ‘.PDF’ format will be accepted. - Click Save.
As the system processes the uploaded drawings, you will get a message letting you know that the system is working on it. Feel free to close that window and continue working elsewhere.
Step Two: Review and Commit #
Once uploaded, you will be taken to the Uncommitted Drawings. AI does the work, and you are presented with the Drawing Numbers, Titles, Disciplines and Drawing Dates.
You can review this information, make any needed changes, and move these drawings to the Draft Set by clicking Save and Commit.
Commit Without Review #
Once your drawings are ready and no further review is necessary, you can commit them without review. Follow the steps below to commit your drawings after they have been uploaded and processed:
- Navigate to Uncommitted Drawings.
- Select the drawings you are ready to commit by checking the box to the left of each drawing or at the top of the set list.
- Click the Commit Without Review icon.
Note: Some drawings may appear in red text. These drawings cannot be committed without review as they are missing a required field.
After committing the drawings, they will be moved into the appropriate set and will appear on the main log page.
Drawings In Process #
During the upload process, the system processes the drawing’s pages and uploads them individually. To track the progress of the upload, you can navigate to the Drawings in Process tool in Uncommitted Drawings.
When using the tool, a list of drawings currently in the process of being uploaded, along with their statuses, will be displayed. These statuses will indicate either “In Queue” or “Failed.”
Occasionally, you may encounter drawings that have failed during the upload process. These will appear with the status “In Queue, Likely Failed.” To address this, you can reprocess the failed drawings by selecting the item and clicking the Reprocess Likely Failed Drawings button.
Once reprocessed, the drawings will be in queue to be uploaded again. The Status will also update back to ”In Queue”.
One thing to mention is that when each drawing is successfully uploaded and processed, the item will be removed from the Drawings in Process menu.
Revision Management #
Revision management in the Drawings feature ensures that every update to your project drawings is tracked and organized, keeping your team aligned with the latest changes. Here’s how it works:
- How Revisions Are Detected:
- When you upload a new drawing, the system checks if a drawing with the same Discipline and Number already exists.
- If no match is found, the drawing is assigned Revision 0.
- If a match is found, the system automatically assigns the next revision number (e.g., Revision 1, Revision 2, etc.).
- Editing Revisions in the UI:
Revisions stay accurate even if drawing details (such as Discipline or Number) are edited in the UI. This ensures that changes are reflected correctly when comparing drawing versions or committing them to a finalized set. - ‘Save And Commit’ Behavior:
Revision details are saved and updated in the system during the Save And Commit process, ensuring the correct revision history is maintained. - Using Revisions in Compare Mode:
Revisions appear in Compare Mode, allowing you to easily identify what has changed between drawing versions, even if details were edited in the UI.
By following this logic, the system ensures every revision is properly tracked and visible for effective project management.
Editing Drawing Information #
To update the Drawing Information, simply click the three dots on the left side of the item and select Edit. This will open a menu that allows you to update the details of the drawing that were initially set when it was committed.
The editable fields include – Number, Title, Set, Discipline, Drawing Date, and Revision.
Additionally, a Description field will be available under these information fields, allowing you to add notes or comments about the drawing. This feature provides a space for you or your team members to leave important details, clarifications, or reminders related to the specific drawing, making it easier to track and communicate key information.
You can also edit information for multiple drawings at once, streamlining the process for larger updates. This feature allows you to make changes to fields such as Discipline and Drawing Date across several drawings simultaneously.
To use this feature:
- Navigate to the Drawings.
- Select the drawings you wish to edit by clicking the checkboxes next to each item.
- Click the Multiple Edit button that appears after selecting the drawings.
- In the Multiple Edit menu, you will be able to modify the Discipline and Drawing Date fields for all selected drawings, along with adding notes.
- Once you have made the desired changes, click Save to apply the updates to all selected drawings.
This bulk editing feature allows you to update multiple drawings at once, saving time and ensuring consistency across your project.
View Drawings #
Open Drawing #
Similar to our Documents tool, this feature allows you to view drawings directly within Projectmates without the need for any third-party software.
To view a drawing, navigate to the relevant drawing set and click on the desired drawing item. The drawing will open immediately within the system for your review.
Open Drawings in Multiple Tabs #
Once a drawing is open, you have the option to view additional drawings in separate tabs. To do so, click the + icon next to the current tab. A menu will appear with a list of available drawings, where you can search for and select the drawing you wish to open in a new tab.
Compare Drawing Revisions #
As drawings progress, you may need to reference previous revisions. Instead of opening multiple tabs, you can easily compare drawing revisions directly within the current view.
Simply click the Revision drop-down menu located above the drawing screen and select the desired version to compare.
Once you’re done with the comparison, you can hide the revision by clicking the Hide Comparison button.
Add Markups, Links, and More #
Collaborate #
The Drawings app enables seamless collaboration with your team:
- Instant Visibility for Finalized Markups: Multiple users can open the same drawing, and finalized markups are immediately visible to all team members. This ensures everyone stays aligned on changes and updates.
- Private Markups for Personal Annotations: You can also create markups and leave them unfinalized, making them visible only to yourself. This is perfect for adding personal notes or reminders without sharing them with the team.
With these options, the Drawings app supports both collaborative workflows and individual productivity.
Markup Tools #
Shapes #
If you’re familiar with the PDF Markup feature in the Document Manager, you’ll find this tool similar. It allows you to outline specific parts of the drawing using a variety of shapes. Additionally, the freehand tool provides the flexibility to mark up the drawing manually, offering more precision when needed.
Annotations #
The Annotation tools enable users to make text edits on the drawing or add new text. Several emphasis options are available, such as underline, highlight, strikeout, and text replacement. You can also add comments directly on the drawing to provide further context or clarification.
Insert Elements #
The Insert tools allow you to incorporate images and attach files directly to the drawing. Additionally, the callout tool lets you draw arrows to highlight specific areas and add explanatory text, making it easier to point out key details within the drawing.
Measure #
The Measure feature offers a wide range of useful tools for precise measurements within the drawing. You can measure the area, distance, and perimeter of specific sections. One unique tool is the arc measurement, which allows you to measure angles. All measurement tools are scalable, ensuring accurate alignment with the drawing.
Finalize Markup #
Once you’ve made the necessary markups to the drawing, you can finalize the markup by clicking the “Finalize” button. Please note that clicking “Finalize” does not permanently lock the markup; instead, it makes your markup visible to others. You can still make adjustments, such as changing the size, color, or adding comments. A helpful way to think of the “Finalize” button is that it marks your markup as a draft, with the option to make further changes until you are ready to finalize it completely and share it.
Links #
Create New Items #
Once the markups have been finalized, you can create an item directly from the drawings tool, and it will automatically link the drawing markup to the item. You can link a markup to an RFI, DFR, Action List or a Change Order.
To create a new item from the drawing, click the link icon and select the module to which you would like to link it. Please note that the available module options will depend on your access rights to those specific modules.
Add Links to Existing #
Alternatively, you can link the markups to existing items from other modules, such as RFIs, Action List, Change Orders, or any other URL. To do this, simply paste the link to the desired item in the field and click Save.
You can create multiple links in a drawing! Each item linked to the drawing will automatically load a copy of the drawing in its ‘Attachments’ section. This copy will include all markup on the drawing that existed at the point of creation of the link.
Pan #
The Pan tool allows you to freely move through the drawing when you’re zoomed into the drawing. By clicking and dragging you can navigate through the drawing.
Select #
The Select tool allows you click and drag across multiple markups and select more than one. By doing this, you have the option to group and or delete the selected items.
Zoom #
The Zoom tool allows you to zoom in and out of the drawing by clicking on the spot you wish to zoom into. Another option would be to hold your CTRL key and scroll in and out.
Search #
The Search tool allows you to search for specific keywords within the drawing. Simply enter the text you are looking for, and the system will highlight the results.
Download #
From Drawing #
By clicking the download icon, you can download the drawing as displayed. Please note that only finalized markups will be included in the download.
From Log Page #
By selecting the drawing in the log page and hitting the download button, it will download the most current version of the drawing. Just like downloading within the drawing, only finalized markups will be included in the download.
Finalize #
When multiple revisions of a drawing (e.g., Rev 1, Rev 2, and Rev 3) are finalized, only the latest revision (Rev 3) will appear in the Finalized Set.
This ensures your team always works with the most current version of the drawing. Previous revisions remain accessible in their respective Sets and can be viewed or selected in the Compare dropdown within the viewer.
Once you’re done with the comparison, you can hide the revision by clicking the Hide Comparison button.
Move to Draft #
Finalized drawings may need to be altered after they have been published. If additional changes are found to be needed, it is as easy as moving the drawing back to draft status to make the changes.
To move one or more drawings back to draft status:
- Mark one or more checkboxes for drawings from the Latest Finalized Set.
- Select the Move to Draft button.
- Click Yes in the confirmation popup.
- You’ll find this drawing has been moved to the Draft Set and is no longer listed with Latest Finalized Set.
Lock Drawing #
To prevent any changes to an existing drawing and avoid the acceptance of new revisions being finalized, you can use the lock feature. To lock a drawing, you can select the item(s) and click the Toggle Lock button. Once the item is locked, a red lock icon will be displayed next to the drawing number.
Note: Drawings can only be locked if they have been finalized and that locked drawings cannot be deleted.
Delete Drawing #
If you have the access to do so and want to remove a drawing, then check the box next to the drawing’s name and click Delete. Click Yes in the following popup window to confirm your action.
Soft Deleted Drawings #
If you wish to delete a drawing from the log page, it will be moved to the Soft Deleted Files section. Drawings in this section can be restored; however, if left untouched, they will be permanently deleted from the system after 180 days.
Recover #
To restore a soft-deleted drawing, select the drawing you wish to restore from the Soft Deleted Files section and click the Restore icon.
Permanently Delete #
To permanently delete a drawing, you can select the drawing(s) in soft deleted files and click Permanently Delete. Otherwise, they will automatically be permanently deleted in 180 days.
