Counting Studs, Joists and Posts

1. 1

   Calibrate the page

   Set scale first. The spacing tools need it, like the other measure tools.

2. 2

   Choose Count Along Line

   Select it from the measure tools or press Shift+Alt+S. A setup window asks what you're counting and the centres, with the common ones one click away, and says in a sentence what will be laid out. A sheet scaled in feet or inches starts at studs 16" o.c.; a metric sheet starts at 450 mm.

3. 3

   Trace the wall

   Click each corner, then press Enter to finish. Each straight run is set out from its start with a member at both ends, corners share one member, and studs add two more at every corner.

1. 1

   Choose Count Across Area

   Select it or press Shift+Alt+J. In the setup window pick the member type, the centres, and whether members run square to or parallel with the longest edge.

2. 2

   Trace the outline

   Click around the floor or roof plane and close it. Members are laid parallel to each other and clipped to the outline, so L-shaped and notched areas count every piece separately.

3. 3

   Check the direction

   Floor joists, ceiling joists and rafters start square to the longest edge; battens, deck boards and bars start parallel to it. Turn on Both directions for reo mesh or a ceiling grid. You can change the direction afterwards in the Properties panel.

The setup window appears the first time you pick each tool in a session. After that the tool starts straight away and the toolbar shows what it will count, such as Studs @ 450 mm crs; click it to change the centres for what you draw next. Tick Don't ask again to skip the window from then on. To change a wall or floor you have already drawn, use Spacing layout in the Properties panel (see below).

Select any length, perimeter or area measurement and open Spacing layout in the Properties panel to add a layout, change the spacing, add extras for openings or doubled studs, enter a member length for total lineal metres or feet, hide the drawn members, or remove the layout. Every change can be undone.

The label reads, for example, 9 studs @ 16" o.c. or 8 studs @ 450 mm crs, followed by the measured length. Adding the markup to the Bill of Quantities prices the member count in no, and the row follows when the layout or geometry changes. The legend, the Measurements panel and the CSV export show members too.

You can also ask in chat, for example "count the studs on these walls at 450 centres" or "remove the joist layout from the kitchen floor". The agent proposes the change on the measurements it means, you approve it, and one undo reverses it.