Exayard provides navigation, measurement, and annotation tools for creating precise takeoffs. The tools are organized in a toolbar across the bottom-center of the canvas.

The Select tool (V) is the default mode for interacting with the canvas. Click to select shapes, drag selected items to reposition them, or click and drag on empty space to create a selection box.

The Pan tool (H) lets you navigate around large plans. Click and drag to move the canvas view. You can also hold Spacebar while using any tool to temporarily pan, then release to return to your previous tool.

The Zoom controls sit just to the left of the drawing tools in the bottom toolbar. Use the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out, or click the fit-to-screen button to show the entire page. You can also zoom with the mouse scroll wheel or trackpad pinch gestures.

The three primary measurement tools are the first (leftmost) buttons in the toolbar.

The Area tool (Q) measures surface area in square feet or your chosen unit. It offers polygon, box, and circle drawing methods.

The Linear tool (W) measures lengths and distances. Click to place points along a path and double-click to complete.

The Count tool (E) tracks quantities of individual items. Each click places a marker and increments the count.

While drawing with the Linear tool, press A to toggle arc mode for the current segment, then press D to flip the arc direction. Arc mode applies to the Linear tool only.

Access annotation tools from the More tools menu (three-dot icon) in the canvas toolbar.

Sticky Note adds text notes anywhere on the canvas. Select the tool, click to place the note, type your text, then click outside to finish.

Arrow draws arrows to call attention to specific areas. Choose from four sizes (Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large) in the submenu. The arrow uses your current takeoff color.

Highlight creates semi-transparent rectangular highlights over plan areas. Drag to create the rectangle using your current takeoff color.

The More tools menu also includes Hide annotations on hover, which temporarily hides annotations as you move the cursor.

Draw distance calibrates the scale by tracing a known dimension. It lives in the scale popover, which opens from the Set scale button in the top canvas toolbar, and you can also start it with the D shortcut. Trace a line along a known dimension on your plan and enter its real-world measurement to set the scale. See Scale calibration for the full workflow.

The Comment tool (M) places comment markers on the canvas for team communication. Click anywhere to drop a comment and start a thread.

The toolbar also holds an Overlays button for comparing plan versions. See Overlays and comparisons for details.

Three more tools live in the More tools menu (three-dot icon), alongside the annotation tools.

The Selection Calculator calculates totals for measurements within a selected area. Draw a polygon around the area to analyze and view the calculated totals.

Negative Rectangle removes count markers within an area. Draw a rectangle and all count markers inside are deleted.

Remove Dots deletes individual count markers. Select the tool and click on markers to remove them one by one.

Access display settings from the gear icon in the zoom controls.

Default unit sets your measurement system to feet or meters. Snap to grid aligns drawing points to an invisible grid for precise placement. Grid toggles a visible background grid. Crosshair displays lines that follow your cursor for alignment. Minimap shows a small overview for navigating large plans.

Each tool has a single-key shortcut: V Select, H Pan, Q Area, W Linear, E Count, D Draw distance, and M Comment. While drawing with the Linear tool, press A to toggle arc mode and D to flip arc direction. Press Escape to cancel the current drawing. The full list is in the in-app shortcuts drawer.

Zoom in before placing precise points for better accuracy, and enable the crosshair when aligning elements across the plan.