SureStep® sketch is a diagramming tool that allows you to draw a property precisely and efficiently. SureStep sketch allows you to edit anything at just about any time. This will enable you to sketch and edit multiple areas simultaneously and use other tools, like labels and symbols, at will.
Sketching Walls
SureStep sketch allows you to sketch the perimeter of a structure and the interior walls to indicate rooms.
Exterior Walls
The exterior walls’ dimensions are used to calculate the perimeter and area. These can be edited at any time. Connect these walls end-to-end however you like. SureStep sketch will automatically calculate the area when you create an enclosed shape. Click the Sketch icon to sketch exterior walls.
Interior Walls
Interior walls are free-form walls that do not factor into the area or perimeter or have no dimensions. Click the Sketch Interior Walls icon to sketch interior walls.
Drawing an Area
In SureStep sketch, you can draw using the mouse, the keyboard, or a combination of the two, depending on what works best for you. To begin drawing your first area, click the Sketch icon. Your cursor will change to crosshairs, and you can start drawing exterior walls.
To stop drawing at any time, press the Esc key on the keyboard, leaving the wall you are drawing where it is.
The top toolbar includes buttons to Undo and Redo; if you make a mistake, you can use them to return to the last point.
Using the Mouse / Touch
SureStep sketch also lets you quickly and easily make accurate drawings using a mouse or touch. ‘Click-Click’ is the default mode of mouse drawing after selecting the Sketch icon. Place the cursor at the starting point of your sketch and click once to start the first wall. Move the cursor to the desired end location and click again to anchor the active wall. An active wall will automatically connect from the last point anchored to your cursor.
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You can press A on your keyboard and SureStep sketch will automatically draw a wall to close your area. Upon closing your area, you will be prompted to select an Area Type
Using the Keyboard
To begin keyboard drawing, click on your Sketch icon. Place the cursor in the desired location on the sketch to start the first wall. Your cursor will change to crosshairs.
Next, on your keyboard, type a length followed by an arrow key to indicate the direction of the line to be drawn. You will see an active line launch the length and direction you have entered. Repeat this until you are satisfied with your wall’s placement and press Enter to anchor this wall. You are now ready to begin drawing your next line. The wall’s dimension label will automatically be centered on the line.
For example, start a new sketch by choosing the Sketch icon and placing your cursor where you want to begin your diagram. Press Enter to anchor your cursor. To draw a 40.5 x 20.25 rectangle, type 40.5, right arrow, Enter, then type 20.25, down arrow, Enter. To finish the rectangle, press your left arrow key, 40.5 Enter, then type A to auto-close the area.
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Dimensions can be entered as ‘Feet,Inches’ or ‘Feet.Fraction’. Using a comma will be the exact inches. Using a period will be a fraction of inches. For example, 12’6” would be entered as 12,6 or 12.5.
Importing and Tracing
Are floorplans available on your county assessor’s website? You can download an image on your tablet or PC to quickly trace and validate the floor plan in the field. Measure a wall and then enter the length to auto-scale the rest of the structure. To trace an image, click the Add an Image icon, then navigate to the floorplan, and it will be placed as a semi-opaque image on your canvas.
You will be prompted to trace a wall of known length on the image to set the scale appropriately. For example, if you know the length of one of the walls is 17.5 feet, trace that wall line after the prompt. Once the wall is drawn, you will be prompted to enter the length of that wall (17.5), and then the grid scale will snap into place.
To Move, Scale or Delete the image, click the Lock icon to unlock the image. When you click on the image, the outline will turn blue. You can now move the image to the desired location.
- Click and drag the squares on the corners to make the image bigger or smaller.
- Click the trashcan on the upper right of the image to delete the selected image.
When you’re finished adjusting the image size and placement, click Lock again to start tracing.
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Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard while sketching to only draw straight lines at 90-degree angles.
Drawing Angles Using the Rise and Run Method
Great for drawing bay windows, the rise-and-run method is a simple way to draw angled walls. Using your keyboard, type in the distance from your starting wall and the direction (arrow key), then type the depth of your corner and the appropriate direction. Press Enter to lock in the angled wall. For example, “5 Up 5 Right Enter” will make a 45-degree wall five feet deep and five feet wide, resulting in a wall length of just over 7 feet.
Drawing Angles Using L/R Degrees Method
Great for drawing areas when a precise angle is required, such as an intersection measured with a protractor, the L/R Degrees method is a simple way to draw exact-angled walls. For example, “12 L 133 Enter” will draw a 12 foot wall banking to the left at 133 degrees from the last wall.
Completing an Area
Upon completing an area, you will be prompted to select an area type, such as first, second, or garage. You can also choose whether an area is a living or non-living area to help you accurately calculate the house’s gross living area (GLA). Double-click on the area name to edit, then select a different area identifier or change the living area or non-living area designation. Non-living areas will have a grey fill color; the GLA area will be white. After an area is drawn, you can also right-click on it and toggle a Color Fill that makes that area appear darker in color.
Area Calculations
The Area Breakdown calculator is a quick reference to your GLA and non-GLA areas. This breakdown will be added to the bottom of your printed sketch pages.
Click the Calculations icon on the toolbar to view the area breakdown.
Splitting an Area
You may Split an area at any time to create an attached garage or covered porch apart from your main structure that is not part of the GLA.
In sketch mode, select the point at which the garage starts from the outside wall of your main structure. Draw your walls and connect it back to the main perimeter to close off the new area. The Add Structure menu will prompt you to define the newly created area.
Selecting One or Multiple Objects
Click the Select icon from the toolbar to select an object like a wall, symbol, label, or dimension. The cursor is now ready to select and edit any object. Click to choose an area, wall, symbol or label to move or edit a single object. You may also select multiple objects by holding the Shift key while you click. Shift-click multiple walls to delete or move a section of your structure. The Multiselect and Box Select buttons will also provide methods to select specific portions of the floor plan.
Drawing Arcs / Curvature Tool
Draw with precision. Push and pull segments until they’re at the perfect depth. Select a wall and type U on your keyboard to quickly create curved walls. Click on the point and use your mouse or arrow keys to push or pull the end to the desired length. Additionally, you may select a wall and press the Curve icon.
Using Labels
SureStep sketch is equipped with a standard list of labels. You can access this list by clicking the Add Label icon or typing L on your keyboard. You can click and drag labels to place them on the canvas.
Creating Custom Labels
Add a custom label from within the Label menu by clicking the plus sign + to the right of ADD LABEL. A blinking cursor will appear. Enter your label text and press Enter. The label will be added to the list in alphabetical order.
Double-click a sketch label that you’ve already added to edit the text. The edited label will be automatically added to the list of labels for future use.
Stretching and Rotating Labels
In Select mode, click on a label. The blue outline will allow you to stretch or rotate a sketch label. Pull or push the blue rectangles at the shape’s corner to resize the label. Click and drag the Rotate tool to change the label’s orientation.
Zooming
In SureStep sketch, you never have to scale the grid to make your drawing fit. Zoom in and out as necessary to draw your sketch on an “infinite” sketch pad. Zooming can be accomplished with the scroll wheel or keyboard (Control +, Control -). If your unit of measure is Standard, each little square is one square foot (and appropriately smaller).
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To quickly center your sketch on the screen, with an area selected, click the Center icon or press C on your keyboard.
Using Symbols
SureStep sketch has an extensive library of symbols. Click the Add Symbol icon to access the library. Using the pointer tool, click the symbol drop-down box until you find a category of symbols to explore. Click on a symbol to pick it up, or click and drag it to place it on the canvas.
Stretching and Rotating Symbols
In Select mode, click on a symbol. The blue outline will allow you to stretch or rotate a symbol. Pull or push the blue rectangles at the shape’s corner to resize the object. Click and drag the rotate icon to change the symbol’s orientation.
Previewing Sketch
One large canvas allows you to see all floors and structures in context, but you can separate them when inserting the sketch into your report. Click the Pages icon to assign areas up to 6 pages. Select Preview before leaving the sketch app to see how the final images will look. You can also export a copy of the sketch image in PDF format.
Saving and Closing
When your sketch is complete, click the Save to Report icon and close the window. If you try to close the sketch with unsaved changes, the program will prompt you to Save or Cancel.
Your sketch image(s) and GLA will be saved to the form and added to the appropriate pages.
Pressing the Cloud icon will prompt you to login with your First American EagleID identity. Your sketch can be saved to the cloud and reopened from any device using the same cloud icon and login process.
Sketches saved to the cloud also allow extra “friendly name” descriptions, such as an order number or street address, to be associated with them. This makes searching for past sketches easier.
Right-click Context Menu
When you select an area or a structure, right-click on it to bring up the Context Menu. Here, you can Copy and Paste the selected item, apply a Color Fill to shade the area, and Flip or Mirror the area.
Drawing one half of a duplex, copying and pasting, and then Mirroring it is an efficient way to complete a multi-family sketch with symmetric units.
Additionally, if you’ve drawn the 1st Floor of a property and the 2nd Floor is identical, simply select it and Duplicate it; then you can double-click on the Area Name of the copy, and you will be prompted to change it from 1st Floor to 2nd.