Revision Cloud Tool

Introduction

The Revision Cloud Tool is a standard annotation tool in the AEC industry, used to flag areas of a drawing or PDF that require attention, revision, or review. Revision clouds give reviewers a fast, visual way to mark up construction documents, architectural drawings, and engineering plans — making it immediately clear what needs to change and where.

Unlike plain text comments or sticky notes, revision clouds follow industry-standard drafting conventions that architects, engineers, and contractors already recognize, speeding up the review and coordination process across project teams.

Step 1: Draw a Revision Cloud

Shortcut: C

Locate the Revision Cloud Tool (cloud icon) in the left toolbar and click to activate it. Click on the canvas to set a starting point, then click and drag to draw a cloud around the area you want to highlight. Place the text location next to the highlighted area and type your comment in the text box — this creates a cloud outline, arrow, and associated comment as one annotation group.

Step 2: Move or Resize the Revision Cloud

• Resize the cloud: Select the cloud and drag the corner points or edge handles to expand or shrink the highlighted area.

• Move elements individually: Click the cloud or text first, then drag to reposition that element.

• Move as a group: Click and drag a selection area covering the cloud, arrow, and text, or hold the Shift key to select multiple elements and move them together.

Step 3: Customize Revision Cloud Properties

With any part of the revision cloud selected, click the Properties icon on the right side of the screen.

Each component can be customized independently:

• Cloud: stroke color, stroke weight, opacity, fill color, fill opacity, and cloud radius
• Leader: stroke color, weight, opacity, arrowhead direction, and size
• Text: border, typography (font, size, color), and background color and opacity

These controls follow the same behavior as the Text, Line, and Rectangle tools for consistency.

Step 4: Delete the Revision Cloud

• Desktop: Select any part of the revision cloud and press the Delete key.
• iPad: Select the revision cloud and tap the trash icon at the top of the screen.

The Revision Cloud Tool provides a powerful way to visually flag changes and communicate feedback directly on a PDF. By combining cloud highlights, arrows, and text comments, it helps reviewers clearly indicate revisions and areas of concern.