Knowing the edges
This page covers where the AI estimator’s evidence runs thin and what to know before you promise a customer or adjuster something. For Rex, XBuild’s assistant across projects and connected tools, see Get started with Rex.1. What XBuild does well
- Estimates and proposals from a conversation. Describe the job, upload photos and documents, and the AI builds a priced, line-itemed proposal from your component packages and pricing settings.
- Photo documentation. AI titles and descriptions, markup on web and mobile, albums with share links, and photo report PDFs.
- Signatures and deposits. Homeowners sign electronically and pay a deposit from the link.
- Checklists. Build checklists once and run them on any project.
- Insurance work. Build a scope from scratch or supplement a carrier estimate, then publish to Xactimate or Symbility.
2. Photos are evidence, not measurements
The AI reads photos for scope hints such as layers, penetrations, and extra structures, but photo analysis is unreliable for counting and for identifying materials at a distance. XBuild won’t produce a takeoff from photos alone. Every quantity should trace to a measurement report, a carrier estimate, or a number you give, so when photos are the only evidence, the AI asks.3. Videos are for viewing
Videos play on the digital proposal. They are never analyzed by AI, never included in PDF exports, and can’t be marked up. Capture anything scope-relevant as a photo too.4. Publishing has format-specific limits
Publish is the only way to generate deliverables; there’s no separate PDF export.
Timings are in Processing times.
5. Insurance boundaries
- Estimates are RCV. The estimator doesn’t compute depreciation, ACV, or deductibles. On plans with Financials, you can record deductible and depreciation payments against a project; see Project finances. That’s bookkeeping, separate from the estimate.
- Supplementing is a separate service. Publishing gives you deliverables. Submit to insurance hands a published insurance scope to XBuild’s supplement service; see the insurance supplement flow. No one can guarantee a carrier’s approval.
6. File types
Chat and the project dropzone accept up to 250 files per upload: images, PDFs, videos (viewing only), and.esx, .xml, .skx, and .fml files, which XBuild reads directly. The full list is in Creating an estimate. Word, Excel, CSV, CAD, and ZIP files aren’t supported. Export documents as PDF, or extract a ZIP and upload the supported files.
7. What the estimator chat won’t do
The AI in a project’s Estimator tab builds the proposal. These actions happen in the UI:
Rex works differently: depending on your permissions and mode, it can prepare changes and drafts for your approval. See Act with Rex.