How it works
- Select one copy of the symbol on the sheet, or in the legend.
- The software searches the sheet for shapes that match.
- It marks each match and gives a total.
- You remove the false matches and add the ones it missed.
- You repeat for the next symbol or the next sheet.
Where it works well
- Clean vector PDF sheets.
- Symbols drawn at one size, with space around them.
- A clear legend with one meaning for each symbol.
- High-count items, such as receptacles on a power plan or sprinkler heads on a ceiling plan.
Where it fails
- Scanned sheets with broken lines.
- Symbols that are rotated, mirrored or drawn at another size.
- Symbols that touch linework or text.
- One symbol with different tags, where the tag sets the type.
- The legend, typical details and enlarged plans. They can add copies that are not real items.
- Items shown by a note or a schedule and not by a symbol.
What a symbol count does not tell you
A symbol shows where an item is. The schedule and the spec say what the item is: the model, the mounting, the finish and who supplies it. A fixture tag on a plan means little without the fixture schedule. A spec can also require an item that no sheet shows. No symbol search finds that item.
How to check a count
- Look at the marks on the sheet, not only at the total.
- Compare the total with the schedule quantity when a schedule gives one.
- Count one room by hand and compare.
- Check the legend and the details for false matches.
- Read the plan notes for items marked by others or owner furnished.
AI and takeoff software · Updated 11 Nov 2026