In the construction and architecture sector, building plans and technical drawings are almost always exchanged as PDFs. Often you want to quickly check a distance, such as the width of a door or the length of a wall, without having to print the plan. With our new PDF Scale Calculator, you can do this right in your browser.
Why measure distances on a PDF?
Not everyone has expensive CAD software (like AutoCAD or Revit) installed on their PC or tablet. When you are on site or need to make a quick estimate for a quote, you just want to open a PDF and measure. Traditional PDF readers sometimes offer basic functions, but are often cumbersome when setting the correct scale.
How does the Europlan PDF Measuring tool work?
Our new tool is designed with simplicity and privacy in mind.
1. 100% Local and Secure
Because building plans often contain confidential information, we built the tool so that your PDF is never sent to a server. Everything is processed locally in the memory of your own browser.
2. Loading the PDF
Go to our Scale Calculator and open the Measure PDF tab. Click ‘Choose PDF File’ and select your building plan. You can browse through the pages of the PDF and zoom in on details using the navigation buttons.
3. Calibration
A PDF naturally has no ‘scale’, only a resolution and a paper size. Therefore, you must first calibrate the document:
- Select the Calibrate button.
- Find a known distance on the plan (for example, a wall with ‘500 cm’ written on it or a reference dimension line).
- Click and drag a line over this distance on your screen.
- Enter the actual distance (e.g., 5 meters). The tool now knows exactly how many pixels correspond to a meter in reality.
4. Start Measuring!
Once the calibration is complete, the tool activates the Measure function. From now on you can draw lines anywhere on the plan. The tool immediately shows the actual length in a floating label above the line, based on your calibration.
You can save a considerable amount of time with this tool when calculating materials, preparing sites, or checking quotes.