The Exayard workspace divides into two main areas: the Project sidebar on the left and the Canvas on the right where you view plans and take measurements. Understanding this layout helps you work efficiently from your first project.

The sidebar stacks several sections. The Takeoffs section displays your measurements organized into a tree, followed by a Templates section with reusable measurement templates and starter packs for common trades.

Filter your takeoffs using the All types dropdown to show only Area, Linear, or Count measurements. If you have multiple layers, the All layers dropdown lets you focus on a specific layer. Click any measurement in the tree to highlight it on the canvas and zoom to its location. Eye icons toggle visibility for individual measurements or entire folders.

When the Takeoffs section is expanded, its row shows the filter controls, a New folder button, and an Add menu (the + button). Open the Add menu and choose Count, Linear, or Area, configure a name and color, then draw on the canvas.

On desktop, chat is a dedicated panel on the right side of the canvas. Drag its left edge to resize it. On smaller screens, chat moves to the bottom of the sidebar instead.

The chat panel has two tabs: Exa and Team. Message teammates in Team, or mention @exa in any tab to ask the AI about your plans or get help with the platform. Messages can be pinned to a spot on your plans. Click a pinned message to jump to that spot on the canvas.

The canvas displays your construction plan at the current scale. Measurements appear as colored overlays on top of the plan. Pan by clicking and dragging with the hand tool, and scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

A toolbar runs across the top of the canvas. It holds a search field to find pages by name, the current page's scale, and a control to open the File explorer.

A single toolbar sits centered along the bottom of the canvas. It combines the zoom controls and your drawing tools. Click + to zoom in, - to zoom out, or the Fit to screen button to see the entire page. The Settings button (gear icon) opens a popover with canvas preferences including Grid, Snap to grid, Crosshair, and Minimap toggles, plus a Default unit selector for feet or meters.

The same bottom toolbar holds your primary drawing tools: Area, Linear, and Count measurements, plus a Comment tool. It also includes select, pan, undo, redo, and a More tools menu with extra drawing options. These controls keep your most-used actions within reach while measuring.

The header bar at the top contains the Exayard logo, a project switcher, collaborator avatars (when teammates are viewing the same project), a Share project button, your credit balance, and a user menu. The user menu gives access to Settings, Shortcuts, theme switching, and Help.

Use the control in the canvas top toolbar to open the File explorer as a full overlay on the canvas. It toggles the file explorer open and closed. The file explorer lets you browse, upload, and organize files within your project. Toggle between grid and list views, search for files, and sort by name or date. When a project has no pages yet, the file explorer opens automatically so you can add files right away. Close it to return to the canvas.

Press V for the select tool and H for the hand tool. Ctrl+Z undoes the last action and Ctrl+Shift+Z redoes. Hold Space while using any tool for temporary pan mode. Scroll the mouse wheel to zoom. Open the user menu and click Shortcuts to see all available keyboard shortcuts.