Choose a construction-site tablet by deciding whether the operator only views controlled drawings, adds field markups and hands back an issue, browses a model, or edits a design file. Those tasks need different software, permissions, input and equipment. A drawing that opens offline still needs its project, sheet, revision, approval and synchronization state checked.
This guide uses an editorial scenario: a tablet holds sheet A-214 Rev B, while the office later publishes Rev C. It is not a customer case or an AIDC GO compatibility test. Application features, permissions, file behavior and hardware suitability must be verified for the selected software, platform and device configuration.
Choose the field task before the software and tablet
Viewing controlled drawings: identify the approved sheet, open the required detail and use it at the work location. A supported mobile viewer or browser may cover this task; confirm the exact application release, account access and offline behavior. A browser page that opens online does not establish an offline workflow.
Marking up and handing back an observation: add the location, note and relevant photograph, then create or link the project record that somebody will act on. This adds input, permission, publication and receiving-team requirements. A saved personal mark is not automatically a shared drawing or an assigned issue.
Browsing a model: navigate the relevant view, inspect an object and locate an issue. Autodesk’s current Autodesk Forma mobile file guidance describes downloaded 2D/3D viewing. Its Android viewer guidance covers issues on models in the new viewer; availability depends on the app, viewer and permissions. These viewing and issue tools do not establish design-authoring capability or performance on a TX tablet.
Editing the design: if the operator must modify the native design file, name the authoring software, release, licence and workstation requirements. This is a separate purchase from a field viewer. For example, Revit 2026 requirements list 16 GB RAM even for the entry-level Windows configuration. The currently listed 8 GB TX-43 and TX-47 configurations are below that requirement; they should not be quoted as a qualified Revit 2026 authoring configuration. Passing one requirement would still not establish suitability for a complex model.
Choose the software route with the project team first. Use the Android versus Windows guide for supported builds, browser dependencies and drivers, rather than treating “CAD/BIM support” as one device feature.
Define the drawing identity before the crew leaves
Record the project or collection, drawing number, title, required revision or version set, approval status and the role allowed to use it. Similar sheet numbers can exist in different projects or collections, so a filename alone is not a sufficient identity rule.
Autodesk's current mobile Sheets documentation describes sheets organized by collection, mobile version history and update notifications in the Autodesk Forma mobile app. These are product-specific capabilities; they do not prove compatibility with an AIDC GO tablet or another document platform.
Download the required set and test it offline
Before departure, sign in under the intended field account, select the correct project and download the required sheets or files. Then disable connectivity under controlled conditions and open each needed drawing, not just the project list. Check whole-sheet view, detail zoom, references needed for the task and the storage consumed by the agreed set.
Autodesk documents project download for iOS and Android in Sync and Download Projects and file-level controls in Sync and Download Files. The latter states that downloaded files can be used offline and that “download latest version automatically” can be configured for selected files or folders. Exact behavior still depends on the named Autodesk environment, permissions and current app.
For Procore Android, Sync and Download Drawings requires Read Only or higher Drawings permission. Download the required discipline or individual sheets while connected, then check them before departure. Re-sync on a network after offline markup or a newly uploaded revision. Its offline markup guidance also requires the item to have been viewed and cached. Do not substitute an Autodesk download setting for this Procore preparation.
Separate “opens locally” from “specified for work”
In the editorial scenario, A-214 Rev B opens on the tablet after connectivity is lost. The screen proves that a local file is available; it does not prove that Rev B remains specified after Rev C was issued. The crew should compare the visible project, sheet and revision information with the project's authorised drawing register or status rule.
Autodesk notes in its mobile download FAQ that previously downloaded items can remain on a device under some changed download settings. That is another reason not to treat local presence as current approval. The applicable status must come from the project process, not from file openability alone.
| Field observation | What is known | What is still not established |
|---|---|---|
| Rev B opens with the tablet offline | A local copy is readable in the tested app and state | This does not establish that Rev B is the specified version for current work |
| The office has published Rev C | A newer office-side version exists in the named system | This does not establish that the field tablet has downloaded or acknowledged it |
| A sync completes without an error banner | The app reports completion for that sync attempt | This does not establish that every required sheet, markup and issue is current |
| A field note is visible on Rev B | A note is associated with the locally viewed version | This does not establish that it is linked to Rev C or visible to the office team |
Separate a personal markup, a published drawing and an assigned issue
Retain the project, drawing number and viewed revision with each note or question. A photograph’s timestamp alone cannot establish the drawing version. The following Procore example uses its Android Drawings tool; it is not a description of Autodesk, Windows or every construction application.
Procore’s Android markup instructions distinguish personal markup with Read Only or higher Drawings permission from publication with Standard or Admin permission. They describe finger-drawn marks and automatic saving. Publishing a markup is a separate action: saving it does not establish that the team can see it.
Adding photos also depends on Photos-tool access: Read Only permits selection of existing project photos, while Standard or Admin permits adding new ones. A punch item on a drawing needs separate Punch List permissions. Standard users can create items, but assignment requires the documented Punch Item Manager permission. Confirm who can assign and receive the work; a drawn cloud or published photo is not itself that assignment.
Application example, not a customer result: continue the A-214 Rev B scenario. A site engineer identifies a detail, adds a note and a photo at that location, then links or creates the required punch item under the authorised account. Keep the viewed revision and item identity together. After reconnecting, the receiver checks the published information, the assigned item and its attachments. If Rev C has since been issued, resolve the version conflict below; do not silently relabel the Rev B observation. This is a suggested handoff to validate, not a reported device or application test.
For an Autodesk Android route, use that product’s issue and sync states instead. Its Sync Status guidance separates upload errors from download errors. Check the relevant record in the receiving project as well as the device status; an issue being assigned, a file being downloaded and a recipient accepting the work are different events.
Reconcile changes after connectivity returns
After reconnecting, identify separately what uploaded from the field, what downloaded from the office and what changed version. Do not assume that one sync icon proves every approach is complete. Review unresolved errors, local-only notes, new sheet versions and records that were created against Rev B after Rev C became available.
Autodesk's mobile Sheets help describes an “updates available” message and manual sync when background sync is not enabled. It also notes that some markup or issue changes do not trigger the same sheet-update message. This supports testing each content type that matters instead of relying on one project-level status.
Resolve the Rev B versus Rev C decision explicitly
If the project process says Rev C supersedes Rev B, stop work that depends on the changed detail until the authorised version is available and understood. Preserve any Rev B field record with its original context, then decide whether it must be transferred, closed or re-created against Rev C. If the system cannot prove which revision is specified, escalate through the project document-control path rather than silently treating the local file as current.
The tablet and application can present evidence, but the project owner defines approval, supersession and conflict handling. This article does not establish that Autodesk, another app or any AIDC GO model automatically enforces those rules.
Shortlist the device around the chosen field application
For a supported Android field application, start the hardware comparison with the 10.1-inch TX-41, listed with Android 11 or Android 13 by configuration. For a supported Windows viewer or browser route, compare the eight-inch TX-43 with the 10.1-inch TX-47. Confirm the exact OS edition/build against the application’s requirements. These are comparison starting points, not tested Procore or Autodesk recommendations.
Use fingers for navigation and larger controls; assess a matched active pen if precise handwriting is essential; consider a keyboard for longer descriptions at a supported work position. Capacitive touch on the listed TX configurations does not establish active-pen support. Require evidence for the exact screen/digitizer, pen and application before including that feature. The pen-selection guide covers that pairing.
Open the actual drawing or model with its issue panel and keyboard, rather than comparing an empty home screen. Use the screen-workspace guide for scaling and usable context, and the outdoor screen guide for reflections and working angles. Include the carry arrangement, permitted stopping position and charging plan. Processor names and screen size cannot predict model-navigation responsiveness; evaluate the actual files over a representative session using the sustained-workload guide.
Start an enquiry, then verify the complete handoff before a sample decision
To begin, send three groups of information: the task (view, mark up, browse a model or edit a design); the application and a safe representative file or screen (include any mandatory OS and whether work loses connectivity); and the deployment (country, quantity range and carried or supported use). Unknown software details can remain questions. You do not need a complete acceptance plan for a first enquiry.
- Hardware quotation: identify the tablet configuration, supplied items and separately priced carry, keyboard, matched pen if evidenced, dock, charger and battery accessories. Confirm fit and inclusion instead of treating every photographed accessory as part of the device price.
- Software and access: the project/application owner confirms the application release, licence or subscription, account roles, drawing publication and required permissions. Agree who prepares the controlled files and downloads. A hardware price does not establish that AIDC GO supplies those services.
- Result reception: name the team that receives the drawing-linked photo or issue, assigns work and checks its state after synchronization. Agree any interface or integration work separately. A local saved mark is not a completed handoff.
Before selecting a sample or order configuration, use the actual account and files to open the specified revision offline, enter the smallest necessary mark and a longer note, attach the relevant evidence, reconnect and inspect the same record from the receiving side. Include a superseded revision and an interrupted transfer. Measure the offline set and update headroom with the storage guide; the offline transaction guide explains the separate local-versus-server result. These are proposed checks for the responsible project teams, not an included AIDC GO testing service.
Compare the published rugged tablets, then send the known requirements to AIDC GO. Use Integration & Support for documentation and responsibility questions. For the wider inspection route, see Field Service & Inspection and field operations. Software examples above follow the linked Android/mobile documentation reviewed on 1 November 2026; confirm the release and permissions used by your project.
Devices for this workflow
