1. Choose a drawing and check its legend
Our sample is sheet E101 from the public construction drawing set for 65 Main Street, published by the Town of Thompson. It contains lighting layouts for three floors and a fixture schedule. It is a demonstration source, not a Metruno customer project.
Open the original public drawing set (PDF, E101 on page 25) ↗
Before counting, read the fixture schedule and notes. Decide whether you need Type A lights, Type B lights, or another item. Similar geometry does not establish that two symbols have the same specification.
2. Select one symbol, then search selected sheets
In Metruno, select a tight example around the symbol and choose the processed sheets to search. Avoid including adjacent text, dimensions or connecting lines where possible. A clean example gives the matcher a more useful shape to compare.
The public sample has prepared selections for Type B and Type A. Its Type B search produces ten candidate matches across the three floor layouts; Type A produces seven. These are results for this drawing and these selections, not an accuracy claim for other plans.
On your own project, search only sheets relevant to that count. Keep revisions, alternate layouts and detail-only drawings separate so the same installed item is not counted twice.
3. Confirm the item type and separate scope
Open each result on the drawing. Check the type label, fixture schedule, notes and scope. Remove false matches and add missed symbols. Inspect areas with rotated symbols, dense annotations or poor scan quality. A candidate match is a starting point for review.
Keep new work, existing items and removals separate. An existing light can be relevant to your takeoff without belonging in the material purchase quantity. A removal can require labor even when it has no new material cost.
| Scope | CSV quantity | What it means for the estimate |
|---|---|---|
| New work | 1 EA | A reviewed installation to price using your rates. |
| Existing | 1 EA | Retained in the count, kept outside pricing. |
| Removal | 1 EA | A separate removal scope; set its own material and labor assumptions. |
| Excluded | 0 EA | Retained as an excluded record, kept outside pricing. |
Excluded objects remain traceable with zero quantity. Do not turn an unresolved match into a reviewed quantity just to make a total look complete. Reconcile the accepted count against each relevant sheet before using it for pricing.
4. Export counts with their drawing references
After saving the count, download the symbol-count CSV. It contains one row per saved object, with the drawing, page, item code, description, scope, review state, quantity and location. The export contains no prices.
Retain Quantity ID and Object ID when combining exports. Importing the same export twice can double the apparent quantity in an ordinary spreadsheet. Our free electrical takeoff workbook flags duplicate objects and keeps unresolved records outside reviewed totals.
If you are staying in Metruno, carry reviewed, eligible quantities into the estimate and enter your own material and labor assumptions. See the worked takeoff-to-estimate example for the calculation.
When to use a separate selection or manual count
- Different shapes or sizes: matching supports similar sizes, approximately ±10%, and quarter-turn rotations. Use another selection for a substantially different symbol.
- Poor scans: blurred, skewed or faint drawings can require manual review and additions.
- Large counts: each count supports up to 200 matches. Split larger searches into sheet groups and reconcile the combined result.
- Linear work: conductors and raceways are not measured automatically. A symbol count is not a complete electrical takeoff.
The first Metruno project can process up to 25 selected sheets with no card required. Supported source PDFs can contain up to 150 sheets and 100 MB. A partially processed plan can produce saved-count exports, but cannot be finalized as a complete estimate. See plan limits and pricing.