Work with a DXF or IFC drawing

DXF and IFC files open, up to 25MB. DWG and RVT files do not. If you choose one, Jobivo says DWG and RVT files can't be opened here and nothing is uploaded. In your CAD software, export or save the drawing as DXF, or the model as IFC, and add that file. A PDF export works too, without the layers.

Click + Add drawing and choose the file. It shows Reading drawing… or Reading model… while it opens. The first time, the hint under the top bar reads Preparing this drawing for pins… for a moment. After that you can pin jobs and snags and draw areas exactly as on any other drawing.

The strip under the drawing shows the file type, the position of your pointer in the file's own coordinates, and the units. If it reads Units: check…, the file did not say what its units are. Choose them from the list, for example Units: millimetres. Measuring is switched off until the units are set. An IFC model is always in metres and has nothing to set.

Drawing layersin the left rail lists the layers in the file, each with its colour and the number of objects on it. For an IFC model the list is the building's parts, such as Walls, Windows and Slabs & floors.

Find a layer…

Type part of a name to shorten the list.

The eye

Click it to hide that layer. Click again to show it.

Show only

Point at a layer and click the button at the end of its row to hide every other layer.

Show all / Hide all

Turn every layer on or off at once.

Under Measure, click Distance and click two points. Or click Area, click each corner, then click the first corner again, double-click or press Enter to finish. The result is written on the drawing. Click the cross on a result to remove it, or Clear measurements to remove them all. Measurements are for this visit only and are not saved.

Snap to corners

On by default. A click near a corner or the end of a line lands exactly on it.

Grid

Lays a grid over the drawing in the file's own units.

≈ on a PDF or image

A PDF or image can be measured only after its location is set, and the result is marked ≈ because its scale comes from the map. A DXF or IFC measurement comes from the file and is exact to the drawing.

An IFC model shows one floor at a time, as a plan cut through the building. The chips at the top right are the model's storeys, by the names in the file. Click one to change floor. Your zoom and position are kept. Under Section, Cut height sets how far above the floor the cut is made: 0.60 m, 1.20 m or 1.80 m. A lower cut can show a worktop where a higher one shows the window above it. Pins and areas belong to the floor they were put on.

Click a line or an object to see what the file says about it, such as its type and its layer. Click the cross, or an empty part of the drawing, to close the card. Details in the strip opens Source and rendering: the file, its format, how long it took to open and how many objects were read. Import notes lists anything in the file that could not be drawn, and the number beside Details is how many notes there are. The sun or moon button at the end of the strip switches between the dark and the pale canvas.

This drawing could not be opened means the file could not be read. It may be damaged, or it may be a DWG or RVT saved with a DXF or IFC name. Export it again from your CAD software and add the new file. If the message is about the download or the connection, click Try again.

The page is fixed around everything in the file the first time it opens. A stray object far from the building, such as a title block or a survey point, makes the building small on the page. Click Fit the drawing and zoom in to work as normal. To correct it for good, remove the stray objects in your CAD software, delete the drawing here and add the new file. Deleting the drawing removes its pins and areas, so do this before you pin anything.