Sketch Quick Reference (2024)

Tools

Options

Aerial Sketch

Tools

The following ribbon buttons and keyboard shortcuts can be accessed from the Tools tab in Sketch, allowing you to place and modify objects in the Sketch Workspace.

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
	R	Room	Click to add a room to your sketch.
	F	Roof	Click to add a roof to your sketch. You can change roof types by pressing Spacebar with the roof tool in the cursor. Pressing E adds a dormer to the Sketch Workspace.
	E	Dormer	Press E to add a dormer to your sketch.
	Shift + D	Deck	Click to add a deck to your sketch.
	D	Doorway	Click to add a doorway to your sketch.
	M	Missing Wall	Click the Missing Wall button and click a wall to make it a Missing Wall.
	Shift + W	Wall	Click to add partial walls to an existing room, to create a room by connecting individual walls, or to divide a room.
	C	Staircase	Click to add a staircase to your sketch.
	Ctrl + F	Fence	Click to add a fence to your sketch.
	W	Window	Click to add a window to your sketch.
	S	Snap Line	Click to create a snap line anywhere within your Sketch Workspace.
	Ctrl + Enter	Properties	Select a room or object in your sketch. Click Properties to open the Properties window for the room or object that you selected.
	B	Break	Click Break. Then click a wall in your sketch. Click and drag the wall to create an offset.
	[	Flip Horizontal	Click to flip a selected object from side to side.
	]	Flip Vertical	Click to flip a selected object from top to bottom.
	Q	Rotate	Click to rotate the selected object by 90 degrees (default).
	N	Orientation	Click to change the orientation of an object after placing it in your sketch.
	V	Vertex	Click the Vertex button, and then a wall in your sketch. Drag the vertex point to create a hinge in the wall.
	G	Scale	Click to adjust the scale of a roof in the Sketch Workspace. The Scale button is only available if there is a roof in the current Sketch Level.
	\	Flooring Orientation	Click the Flooring Orientation button to select the direction to lay the floor covering after it has been placed on the Sketch Workspace.
	O	Reference Block	Click to place a reference block in your sketch.
	L	Reference Line	Click to place a reference line in your sketch.
	A	Reference Area	Click to place a reference area in your sketch.
	P	Reference Point	Click to place a reference point in your sketch.
	U	Copy from Underlay	Click copy a room or object from one Sketch Level to another Sketch Level. The Copy from Underlay button is available when there is a room or object on a Sketch Level directly beneath the current Sketch Level.
	Ctrl + Shift + C	Combine Rooms	Select multiple rooms in the Sketch Workspace, and then press Ctrl+Shift+C to combine the rooms.
	Ctrl + Shift + S	Separate Rooms	Select combined rooms in the Sketch Workspace and press Ctrl+Shift+S to separate them.
	Shift + P	Snap to Grid	Press Shift+P to enable/disable the snap to grid tool.

Options

The following buttons and keyboard shortcuts can be accessed from the Options tab in Sketch, allowing you to adjust options and other preferences in the Sketch Workspace.

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
		Preferences	Click to open the Sketch Preferences window for the current estimate.
		Inspect	Click to open the Sketch Inspections window.
	Shift + Q	Show Flooring Cuts	Click to open the Flooring Cuts window.
	J	Toggle Calculations	Click toggle the calculations. Note: If you are sketching a large house with plenty of carpet it will be faster to first draw the house, turn off the auto calculations and then place the carpet.
		Load Template	Click to display the Sketch Templates that have been created and saved.
		Save Template	Click to save your sketch as a template to use with future estimates.
		Import	Click to select from a list of importing options.
		Export	Click to select from a list of exporting options.
	Ctrl + M	Macros	Click to open the Macros window.
		Measurements	Click to select from a list of measurement rounding options for general measurement rounding, or roof measurement rounding.
		Font Size	Click to select from a list of font size options for labels and measurements.
		Subgroup Labeling	Click to select subgroup labeling options
		Visible Windows	Click to select which windows are visible in Sketch.
	Shift + V	Save View	Click to save the current view of the Sketch Workspace.
		Load View	Click to see a list of previously used views.

Aerial Sketch

The following buttons and keyboard shortcuts can be accessed from the Aerial Sketch tab in Sketch, allowing you to define edges, ridges, valleys, and faces of a roof, using aerial images as a guide.

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
	O	Crop Image	Click to remove areas of the photo that are not needed. The roof will also be auto rotated. Crop Image is only available when an image is set as an underlay.
	I	Find Internal Lines	Click to view the proposed line in the Sketch Workspace when you hover over an interior line where two non-edge lines meet. Click the mouse button to add the interior line.
	M	Find Perimeter Lines	Click to view proposed edge lines for the perimeter of the roof in the cropped image. Click the mouse button to add the perimeter lines.
		Draw Lines	Click to begin manually drawing the roof lines.
	A	Auto	Auto is the default selection for Draw Lines. This automatically determines the type of roof line when manually drawing him lines.
	E	Edge	Use Draw Edge to draw the perimeter edges of a roof. Edges are designated with green lines.
	R	Flat Ridge	Use Draw Flat Ridge to draw the flat ridges of the roof. Flat ridges are designated with blue lines.
	Y	Valley	Use Draw Valley to draw the valleys of the roof. Valleys are designated with red lines.
	P	Hip Ridge	Use Hip Ridge to draw the hip ridges of the roof. Hip ridges are designated with purple lines.
	C	Create Faces	Use Create Faces to identify enclosed areas as faces.
		Set Pitch	Click to enter Pitch mode.
	F	Create Sketch Roofs	Click to create the roof after the faces have been identified.
		Reset	Click in slope mode to revert all changes made in slope mode.
		Exit Pitch Mode	Click to leave Pitch mode and return to the Aerial Sketch tab.
	B	Break	Click Break. Then click the desired roof line in the Aerial Sketch. Click and drag the roof line to create an offset.
	Q	Rotate	Click to rotate the image to align with the horizontal or vertical axis.
	V	Vertex	Click Vertex. Then click the desired roof line to add a vertex point. Click and drag the vertex point to create a hinge in the roof line.
	N	Orientation	Click set the direction of the pitch of the roof faces.
		Download Aerial Images	Click to open the Xactimate-Aerial Sketch window. After registering or logging in, you can download Aerial images.
		Import Images	Click to import existing images to Aerial Sketch.

Annotation

The following buttons and keyboard shortcuts can be accessed from the Annotation tab in Sketch, allowing you to add an annotation layer to your sketch. The annotation layer can be enabled/disabled by click View and Selecting Annotations.

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
	T	Text	Click to add text to your sketch.
	/	Arrow	Click to draw an arrow on your sketch.
		Ellipse	Click to draw an ellipse on your sketch.
	\|	Line	Click to draw a line on your sketch.
	Shift + R	Rectangle	Click to draw a rectangle on your sketch.
	Shift + I	Fill	Click to fill an ellipse or rectangle with a colour.
		Fill Colour	Click to select a colour for the fill.
		Line Width	Click to select the line width to use for drawing annotations.
		Line Colour	Click to select the colour for drawing annotations.

Sketch Viewing Tools

The following buttons and keyboard shortcuts change the appearance of your sketch, but they don't affect the estimate itself.

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
		View	Click to see a list of view settings for the Sketch Workspace. The following settings can be turned off or on.
	Shift + L	Labels	Enable/disable label visibility.
		Measurement locks	Enable/disable roof measurement lock visibility.
	Shift + M	Measurements	Enable/disable measurement visibility.
		Roof Annotations	Enable/disable roof annotation visibility.
		Layers	Enable/disable visibility for various layers in the Sketch Workspace.
	Ctrl + Alt + B	Bearing Wall	Enable/disable load bearing wall visibility.
	Ctrl + Shift + O	Flooring Overlay	Enable/disable flooring overlay visibility.
		Footings	Enable/disable footing visibility.
	Ctrl + Shift + F	Framing	Enable/disable framing visibility.
		Annotations	Enable/disable annotation visibility.
	Shift + G	Grid	Enable/disable grid visibility.
	Shift + U	Imported Underlay	Enable/disable imported underlay.
	Shift + O	Outline	Enable/disable outline visibility.
		Rooms Below Stairs	Enable/disable visibility for the rooms below the stairs.
		Tip Box	Enable/disable the tip box.
	Shift + C	Ceiling Surface	Enable/disable visibility for ceiling surfaces in 3D viewing mode.
		Legend	Enable/disable the legend on the Sketch Workspace.
		3D Grid	Enable/disable grid visibility in 3-D viewing mode.
	Space (or) H	Pan Tool	Click to move a drawing or object.
	Z	Zoom	Click to activate a zoom cursor. Click the Sketch Workspace to zoom in, or Shift + click the Sketch Workspace to zoom out.
	-	Zoom Out	Click to zoom out.
	+	Zoom In	Click to zoom in.
	Ctrl (+) -	Zoom to Extants	Click view your entire sketch.
	Ctrl (+) +	Zoom to Selection	Click to show the entire selected portion of your sketch.
	1	Plan View	Click to see the floor plan view. This is the default Sketch view.
	2	Elevation View	Click to view the elevation of a desired vertical surface.
	3	3-D View	Click to see a 3-D rendering of your sketch.
	Spacebar	Study Mode	Click Study Mode. Then click and drag the Sketch to view all angles of your Sketch drawing. This is only available in 3-D View.
	K	Walk-through Mode	Click to see a 3-D view of your sketch as if you were walking through it. Use the arrow keys to move around. This is only available in 3-D View.
	Shift + [1-9]	Select View	Click to see a list of 3-D views. This is only available in 3-D view
	Shift + F	View Other Side	Click to see the other side of a wall that has been selected in Elevation View.
	Shift + H	High Detail View	Press Shift+H to change the 3-D view to high detail.
	Shift + E	Super Detail View	Press Shift+E to change the 3-D view to super detail.
	Shift + N	Normal View	Press Shift+N to change the 3-D view to normal detail.
	Ctrl + Shift + L	Load View List	Press Ctrl+Shift+L to open the View List window.
	Shift + V	Save Current View	Press Shift+V to save the current view.
	Shift + Q	Flooring Cuts	Press Shift+Q to open the Flooring Cuts window.
	Ctrl + Page Up	View Level Above	Press Ctrl+PageUp to view the level above in the sketch workspace.
	Ctrl + Page Down	View Level Below	Press Ctrl+PageDown to view the level below in the sketch workspace.

Miscellaneous Sketch Tools

Ribbon Button	Keyboard Shortcut	Name	Description
	Esc	Select	Click to clear your cursor.
	Ctrl + Z	Undo	Click to undo your last change.
	Ctrl + C	Copy	Click to copy selected items or objects to the clipboard.
	Ctrl + X	Cut	Click to remove selected items from your sketch and place them on the clipboard.
	Ctrl + V	Paste	Click to paste items or objects on the clipboard to your sketch.
		Minimize/Expand the Ribbon	Click to make the buttons on the ribbon smaller / larger.
	Ctrl	Ctrl	Holding Ctrl keeps an object active in your cursor.
	Shift	Shift	Holding Shift constrains an active cursor object. This is similar to the Ctrl button.
	Spacebar	Move Object or Move Object Name	Press Spacebar while the pointer is over an object move handle, to switch between moving an object and moving its label.
	Tab	Rotate	Press Tab to rotate an object 90 degrees clockwise.
	Shift + Tab	Rotate	Press Shift+Tab to rotate an object 90 degrees anti-clockwise.
	Shift + Spacebar	Toggle Views	Press Shift+Space to switch between 3-D and Plan views.
	F1	Xactimate Help	Press F1 to open Xactimate Help.
	F2	Rename	Press F2 to rename a selected object.
	Ctrl + T	View Summary Totals Report	Press Ctrl+T to view the Summary Totals Report.
	Ctrl + Shift + R	Reset Window layout	Press Ctrl+Shift+R to reset the window layout.
	Ctrl + Shift + 1	Search	Press Ctrl+Shift+1 to view the Search pane.
	Ctrl + Shift + 2	Items	Press Ctrl+Shift+2 to view the Items pane.
	Ctrl + Shift + 4	Images	Press Ctrl+Shift+4 to view the Images pane.
	Insert	Add Line Item	Press Insert to open the Add Line Item window.