Smart Count - Devices

Overview

The Smart Count Devices tool in AECInspire automates the identification and counting of power symbols and all non-lighting fixture symbols on your sheets. Using an AI agent, the system scans selected sheets, identifies every device symbol, reads adjoining tags, and maps each to an assembly where a match exists — including applying default attributes such as label, height, and layer automatically. Previously, symbols had to be identified manually; Smart Count Devices handles this for you. Once the scan is complete, you review the results, make any assembly adjustments, add any missed symbols, ignore any that shouldn't be counted, and then place all assemblies onto the sheet in one action.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Open Inspire Search and Select Smart Count Devices Navigate to the Inspire Search tab and scroll down to Smart Count Devices. Click to activate the tool.

Step 2 — Select Sheets to Search A list of available project sheets appears. The sheet you currently have open will have a green checkmark by default. Check any additional sheets you want included in the scan.

Step 3 — Click Next to Run the Analysis Click Next to start the agent scan. The system will identify all device symbols on the selected sheets, read their tags, and map them to assemblies. Assembly mappings will default to your assembly template if one is configured, or to the system defaults otherwise.

Step 4 — Review Initial Results Once analysis is complete, the results screen displays all identified symbols with their assigned assembly and a confidence level for each match. The system automatically applies the initial label for each device — you can change any label at this stage.

Step 5 — Adjust Assemblies as Needed For any device where you want to change the assembly, navigate to the Assembly Group and Assembly tabs and select the correct assembly (e.g. switching to End Wall for a junction box). When you update an assembly, the label, height, layer, and all default attributes update automatically to match.

Step 6 — Ignore Any Devices to Exclude In the right-hand results panel, scroll through the list of found symbols. Click Ignore next to any device you do not want included in the final count. Ignored items are removed from the count but can be toggled back on if needed.

Step 7 — Add Any Missed Symbols If a symbol was missed during the scan, click Add Symbols. Highlight the missed symbol on the sheet and the system will search for and find all matching instances of that symbol across the selected sheets.

Step 8 — Assign Assembly to Manually Added Symbols For any manually added symbol, assign the appropriate assembly from the Assembly Group and Assembly tabs. The system will apply the matching tag override and all default parameters from your saved assembly standard.

Step 9 — Place Assemblies Once the review is complete, click Place Assemblies. All counted devices are placed onto the sheet with their labels, layers, and attributes applied — ready for detailing and connecting.

Understanding the Results

The right-hand results panel displays each identified symbol with:

• Confidence Level — How confidently the system matched the symbol to a known device type. Review lower-confidence matches more closely.
• Assembly Mapping — The assembly the system has assigned to that symbol, based on your template or system defaults.
• Label — The initial label applied by the system. This can be edited at any point during review before placing assemblies.

Notes & Tips

• The currently open sheet is always pre-selected with a green checkmark — add additional sheets from the same screen before running the scan.
• Assembly defaults (label, height, layer) are applied automatically when you select an assembly, so you do not need to manually configure those attributes for each device.
• Use Ignore to cleanly exclude symbols from the count without removing them from view — and toggle them back on if you change your mind.
• The Add Symbols tool is useful for catching overlapping or unusual symbols the agent may have missed. Highlight the symbol on the sheet and the system finds all matching instances automatically.
• All labels, layers, and parameters from your saved assembly standards are carried through on placement, meaning the sheet is ready for detailing and connecting immediately after Place Assemblies.