Before you start
Verify these three things before proceeding:
- Your company's Albi plan includes the Xactimate integration
- ESX generation is enabled for your company
- The project has at least one floor plan drawn on the Floor plans tab
Note: If you don't see the Xactimate option on the Floor plans page, one of the first two is likely missing. Reach out to Albi Support and we can confirm what's enabled for your account.
If your team draws floor plans in Albi, you can turn those drawings into an ESX file — the file format Xactimate uses. Your estimator opens that file directly in Xactimate, and the rooms, walls, doors, and windows come through ready for estimating. Nothing has to be redrawn.
Each floor plan in the project becomes its own story or level in the ESX file, ordered by the date the floor plan was created, earliest first.
The finished file is saved to your project's file manager, so you can download it, email it, or share it like any other project document.
ESX file vs. Floor Plan Push
Albi offers two ways to get an Albi sketch into Xactimate, and they do different things.
| Generate ESX file | Floor Plan Push | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A downloadable .esx file | Your sketch placed into an existing Xactimate project |
| Xactimate account required? | No | Yes — a connected Xactimate account |
| Best for | Working with an outside estimator, or sending the sketch to someone who owns Xactimate | Teams who already manage their claims inside Xactimate |
If you don't use Xactimate yourself, or you hand your sketches to an outside estimator, generating an ESX file is the option you want.
How to Generate an ESX file
- Open the project and go to the Floor plans tab.
- Open the Xactimate panel.
- If your company has both Xactimate features enabled, choose Generate ESX file. If only ESX generation is enabled, you'll land on it directly.
- Click Generate ESX file. A checklist appears — select which floor plans you want to include.
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- Confirm your selection to start the generation.
- While the generation runs, the button is disabled and reads Generating…, and the version history shows each step as it completes.
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- When the generation finishes, a download button appears on that version in the history.
Note: The first time you do this the button reads Generate ESX file. Once at least one version exists, it reads Regenerate ESX file.
What each step means
Every generation runs through the same five steps. On web you can watch them progress live in the version history.
| Step | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Prepare sketch | Albi converts your floor plan drawings into the format Xactimate reads |
| Bundle details | Albi attaches your claim details — name, address, and claim number — to the sketch |
| Send to Xactimate | Albi uploads the sketch to Xactimate |
| Receive ESX from Xactimate | Albi waits for Xactimate to package everything into an .esx file. This step is handled on Xactimate's side |
| Save to project | Albi files the finished .esx in your project's file manager |
Versions and regenerating
Every generation gets its own version number — Version 1, Version 2, and so on. Regenerating sends a fresh copy of the floor plans you select and produces a new file.
Regenerating replaces the file, it doesn't duplicate it. In the file manager you'll see one current .esx with its own version history, the same way signed documents work. Every version stays downloadable from the Xactimate panel.
ESX version numbers are separate from Push version numbers. Each counts on its own, so a project can be on ESX Version 2 and Push Version 7 at the same time. The two aren't related.
Deleting a floor plan doesn't change a file you already generated. Each generation is a snapshot of the plans as they were at the time. A deleted plan is simply left out of your next generation.
Only one generation at a time
A project can run one ESX generation at a time. If you start a second one while the first is still going, Albi lets you know that a generation is already in progress for that project.
Note: A Push and an ESX generation can run at the same time. The one-at-a-time limit applies to each of them separately.
If a generation stops making progress for 30 minutes, Albi marks it Failed and releases the lock so you can try again. A generation that has timed out won't finish later on its own — start a new one.
How to Download and import into Xactimate
Once a generation completes, the file is in two places.
- The version history — click the download button on the completed version.
- Your project's file manager — in the Reports folder
Then import the file in Xactimate.
Import .esx project files from your computer to Xactimate desktop
Note: Albi works in interior measurements, so your Albi dimensions will match the internal dimensions of the Xactimate sketch.
What the ESX file doesn't include
Four claim fields don't transfer with the ESX file and will be blank in Xactimate after you import:
- Date of loss
- Date received
- Date entered
- Type of loss
This is a characteristic of the ESX format itself rather than something Albi can fill in. Enter those four fields in Xactimate after importing.
Troubleshooting and FAQ's
I don't see an option to generate an ESX file
ESX generation is enabled separately from Floor Plan Push, so having one doesn't mean you have the other. Contact Albi Support and we'll confirm what's enabled for your company.
The Generate button is greyed out
A generation is already running on this project. Check the version history — the button comes back once that generation completes, fails, or times out.
Do I need a Xactimate account?
No. That's the point of this feature. Generating an ESX file doesn't require a Xactimate account or connection — Albi produces the file and hands it to you.
I regenerated. Do I have two files now?
No. The new version replaces the previous one in the file manager, so there's one current file with its own version history there. All versions stay downloadable from the Xactimate panel.
A generation timed out. Will it finish on its own?
No. Once it times out it's marked Failed permanently. Generate again — starting a new generation is always safe.
A generation failed. Did anything half-finish?
No. A failed generation never leaves a partial file in your file manager, so it's always safe to retry.
The version numbers in the file manager skip a number
The file manager only stores successful generations. If Version 3 failed, you'll see Versions 1, 2, and 4 there with nothing for 3.
Date of loss and type of loss are blank in Xactimate
Expected — see What the ESX file doesn't include above. Enter those fields in Xactimate after importing.
Still need help?
Contact Albi Support with your project name and, if you have one, the version number that gave you trouble.