Counting

Counting covers everything priced per item rather than per area or length: trees, light fittings, bollards, manholes, furniture, sanitary ware.

There are two ways to do it. Place markers yourself with 🔢 Count (C), or find every instance of a symbol at once with 🔍 Auto Count (A).

Manual counting

Best when there are few items, or when the symbols vary too much for automatic matching.

1. Select Count (C).
2. Set the group name and colour, as you would for any takeoff.
3. Click each item on the drawing.

Each click places a numbered marker and increases the group total. Markers are numbered as you place them so you can work through a drawing methodically and see where you got to.

Marker size and shape

Marker size can be adjusted so markers stay readable on a dense sheet without covering the symbol underneath.

Markers can also take different shapes: circle, box, triangle, diamond, star, plus, cross and tick. Circle is the default.

Shape is worth using deliberately. On a drawing carrying several count groups, giving each a distinct shape as well as a distinct colour keeps them apart when the sheet is printed in black and white, which colour alone cannot do.

The total counts markers, not numbers

If you delete a marker, the total drops by one. Marker numbering may then have a gap in it, which is expected and harmless. The number on a marker is a label to help you navigate, and the total always reflects how many markers exist.

Auto Count

Best when a symbol repeats many times. You show PixelTakeoff one example and it finds the rest.

1. Select Auto Count (A).
2. Select a clear, complete example of the symbol as the Template.
3. Adjust the settings below if the results need it.
4. Review the proposed matches, then accept.

Settings

Setting	What it does
Match Similarity	How closely a candidate must resemble your template. Slide toward Fewer matches (strict) to cut false positives, or More matches (loose) to catch variants you are missing.
Sensitivity	How finely the drawing is examined. Raise it for small or tightly packed symbols.
Rotation Detection	Whether symbols placed at different angles are matched. Set to No rotation when every symbol sits the same way up, which makes matching stricter and cleaner.
Duplicate Distance	How close two matches may be before they are treated as the same item. Raise it if one symbol is being counted twice.
Filter by Color	Restricts matching to a chosen colour, which is effective when the same shape means different things in different colours.

Choosing a good template

The template decides everything that follows.

• Pick an instance that is complete and unobstructed, not one overlapped by a leader line or dimension.
• Pick a typical one rather than an unusual variant.
• Include the whole symbol and as little surrounding drawing as possible.

If results are poor, changing the template is usually more effective than adjusting settings.

Reviewing before accepting

Auto Count proposes matches and waits for you. Nothing is added until you accept.

Matches sitting very close to an existing marker are flagged as likely duplicates, so you can uncheck them rather than hunting for double counts later. Work through the proposals, untick anything wrong, and accept the rest.

Two failure directions, and what to do:

• Missing items: loosen Match Similarity, raise Sensitivity, or enable rotation if symbols are placed at angles.
• False matches: tighten Match Similarity, or use Filter by Color if the wrong matches are a different colour.

Run it, review, adjust, run again. Two quick passes beat one long fight with the settings.

Counting accurately

Count one item type per group. Trees and bollards in one group gives you a number you cannot price.

Do a manual sweep after an automatic pass. Auto Count is fast but the drawing decides how well it works. A quick visual scan for anything obviously missed is worth the minute.

Watch for items on a boundary if you are using zones. A marker counts in the zone its centre falls in.

Check the count against the drawing’s own schedule where one exists. A planting schedule listing 47 trees against your 43 is telling you something useful.

Common questions

Can I mix manual and automatic counting in one group? Yes. Run Auto Count, then add anything it missed by hand. They go into the same total.

Can I move a marker? Yes, drag it. The total does not change, since it counts markers rather than positions.

Why is my count higher than expected? The usual cause is one symbol matched twice. Raise Duplicate Distance and re-run, or find the doubled markers on the drawing.

Does marker size affect anything? No. It is display only, so make markers whatever size is readable.