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How to measure a PDF drawing to scale

Stamppa measures on the sheet itself, at the scale of the drawing. Set the scale once, pick a kind of measurement, click, and read the value. Everything stays in the PDF, so the numbers travel with the file.

Set the scale of a sheet

Section titled “Set the scale of a sheet”
  1. File ▸ Open the PDF, or drop it on the window.
  2. Press N to start measuring. The Measure section of the markup panel shows the scale of the page.
  3. Choose how the scale gets in:
    • Already set in Acrobat or Bluebeam. Stamppa reads the page scale and the viewport scales those programs write into the PDF, so there is nothing to do. Check the scale label in the Measure section.
    • A standard scale. Click Set scale…, pick one from the list (or type it as 1:33), choose the unit in Measure in (metric, or feet and inches), and click OK. Leave Every page checked to use it on the whole file, or clear it for this page only.
    • A dimension you know. Click Calibrate…, click the two ends of a dimension printed on the sheet, and type its real length, for example 3.5 m, 1200 mm or 10'-6". This also works for scans and for a scale that is not on the list.
  4. A page with no scale measures 1:1 in millimeters, and Stamppa tells you so. Set a scale before you trust a number.

Different scales on one sheet

Section titled “Different scales on one sheet”
  • Separate X and Y. For a drawing that is scaled differently across and up (a profile with exaggerated height), type the scale as H 1:100 / V 1:20 in Set scale…. When calibrating, check Separate vertical scale, then click a known vertical dimension after the horizontal one.
  • A detail at its own scale. Click Viewports… in the Measure section, drag a box round the detail, and give it its scale (for example 1:20 on a 1:100 plan). Measurements drawn inside it use that scale.

Measure

Section titled “Measure”
  1. Pick the kind in the Measure list: Length, Polylength, Area, Rectangle area, Perimeter, Count, Angle, Radius, Diameter, Arc length, Volume or Dimension.
  2. Click the points. The hint at the top of the window says what each kind needs. For a polyline, area or perimeter, double-click, press Enter or right-click to finish; Backspace takes back the last point.
  3. For a Volume, type the Depth (for example 2.7 m or 300 mm) before you draw the outline.
  4. Choose the Precision (decimals, or the fraction in feet and inches) in the Measure section. A measurement keeps its own precision.

Snapping and exact values

Section titled “Snapping and exact values”
  • F3 turns Snap to the drawing on or off. Points jump to line ends, midpoints, intersections and perpendiculars of the drawing’s own linework. Hold Ctrl to place one point freely.
  • F8 turns ortho on or off. Shift forces horizontal or vertical.
  • Type a number and press Enter for an exact length, for example 4.2 m. Esc cancels.

Get the quantities out

Section titled “Get the quantities out”
  1. Press Ctrl+L to open the Markups list. Every measurement is a row in it.
  2. In the list, choose Export ▸ Takeoff: measurement totals to Excel… for a workbook of totals, or Export ▸ List as CSV / Excel… for every row.
  3. To keep a workbook current, choose Measure ▸ Quantity link ▸ Link to Excel…. Stamppa writes the measurements to sheets of its own in your workbook, and Update link now refreshes them after you measure more.
  4. To put the totals on a sheet, choose Measure ▸ Legends ▸ Measurement totals.

Tips

Section titled “Tips”
  • Calibrate on the longest dimension you can find. A long reference makes a small click error matter less.
  • The scale is saved in the PDF, with the measurements.
  • Check one dimension you already know before you measure the rest.
Section titled “Related”