Getting Started
To get started, upload your own drawings or try a demo project.
User Interface
- Navigate back to your projects
- Open Automated Takeoff Menu. Detect beams, braces, columns, and base plates
- Open Export Menu. Excel material list and marked up PDF
- JDSMAKUsers viewing project
- Open Chat. Ask questions about your drawings
- Open Markup Panel. Manually annotate beams, columns, plates, and panels
- Open Annotations Table. View and edit all annotations
- Open Scale Calibration. Set the drawing scale for accurate measurements. See the tutorial here.
- Select and Pan tools
- 3/12Page navigation
- 25%Rotate and zoom controls
Core Features
Automated Takeoff
Advanced computer vision algorithms, developed in-house, are available to significantly speed up the takeoff process.
Start Takeoff
Scan for:
Scope:
Select what to scan for, choose the scope, and press Continue.
- Beams — Detects W-beams and HSS on framing plans
- Bracing — Identifies diagonal bracing members
- Columns (Pilot) — Finds location, height, and section size (W, HSS, pipe)
- Base Plates (Pilot) — Finds dimensions, material, and fastener details (type, grade, count, diameter)
Follow the automated markup live in the Chat sidebar!
Limitations
Automated Takeoff is a time-saver but not perfect. Always review AI-generated annotations for accuracy. Hand-drawn sketches, poor scan quality, or unusual callout formatting may reduce detection accuracy.
Exports
Export your completed takeoff to Excel, Tekla EST format, or as an annotated PDF.
Export
With Annotations
PDF with all markup visible
Original PDF
Clean PDF without markup
Complete Takeoff
Summary, Beams, Columns, Plates
Tekla EST Format
For Tekla PowerFab import
- Excel — Member, Grade, Manufacturer, Coating, Length, Weight, Price. Customizable per user.
- Tekla EST — Seamless integration with Tekla estimating workflows
- Annotated PDF — Download PDF with all markup included
Chat
An AI with full visibility to PDF images and metadata.
- Search: Identify key elements in long (100+ page), dense PDFs
- ⤷"Find all structural and miscellaneous steel in this bid proposal."
- Search: Locating framing details across multiple pages
- ⤷"What is the height of the beam supporting the canopy?"
- Extract: Exporting tables
- ⤷"Export the column schedule to Excel."
- Understand: Multimodal image questions
- ⤷"What is this dotted line on the tilt-up wall signify?"
How to Use
- Open the chat panel from the toolbar
- Type a question about the project you're working on
- Alkali analyzes the project and provides support
Note: The Chat sidebar is also where you'll see live progress when running Automated Takeoff scans for beams, columns, and base plates.
Markup Panel
The Markup Panel lets you manually annotate your drawings and manage the material catalog for your project.
Material Catalog
The Material Catalog is your project's material library with 1000+ types from the AISC Steel Construction Manual.
- Beams — Horizontal members represented as a line
- Columns — Vertical members represented as a filled circle
- Plates — Base plates, connection plates, represented as a lego block
- Panels — Metal deck and grating, represented as a rectangle
Defaults
- Point Tool — Place precise points on your drawing
- Line Tool — Draw straight lines for connections or dimensions
- Cloud Tool — Call out areas needing attention
- Notes — Add text notes anywhere on the drawing
+ Add
Use the + Add button to add custom materials to your project catalog. Search from 1000+ standard shapes or create your own with custom properties like grade, manufacturer, and coating.
Annotations Table
The Annotations Table provides a comprehensive list view of all annotations in your project, with real-time tonnage calculations and powerful organization tools.
Table Columns
Each row displays an annotation with configurable columns. Click the icon to customize which columns are visible:
- Mark — Unique identifier for each annotation
- Name — Material type from your catalog
- Page — Which drawing page the annotation is on
- Length — Calculated length in feet and inches
- Weight — Calculated weight in pounds
- Grade, Mfr, Coating, Camber — Additional material properties
Sorting
Sort annotations by Mark, Type, Page, Length, or Weight using the settings panel.
Interaction
- Click a row — Highlights the annotation on the PDF and scrolls it into view
- Eye — Toggle visibility of individual annotations
- Trash — Delete with confirmation (click once to arm, again to confirm)
- Hash — Toggle mark badges on the PDF canvas
Total Tonnage
The bottom of the panel displays the running Total Steel tonnage for your project. Warnings appear for:
- ⚠️ Uncalibrated pages (length cannot be calculated)
- ⚠️ Members with unknown weight (missing from catalog)
- ⚠️ Columns without height specified
Live Tonnage Display
The right sidebar shows real-time tonnage totals as you work. The tonnage updates instantly when you add, modify, or delete annotations. This gives you continuous feedback on your takeoff progress.
Scale Calibration
The length scale for each page needs to be calibrated for accurate measurements. Each page stores one scale that applies to all measurements on that page. Alkali offers two calibration methods to fit different drawing scenarios.
Method 1: Line-Based Calibration
Use this method when you have a dimension marked on the drawing (e.g., a wall labeled "30'-0""):
- Select the Line tool
- Draw a line along the known dimension
- Click the Ruler button in the right sidebar
- Enter the actual length in feet and inches
The system calculates the pixel-to-foot ratio and applies it to all measurements on that page.
Method 2: Scale-Based Calibration
Use this method when you have the drawing scale notation (e.g., "1/4" = 1'-0"" in the title block):
- Click the Ruler button without selecting a line
- Enter the scale equivalency (inches on paper = feet in real world)
- Or use quick presets for common scales (1/8", 1/4", 1/2", etc.)
The pop-up shows your current calibration and the page's PDF dimensions to help verify the scale.
Tip
Calibration is stored per page. If your drawing set has multiple scales, calibrate each page individually. The ruler icon changes color to indicate calibration status: orange means not calibrated, green means calibrated.
Real-time Collaboration
Work together seamlessly with your team. Alkali synchronizes changes instantly so everyone sees them.
Live Cursors
See where your teammates are working in real-time. Each collaborator has a unique color, and their name appears next to their cursor as they navigate the drawing.
Instant Sync
All annotations, measurements, and notes sync instantly across all connected users. When a teammate adds or modifies an annotation, you'll see it appear immediately without refreshing. Material catalog and tonnage calculations also sync in real-time.
Project Sharing
Invite team members, or make a project public.
Sharing Methods
- Email Invites: Invite specific users by email address. The project will automatically appear in their account.
- Share Link: Generate a shareable link for quick access. Anyone with the link can view the project.