Legend-native takeoff · fire, security, low-voltage
Design, estimate, and submit — from the legend, not a catalog.
MatrixAI reads a drawing the way an estimator does: against the title-block legend, not a generic catalog. The output is a counted plan, a priced bill of materials, and a manufacturer submittal.
Solo $129/mo · Crew $299/mo · Built for the two-person estimating desk
Devices
69
Materials
$25,315
Labor
57.2h
The problem
Integrators still count hexagons by hand, then retype them into Excel, then chase cut sheets.
The wedge
Legend-native count + priced catalog + submittal. One workflow instead of Bluebeam + Excel + a binder.
Who it's for
Fire, security, and low-voltage shops bidding design-build and plan-and-spec — the desk that cannot afford Accubid.
Workflow
Five steps. Counted plan to AHJ package.
01
Capture the legend
Drop the symbol table. Codes (SFP, CR, PIR…) are saved to a reusable library.
02
Ingest the sheet
PNG or multi-page CD PDF. Pick the SS pages. Landscape orients itself.
03
Count against it
Hits are rings on the drawing, not opaque blobs, so the glyph stays visible.
04
Explode the kit
A camera becomes camera + license + mount + cable drop + 1.0 hr labor.
05
Price and package
Supplier SKUs become a quote. A submittal pulls manufacturer cut sheets.
Versus the patchwork
GC tools measure rooms. Electrical tools count symbols. None of them finish the job.
| Place by hand | Counted plan | BOM | Pricing | Cut sheets | Code check | Legend-native | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluebeam | — | manual | — | — | — | — | — |
| STACK / PlanSwift | rooms | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Countfire | — | symbols | — | — | — | — | |
| Accubid / ConEst | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AlarmCAD | CAD | — | — | — | — | partial | — |
| MatrixAI | in test | — |
Legend-native means the mark in your symbol legend, not a generic catalog and not a claim that we own “AI.” Code check is not in the product. A count stays dashed until a person confirms it.
Legend-native, not catalog-native
GC takeoff tools don't know what a Signo 20 is. Matrix matches the marks on YOUR legend.
Rings, not blobs
Each hit is a ring so the glyph stays visible. Coverage radii for PIR and smoke when you need a glance.
Quote after devices exist
No empty spreadsheet. Material / labor split, kit lines, CSV / PDF, manufacturer PDFs with a Matrix cover.
Founder
Damian Buehrle. The trade, then the software.
Senior Strategic Account Manager at Everon (formerly ADT Commercial) since 2017. Global Account Manager at Tyco Integrated Security / ADT from 2000 to 2017. Access control, video, and intrusion from design review through FAT/SAT and handover.
Delivery work in that career included John Deere, Caterpillar, Primark, Cyxtera, Iron Mountain, Tesla, UTC, Carrier, Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, and Rockwell Collins. Those names are not Matrix customers and not endorsements.
What you can demo today
- Brookside Civic Center SS-101 — a worked example, not a live scan. The title-block legend is already captured. Count those codes, then open BOM, quote, and submittal. Material on that count is $25,315. Labor is 57.2 hours at $85.
- 69 devices after count — cameras, openings, smokes, and head-end explode into kit lines with labor.
- Your own PDF — load the set, check the sheets, and confirm the rings. That path is the test. It is not the same thing as the Civic example.