Web Sketch: How to Use the drawing tool
A practical Web Sketch guide for appraisers based on the How to Use the drawing tool tutorial.
Use this article when you are working in Web Sketch and need a practical reference while building or reviewing a sketch for a report. The video walkthrough is linked below, and the article restates the workflow in appraiser-friendly terms.
Watch the tutorial
Before you begin
Open the correct report and confirm you are sketching the intended subject, dwelling, unit, or related structure. If the sketch will support GLA, exhibits, or report commentary, keep your field notes, measurements, photos, and assignment requirements available while you work.
What this tutorial covers
- How mouse mode and keyboard mode affect drawing behavior.
When to use this
Use this article when you need to draw the primary building footprint or any closed area that will support sketch calculations.
Video walkthrough in article form
Start in the correct sketch context
This walkthrough explains how to use the drawing tool in the AIVRE Sketch platform. It is a little bit complicated at first to understand, but once you get it, it really clicks. The main thing that you are going to notice this is the workspace has these two distinct modes.
The workspace includes what we call a mouse mode and a keyboard mode. The tutorial first demonstrates mouse mode, then repeats the same workflow in keyboard mode. It is also helpful to notice that you can also use mouse mode and keyboard together, and Many appraisers use both mouse and keyboard controls together once they are comfortable with the tool.
Keep the canvas organized
Go into mouse mode here and ensure that the workspace includes this drawing tool selected. If you are trying to draw, you may be in select mode if you find yourself you cannot draw. In select mode, dragging on the canvas pans around the sketch, and the trackpad can zoom in or out.
Make sure you are in draw mode before placing points. The basic workflow is when you are in mouse mode, you click a point and you just start drawing. That is the basic drawing flow.
For example, you can go here. Once you click again, it then sets that point, so the line itself will not actually stop until you click it there. Now from here, after your first point has been drawn, you are always going to see the workspace has these different angles.
We measure this top angle and this bottom angle, and you cannot just draw in only ninety degrees. You can draw really in any direction that you want, and the angles will keep on dynamically updating. For example, you can go up here, For example,.
If you want to go up here eight I just click again and you can keep on drawing, and the basic workflow is that. This is a little bit different now if you will want to do this in keyboard mode, because in keyboard mode, you still have to be in drawing, but you just have to be here. In keyboard mode, it is a little bit different, but it is somewhat the same idea.
You will just click a point that you want to go, but since you are only using the keyboard, you have to first type in the length that you want to go first and then the direction. For that, you are going to say, For example, you can go like 12, you can type that in, and you are going to press on my keyboard the arrow key to the right. I've typed in 12 and then right, and then there you go.
If you want to say, "All right, that's where you want to have it be," you select Enter, and that sets the line. For example, from here at this next point that you are at, you want to go. If you want to go up 12 again.
Check each shape before moving on
You can press 12 after doing that, and you can select the arrow key and it'll go up 12. If you are happy with that as well, you can select Enter, and that's also how you draw lines. For example, while you are in keyboard mode, you want to finish this off and, uh, do the rest of the shape in mouse mode.
To do that, it is pretty simple. You can just click this mouse button here. It is already going to be set to my current shape, and you can say, drop here.
In the next video, this walkthrough will talk about what these little red pop points mean, as that's a little bit preview into that. But this is how you can draw using the key- the keyboard, but this is how you can draw using the keyboard and the mouse together
Practical workflow
Start with the drawing tool and place your first wall segment on the canvas. Continue placing points around the structure until the shape closes cleanly.
Use the snap grid and alignment behavior to keep walls straight and corners controlled. If a point lands incorrectly, correct it before continuing so the shape remains easy to review.
Once the area is closed, review the shape label, dimensions, and calculated area. Correct the geometry before generating an exhibit or moving on to more detailed labels.
Field review tips
Closed shapes should match the field sketch or source measurements before you use the total in the report.
Appraiser review checklist
- Confirm the sketch is attached to the correct report and property structure.
- Confirm labels, areas, and totals match your field notes and intended report use.
- Confirm any generated exhibit is readable before relying on it in the report.
- Recheck the report section where the exhibit or calculated area appears.
Related Web Sketch tutorials
This article is part 2 of 14 in the Web Sketch tutorial series. Use the Help Center search for web sketch to find the other drawing, labeling, calculation, and exhibit guides.