Ask in plain words. Scalebar reads the drawing that is open, says what it will change, backs it up, then changes it. One Undo takes it back.
Free to keep. Pro is one payment, not a subscription.
Windows 10 and 11 · version 0.5.0 · 16.9 MB
The reel above, slowed down. Each part plays beside the fact that makes it true.
Vectorworks 2026 or full AutoCAD, with your file as it is. Scalebar reads its units, layers, classes, sheets and counts. Nothing to export first.
Type it the way you would say it to the next desk, in the Claude app, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI or Scalebar's own window. It knows AutoCAD's words too. Ask where paper space went.
Photograph or scan a hand sketch and drop it on the Scalebar window. It traces the ink and draws it on a layer of its own, with the photo underneath at half strength.
Sketch to drawing is Pro, and draws into AutoCAD today. The whole sketch is below.
Ask how many trees are in the plan, by species and size. Scalebar counts every plant and saves the schedule as a CSV beside the drawing.
Before anything moves, Scalebar lays out its plan: what, in what order, how many. In the Scalebar window every change waits on a dashed card until you press it.
Is this drawing to our standard?
waiting for you
A drawing in a folder you mark as client work cannot be changed until today's dated copy exists beside it. The guard is free, always on, and has no switch, not even from the chat.
It works through the list, one Undo step at a time. Edit, Undo in Vectorworks puts it back. If a dialog is open, Scalebar tells you what it says and stops. It never answers one for you.
Is this drawing to our standard?
working
Scalebar ships with a standard built from public conventions: 77 classes in 7 pen weights, ISO 128-2 line widths, US National CAD Standard layer names. Give it your office's name and make it yours. The same standard checks drawings in both programs.
Checking and fixing a drawing against the standard is Pro.
Photograph or scan a hand sketch and drop it on the Scalebar window. It finds the paper, traces the ink, tidies what you meant, and draws it on its own layer with the photo underneath.
164 lines, 175 curves, 40 circles · traced in 1.0 s
Sketch: “Backyard Makeover - the plan” by Stevie Lee, CC BY 2.0. The black lines are Scalebar 0.5.0's own trace of it, unedited.
Pro, in the Scalebar window. It needs no AI and no API key, and the photo never leaves your computer.
AutoCAD today. Vectorworks has the same button, and this page will say so once it passes its test on a real Vectorworks drawing. Not yet: handwriting, written sizes and plant labels. Words and leader lines come in as lines, as you can see above.
35 tools across the two programs read, change, check and make. When none of them fits, Scalebar writes a short script for Vectorworks, checks every call against the version you have installed, and runs it as one Undo step.
| You ask | What Scalebar does | Free or Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Read | ||
| How many trees are in this plan, by species and size? | Counts every plant and saves the schedule as a CSV beside the drawing. | Free |
| What is the area of the lawn I have selected? | Reads the selection: what it is, its size and its area. | Free |
| What is on Planting-Trees? | Finds objects by class, layer or type, and lists them. | Free |
| How is this file set up? | Reads its units, layers, classes, sheets and counts. | Free |
| Change, one Undo step each | ||
| Back up this drawing before I start. | Saves a dated copy beside it, with a snapshot to compare against later. | Free |
| Move everything I have selected to Planting-Shrubs. | Says what it will move, then moves it. | Free |
| Rename every class that starts with Plants- to Planting-. | Writes the script, checks it, then runs it. | Free |
| Check | ||
| Is this drawing to our standard? | Checks it against your standard and fixes what needs no judgement. | Pro |
| Does every sheet have a title block, scale bar and north arrow? | Checks titles, viewports, scales and numbering across the sheets. | Pro |
| What changed since this morning's backup? | Lists what was added, removed, moved, reclassed or retyped. | Pro |
| See and remember | ||
| Look at my screen. Why is this viewport blank? | Takes a picture of the program's window and reads it. | Pro |
| What weight do we use for a property line? | Answers from your standard and your office's notes folder. | Pro |
Scalebar reads Vectorworks' own help, all 1,960 pages, from the copy installed with your version. Type the word you know. It looks up the word Vectorworks uses and answers with the menu path.
| You type | Vectorworks calls it | The help page it reads | Where it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| paper space | sheet layer | Setting sheet layer properties | Tools › Organization · Ctrl+Shift+O |
| model space | design layer | Creating design layer viewports | Tools › Organization · Ctrl+Shift+O |
| block | symbol | Creating symbol definitions | Modify › Create Symbol |
| xref | reference | Opening referenced files | Window › Referenced Files |
| line weight | line thickness | Line thickness attributes | Attributes palette › Line Thickness |
| OFFSET | Offset tool | Offsetting objects | Basic tool set · Shift+- |
Each row is what Scalebar's help search returned from Vectorworks 2026 on 9 October 2026.
It also explains the drawing in front of you: its layers, classes and sheets, and what is on them. The Scalebar window adds a short tour and eight help topics of its own. All of this is free.
Free does real work on its own. Pro adds what saves time, never what prevents damage, so the backup guard is in both and always on. One Pro key covers Vectorworks and AutoCAD.
| Key | What it does | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat from the Claude app, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI or the Scalebar window | Included | Included | |
| Read the drawing, answer questions, run editsEach edit is one Undo step | Included | Included | |
| Backup guardToday's dated copy before any change to client work. Always on | Included | Included | |
| Plant schedule by species and sizeSaved as CSV beside the drawing | Included | Included | |
| Vectorworks' own help and scripting reference1,960 help pages, checked against the version you have | Included | Included | |
| Pro adds | |||
| Sketch to drawingA photo of a hand sketch, traced and drawn on its own layer. AutoCAD today; Vectorworks after its live test | Not included | Included | |
| Check the drawing against the standard, and fix what needs no judgement | Not included | Included | |
| Build the standard's classes and layers into a drawing | Not included | Included | |
| Sheet checkTitles, viewports, scales, title block, scale bar, north arrow, numbering | Not included | Included | |
| What changed since a snapshotAdded, removed, moved, reclassed, text edited | Not included | Included | |
| A template that carries the standard | Not included | Included | |
| Show the AI your screen | Not included | Included | |
| Your office's notes in a folder the AI reads and adds to | Not included | Included | |
| Attach pictures, PDFs and DWGs in the Scalebar window | Not included | Included | |
Support: Free, the forum thread. Pro, email answered within 2 business days.
Scalebar plugs into the assistant you use. Your drawing stays on your computer. The AI you choose sees what Scalebar reads for it, and nothing else.
| Where | How | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Claude desktop app | Scalebar is a connector. Press Connect to the Claude app in Settings, then restart Claude. | Your Claude subscription |
| Claude Code | The same connector, in the terminal or the Code tab. | Your Claude subscription |
| ChatGPT | A paid plan with Developer mode. OpenAI's tunnel program runs on your PC, and Scalebar starts it. | Your ChatGPT plan |
| Gemini CLI | Google's free terminal assistant. Scalebar appears when you type /mcp. | Free |
| The Scalebar window | Paste an Anthropic API key in Settings. Choose Haiku, Sonnet, Opus or Fable. | What you use, billed by Anthropic |
The Gemini app on the web and on phones cannot reach programs on your PC, so it is not supported.
Every answer we give in support gets added here.
Vectorworks 2026. Scalebar adds two commands to its Plug-ins folder, Scalebar Pump and Scalebar Listen.
Full AutoCAD 2018 or later, driven directly through Windows, with nothing installed in it. AutoCAD LT cannot be driven by other programs, so it is not supported.
It says what it will change before it changes it. In the Scalebar window every change waits on a card until you press it. Each change is one Undo step.
If Vectorworks has a dialog open, Scalebar reports what the dialog says and stops. It never answers a dialog for you.
You mark the folders that hold client work. A drawing in one of them cannot be changed until a dated copy from today exists in a Scalebar Backup folder beside it, named like SitePlan_2026-10-09.vwx.
The guard is free, always on, and cannot be switched off from the chat.
You need one of these: a Claude subscription (the Claude desktop app or Claude Code), a paid ChatGPT plan with Developer mode, Gemini CLI, which is free, or an Anthropic API key used in the Scalebar window.
No. Scalebar runs on your computer. The AI you choose sees what Scalebar reads for it. The only other things that leave your computer are the Pro key check and a daily version check. There is no telemetry.
Everything in the Pro column, in Vectorworks and in AutoCAD, on one key. It is $99.99 once. It is not a subscription, and it is not charged again when a new version of Vectorworks comes out.
Press Buy Pro. The checkout is run by our store, Lemon Squeezy, which takes the payment and emails you a Pro key.
In Scalebar, open Settings, find Scalebar Pro, paste the key and press Unlock. Scalebar checks the key with the store then, and once a week after.
Scalebar ships with its own: 77 classes in 7 pen weights, built from ISO line widths and the US National CAD Standard. Give it your office's name in Settings and edit it to match. Each class carries the layer name it takes in a DWG, so one standard works in both programs.
Building a standard straight from your office's DWG and CTB files is planned, not built yet.
Not in version 1. Leave your email and you will hear when there is.
The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may call it unrecognised. Choose More info, then Run anyway. It installs for you alone and needs no administrator rights.
Free: the Scalebar thread on the Vectorworks community forum. Pro: email, answered within 2 business days.
getscalebar.com · works with Vectorworks and AutoCAD
Version 0.5.0 · 16.9 MB · Windows 10 and 11
