Using Remarkable for sketching plans

[Doug_N]

Just wondering if anyone is using Remarkable https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 for sketching building plan views etc when on site instead of a pen and paper?

[SHCanada2]

i cant figure out what it is/does.

 

It looks like something I had 20 years ago. It was an electronic pen with special paper. When you came back to the office you would dock the pen and it would download the images to your computer. It even had OCR but could not really read my writing

[Doug_N]

What I am thinking is that this device lets a user zoom in and out, something that you can't do with pen and paper.  So you can focus on getting the details of a room, then zoom out to add the next room.  Many times, I wish I had started with a bigger piece of paper. The other problem that I run into when working on an open building or taking outside measurements is that of wind when using a notebook.  Loose paper and clipboards are ok, but there is always the chance of paper getting away from you if it becomes detached.  

[DavidJames]

Can't comment on the Remarkable, but I've been using the iPad + Apple Pencil + Procreate for years now for field measurements/markups and have never looked back. 

 

[Designers_Ink]

I use the Remarkable 2 for all my As-Built sketching, meeting notes, etc.  Really one of the best tools I have.  Since I work with a draftsman, all my notes, sketches, etc. are automatically uploaded to the client's folder so we don't have to share a physical piece of paper with notes or sketches on it.  I can also access all of those notes on my computer, phone, or tablet from anywhere.  

 

It works great if I have a .pdf of an existing building plan.  I can upload it straight from my Dropbox folder, then mark any changes as I go around and verify measurements and as-built conditions.  

 

You can also keep your library of reference books, codes and span tables on it, so you can quickly refer to them out in the field as needed.  With the books on the device, you can make your own notes or highlights right on the pages for quick reference.

 

I created some customized forms for client meetings so it is really easy to go room by room with a client to talk about what they want in each room.  Kind of like a checklist so I don't forget to ask about certain details. As I get layouts done for clients, I can upload the plans I created in .pdf, then make up my notes right on the plan during the meeting with changes they want to make.  It works great for marking up corrections from my draftsman as well.  The notes then go in the client's folder so I don't ever have to try to remember what physical notepad I wrote the notes on ever again.  

 

It feels like you are writing on paper, so I like the feel of it better than my iPad, which I used to use.   I have probably had 20 clients over the past 2 years see mine during a meeting and go buy one for themselves.  The price was a bit scary, but I use it daily and it was well worth the money for me.

[tundra_dweller]

I see that Amazon is releasing a similar product later this month called the Kindle Scribe. It looks like it'd be a little cheaper by the time you figure in the cost of the pen & case. Although you'd have be tied into the Amazon/Kindle ecosystem to use it.

 

I like the idea of a digital notepad with the look and feel of paper, I'll be keeping an eye on how these compare.

[joey_martin]

I am going to look very close at this. One question @Designers_Ink, can I "sketch" to scale? In other words can I have a 24x36 or 11x17 graph paper and sketch, or just 8.5 x 11?

 

I am very old school when it comes to getting new ideas for plans out of my head and onto paper. I can't go directly to Chief and start working on an idea, I always sketch first. 

[Designers_Ink]

1 minute ago, joey_martin said:

I am going to look very close at this. One question @Designers_Ink, can I "sketch" to scale? In other words can I have a 24x36 or 11x17 graph paper and sketch, or just 8.5 x 11?

 

I am very old school when it comes to getting new ideas for plans out of my head and onto paper. I can't go directly to Chief and start working on an idea, I always sketch first. 

Version 3.0 is currently in beta testing now.  It is available to anyone wanting to test.  In this version, it allows you to pan the screen for larger paper (about legal size) on their standard blank quick sheet template.  I typically will sketch out a room or a group of rooms, then swipe right to add another sheet and keep going with my dimensioned sketch.  You can import larger (i've done 'e' size) .pdfs and pan around the entire page, so I suppose you could just import a blank D or E size page as a template and use it to make larger sketches, but the pen thickness settings to not scale exactly as you go to really big paper, so the thinnest pen setting shows thicker than if on a normal sized sheet when you get too large of paper size.  11X17 graph paper would still look good.

[DRAWZILLA]

I have a remarkable 1 for all my field notes and measurements and love it, no paper needed ever, and its all stored on the cloud. Also prints in pdf.

 

 

[joey_martin]

Thanks Jeff.

[HumbleChief]

Thanks for the updates and info - looks pretty nice and it looks like I can do my primitive sketching as well.

[Rpadge]

I’m using an IPad with an app called Morpholio Trace. It has been a game changer for me. I’ll attach some examples.

 

[Rpadge]

Also, there is a good chance Apple will be releasing a 16” IPad in the next year or so. That would be a perfect platform, (imho).