PlanSwift Tutorial: 10 Steps from Drawing to BOQ (Full Walkthrough Video)
If you have ever lost a weekend to a highlighter, a scale ruler and a stack of printed drawings, this PlanSwift tutorial is for you. Above you will find GFT’s full-length Arabic video walkthrough of PlanSwift Professional, and below it a written, step-by-step summary of everything it covers, from loading your first drawing to pushing live quantities into an Excel bill of quantities (BOQ). Watch the video end to end, or use the written PlanSwift tutorial as a quick reference while you work.
What Does This PlanSwift Tutorial Cover?
The video runs just over an hour and is presented fully in Arabic by the GFT team. It follows a real workflow rather than a feature list, so you see how an estimator actually moves through a project. It covers:
- The PlanSwift interface and the Pages/Bookmarks panel
- Importing drawings and setting the scale correctly
- Verifying the scale against known grid dimensions
- Area takeoffs for rooms and finishes
- Linking takeoffs live to an Excel BOQ
- Linear takeoffs for walls and MEP pipes
- Auto Count for repeated symbols
- Working on large plans, parking levels and MEP drawings
- Reviewing a completed, colour-coded takeoff
The rest of this PlanSwift tutorial breaks those stages into ten practical steps.
Who Is This PlanSwift Tutorial For?
This guide is written for quantity surveyors, estimators, MEP engineers and contractors across the GCC and the wider MENA region who want to move from manual, paper-based takeoff to digital measurement. You do not need prior PlanSwift experience. If you already use the software, the Excel integration and Auto Count sections are where most users find new time savings.
Step 1: Get to Know the PlanSwift Interface
When you open PlanSwift Professional, the screen is split into three main areas: the ribbon toolbar along the top, the Pages/Bookmarks tree on the left, and the drawing canvas in the centre. The Takeoff tab on the ribbon holds the tools you will use most: Area, Linear, Segment and Count. On the right side, the Templates, Parts and Inputs panel stores reusable items such as standard wall types or finishes.
Step 2: Import Your Drawings
Drawings are added as pages inside a job. PDF drawing sets, including multi-sheet sets, appear in the Pages/Bookmarks tree, where each sheet becomes its own page. Organise pages by discipline or level early on (architectural, structural, MEP, basement, typical floor) so the takeoff stays easy to navigate on large projects.
Step 3: Set the Scale Correctly
Scale is the single most important setting in any takeoff. In the video, the scale is set to 1:50 and then applied to all pages. PlanSwift shows a clear warning when you do this: applying one scale to every page is only safe if every sheet was actually drawn at that scale. If your set mixes scales, as most real projects do, set each page individually. A wrong scale silently multiplies every quantity that follows, so this step deserves a few extra seconds.
Step 4: Verify the Scale Before You Measure
Before taking off a single item, check the scale against a dimension you already know. The tutorial measures across the structural grid, confirming an overall length of 52.50 m and a 4.40 m spacing between gridlines, both matching the dimensions printed on the drawing. If your measured value does not match the printed dimension, fix the scale now rather than after a hundred measurements.
Step 5: Run Area Takeoffs for Rooms and Finishes
With the scale confirmed, the area tool is used to trace rooms such as the bedroom, kitchen, master bedroom and living room. Each item gets its own colour, and PlanSwift places a live legend on the drawing showing the running quantity for each item in square metres. This visual layer is one of the biggest advantages of digital takeoff: anyone reviewing the drawing can see immediately what has been measured and what has been missed.
Because each area item can also carry a height, PlanSwift can derive related quantities such as wall area and volume from the same takeoff, so one measurement feeds several BOQ lines.
Step 6: Link Your Takeoff Live to an Excel BOQ
This is the part of the PlanSwift tutorial that most estimators find transformative. Instead of copying numbers by hand, the video shows a BOQ template in Excel listing items such as Master Bedroom, Living Room, Electrical, 200 mm and 100 mm walls, 25 mm and 50 mm pipes, block work, doors, columns and sprinklers, each with its unit (m², linear metre or each).
With the PlanSwift add-in installed, you right-click a cell and choose PlanSwift – Takeoff. From that menu you can create a new Area, Linear, Segment or Count item, or use Select Existing Item to link a cell to a takeoff that already exists. The cell then holds a formula (PSPropertyResult) that pulls a specific property, for example quantity, linear total, wall area, volume, number of sections, segments or points.
The result is a BOQ that updates itself. When a drawing revision changes a room or a pipe run, you adjust the takeoff in PlanSwift and the Excel figures follow. The tutorial also shows a straight export of all takeoff items into a fresh worksheet, useful when you need the raw data rather than a formatted BOQ.
Step 7: Measure Walls and MEP Pipes with Linear Takeoffs
Linear takeoff is used for anything measured by length. In the video, pipe runs (25 mm and 40 mm) are traced on a large residential floor plate. Through the Properties window you set the item’s name, colour, line style and height. Height turns a simple length into wall area, which matters for block work, plaster and paint quantities. Each pipe size is kept as a separate item so it lands on its own BOQ line.
Step 8: Use Auto Count for Repeated Symbols
Counting sprinkler heads, light fittings, sockets or doors by hand is slow and error-prone. PlanSwift’s Auto Count lets you pick one example of a symbol on the drawing; the software then searches the page for matching symbols and presents them so you can review, select and place the count. On a typical floor with hundreds of fittings, this turns a long counting session into a quick review exercise.
Step 9: Take Off Large Plans, Parking Levels and MEP Drawings
The later part of the video moves to a basement parking level with a fire-fighting layout. Here you see pipe diameters ranging from Ø25 to Ø80 mm, fire hose cabinets and risers. The same tools apply, but organisation matters more: separate items by diameter and system, and use PlanSwift’s markup tools, such as revision clouds and highlights, to flag changes and open questions directly on the drawing for the design team.
Step 10: Review the Completed Takeoff
The tutorial closes on a fully measured floor plan with rooms, walls, pipes and sprinklers all colour-coded, plus a combined on-screen legend listing every item and its quantity. Before you price the job, run a final review: scan for unmeasured areas, compare the legend against your BOQ line items, and spot-check two or three quantities by hand.
Manual Takeoff vs. PlanSwift: How the Workflow Changes
| Task | Manual takeoff | PlanSwift workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Scaling | Scale ruler on printed sheets | Scale set per page, verified against grid dimensions |
| Areas | Hand calculation of each room | Traced once, quantity shown live on the drawing |
| Walls and pipes | Measured segment by segment | Linear tool with height for wall area |
| Repeated items | Counted by eye and tally marks | Auto Count with review |
| BOQ entry | Typed into Excel by hand | Live-linked cells that update with the takeoff |
| Revisions | Re-measure and re-type | Adjust the takeoff; linked BOQ cells follow |
| Review | Highlighter marks on paper | Colour-coded takeoff and on-screen legend |
Tips to Get the Most from This PlanSwift Tutorial
- Pause the video and follow along on your own drawing; you learn takeoff by doing it, not by watching.
- Build your Excel BOQ template once and reuse it, so every project starts with the same item structure.
- Name items consistently (for example "Pipe 25mm – Fire") so links and exports stay readable.
- Follow a recognised measurement standard, such as the RICS New Rules of Measurement, so your digital quantities match what clients and consultants expect.
- Keep scale verification as a habit on every new page.
Measurement standards matter as much as software: the RICS New Rules of Measurement (NRM) are a good reference for structuring your BOQ items. For a pre-tender quality check, pair this PlanSwift tutorial with our pre-bid takeoff checklist, and see how GFT combines PlanSwift with AI in AI-powered takeoff with PlanSwift.
Get PlanSwift and Training from GFT
GFT distributes and supports PlanSwift across the MENA and GCC regions, providing licences, onboarding and hands-on Arabic and English training for estimating teams. Whether you are evaluating PlanSwift for the first time or want to standardise how your team measures, we can help you set up templates, BOQ links and workflows that fit your projects.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is this PlanSwift tutorial in Arabic?
Yes. The video is presented fully in Arabic by the GFT team, and this page provides an English written summary of every step.
Do I need previous experience to follow the PlanSwift tutorial?
No. The video starts from the interface and loading drawings, so beginners can follow along. Experienced users will get the most value from the Excel integration and Auto Count sections.
Can PlanSwift link quantities directly to Excel?
Yes. With the PlanSwift add-in for Excel, you can link BOQ cells to takeoff items so quantities such as area, linear total, wall area and volume update automatically when the takeoff changes.
What file types can I take off in PlanSwift?
PlanSwift works with common drawing formats, including PDF drawing sets and image files. Each sheet becomes a page you can scale and measure.
Does PlanSwift handle MEP takeoff?
Yes. The tutorial shows linear takeoff for pipes by diameter, counts for fittings such as sprinkler heads, and markup on fire-fighting drawings, all of which apply to MEP estimating.
How can I get PlanSwift in the GCC?
GFT supplies PlanSwift licences, trials and training across the MENA and GCC regions. Request a free trial or contact the team to get started.
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