Surveyorpad has been designed specifically with Surveyors, Engineers, Architects, and Energy Assessors in
mind, but is suitable for anyone that needs to produce scale, technical sketches, quickly and accurately.
There are now a plethora of mobile CAD / drawing / scanning applications that allow users to create a variety
of different types of technical drawings on mobile devices, but pencil and paper is still the choice of the
majority. Most people are able to sketch by hand quickly and accurately with minimal additional training,
whereas most CAD / drawing applications require training, are fiddly, time consuming and showing complex,
detailed shapes can be difficult at best and sometimes impossible.
With continuous improvements in touch / pressure sensitive stylus technology Surveyorpad is able to bring
technical sketching using pen and paper into the 21st century. Digitising the process making it accurate, quick
and easy, the paper becomes a tablet and your pen becomes a stylus or even your finger!
User Guide
To get the most from Surveyorpad and start sketching as if you were using pen and paper, we recommend you use the tools and features within the App in a certain way. Please give yourself a few minutes to look at the user guide and read the Q&As, it briefly talks you through the main tools and features and will give you a head start with your first few sketches. As you can see from our video once you are using the tools correctly, with a little practice you will be sketching faster and more accurately than ever!
How do I draw straight lines for the walls, windows and similar linear features?
Use the straight line tool; with this tool selected the snap to grid, endpoint and 90 degrees are all selected as default, this makes it quick and easy to draw one straight line and join it to another. Depending on the level of detail you are working at and the grid settings applied you may need to zoom in to pick up certain endpoints where other endpoints are in close proximity.
Can I draw continuous straight lines in different directions?
No, once you have completed a straight line in a certain direction and if for example you wish to draw another straight line at right angles to the previous line then you should lift your finger, the tool will pick up the endpoint and you can draw in the new direction.
How can I see what distance the line I am drawing is?
The grey box in the top right hand corner of the screen shows the horizontal and vertical dimensions (X & Y) of you line or lines.
Can I draw straight lines at an angle?
Yes you can turn off the 90 degree snap and then you can draw straight lines at an angle.
How do I sketch freehand, for example for the arc of a door, a semi-circle bay window or a spiral staircase?
Use the freehand tool; with this tool the snap to grid and 90 degree snap are automatically deactivated however endpoint snap is still activated so you can pick up the endpoint of each previous line quickly and easily.
How can I write freehand text and sketch small details on features like sinks and hobs?
Use the writing tool; with this tool all snaps are deactivated so you can write and sketch freehand with no interference from the software. Use this tool to write notes on your App and add extra detail.
How can I calculate the approximate area of my sketch or the distance of a series of lines?
Select the area you want to include by adding the area points on the drawing, be sure to zoom in and out to add them precisely and make sure you finish where you started to complete the shape you need the area for. The area is displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen in the grey box. The distance tool works in the same way and will calculate the combined distance between the points you lay on the canvas.
When I draw a horizontal and vertical cross hair appear on my screen, what are these for and can they be switched off?
The cross hairs are switched on by default and are to help you to line feature sup on your sketch, we would strongly recommend that you keep them switched on but they can be toggled off in the settings menu.
How can I change the scale of the canvas?
Each time you create a new canvas you are given various options relating to paper size, scale and units. Once you have started a drawing you have the ability to change the units and grid division in the settings menu. Be careful changing the units and scale settings once you have started a drawing as the dimensions you have written may not match the scale of the canvas.
Can I add text on using the keyboard?
Yes there is a text feature and you can edit the font settings in the settings menu. However we have designed Surveyorpad to be a sketching app and we believe you will find it quicker and easier adding hand written notes using the writing tool as you would if you were using a pen and paper.
Can I import images into my drawing and mark them up?
Yes you can use the import feature to import an image or an existing plan into the App. The functionality of this feature is quite limited in V1 however we will be developing this for future versions of the App as well as introducing a commonly used symbols import.
Can I move and copy any feature I have sketched?
Yes you can move/drag anything you have sketched using the selection tool, then you can rotate those features using the rotate tool below it. There is no copy function in V1 of the App.
Can I quickly delete multiple lines without having to use the eraser tool?
Yes you can always use the undo tool or there is the delete tool which is a quick alternative where you just pick the lines you wish to delete.
Is there a quick way to add dimension arrows to my sketch?
Yes use the dimension arrow tools and the write the dimensions next to it or you can draw your dimension arrows manually as you would do when using pen and paper.
If I export to PDF is it a vector, scalable PDF?
Yes you can export to PDF or Jpeg and then share via email or any means you choose. If the grid is on when you select to export it will export with the grid, if it’s off it won’t. The PDF option is a vector image and can be scaled to any size.
I need to make reduce headroom with a dotted line. Is there a dotted/dashed line option.
Yes using the line style you can change the style of the line, you can also change the thickness and colour using the relevant options.
Samples
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you, so if you have any questions or queries regarding Surveyorpad, please feel free to get in touch by filling out the below contact form. We aim to respond to all enquires within 48 hours.