When you're walking a building for a flat-glass bid, Measure it with your camera lets you estimate a window's width and height from a single photo instead of stretching a tape across every pane. You hold a sheet of paper against the glass, take a photo, and tap a few points. The app works out the size and fills it into the window form. It's part of the Flat Glass tools in the mobile app, which are for staff with sales or manager access.
Before you start
- You need a standard sheet of letter paper. The tool uses its 11-inch long edge as the ruler. You can use a different object if you know its exact length.
- Allow camera access when your phone asks. If you turned it off earlier, the app shows "Camera access needed"; turn it back on in your phone's Settings.
- The measurement is worked out on your phone. The photo isn't uploaded or saved to the bid.
Getting to the measuring tool
The tool opens from the window form inside a flat-glass bid:
- Tap the round thumb button at the bottom of the screen to open Go to, then tap Flat Glass under Sales.
- Tap New Bid, pick the customer and building, fill in the bid details, and tap Start walking the building.
- Tap Add a line (floor / elevation) if you haven't added one yet, then tap Add window on that line.
- In the window form, tap Measure it with your camera.
Taking the measurement
The screen is titled Measure Opening, and the instructions at the top change as you go.
- Hold the sheet of paper flat against the glass, then tap Take photo and photograph the whole opening.
- Calibrate. Tap both ends of the paper's long edge in the photo. Each tap drops an amber dot.
- Confirm the length. Next to "That distance is", the box is pre-filled with 11 inches. Leave it for letter paper, or type the real length of whatever you tapped. Tap Confirm.
- Width. Tap both ends of the opening's width. These dots are green.
- Height. Tap both ends of the opening's height. These dots are a third color, so you can tell the three pairs apart.
A Measured opening card then shows the result in inches, to one decimal place, for example 36.5" × 48.0".
- Tap Use these measurements. You go back to the window form with Width (in) and Height (in) filled in.
- Check the numbers, set Qty and Window type, and tap Add window to save it to the line.
Starting over
Tap Retake photo at any point to clear the photo and all your dots and begin again. If you mis-tap during a step, tapping again moves that step's dots. Only the last two taps count.
If you tap Confirm with no length, or a length of zero, you'll see "Enter how many inches the reference you tapped is."
Getting an accurate reading
The result is an estimate. The app reminds you that accuracy depends on holding the phone flat and square to the glass. For the best results:
- Stand straight in front of the window, not at an angle.
- Keep the paper flat against the same pane you're measuring.
- Tap the very ends of each edge, not near them.
- If a window is close to a size cutoff, re-measure it with a tape.
You can always edit the width and height by hand in the window form before you save.
Related articles
- The Flat Glass module: bids, projects, and buildings
- Why your installer sees a different mobile menu than you do
Frequently asked questions
Q: What do I need to measure a window from a photo?
A: Your phone's camera and an object of known length held flat against the glass. A standard sheet of letter paper works well; the tool assumes its 11-inch long edge unless you change the number.
Q: Can I use something other than a sheet of paper?
A: Yes. After you tap both ends of the object, type its real length in inches next to “That distance is” and tap Confirm.
Q: Is the photo saved to the bid?
A: No. The measurement is worked out on your phone and only the width and height are passed back to the window form. The photo isn't uploaded.
Q: How accurate is the measurement?
A: It's an estimate. Accuracy depends on holding the phone flat and square to the glass. If a window is a borderline call, re-measure it with a tape, and edit the numbers in the window form if needed.
Q: Why can't I find the measuring tool?
A: It's inside the Flat Glass bid flow, on the window form under Measure it with your camera. Flat Glass is only available to staff with sales or manager access in the mobile app.