Design, CAD & BOMs

How to generate a BOM from AutoCAD

After shop drawings are approved, most shops rebuild the bill of materials by hand in a spreadsheet. Spectr imports from AutoCAD and generates a BOM with barcode-scannable product records — a virtual twin that follows each panel through fabrication, shipping, and installation.

See this on your jobs CAD to BOM in Spectr

Key facts

Manual takeoff after CAD is where quantities and marks quietly diverge.
Spectr creates product records from the design file so the shop is not re-keying a drawing.
Those records are scannable. The mark on the drawing should be the mark on the label.
A BOM issued from CAD still belongs to the project — not a reusable catalog SKU.

How shops handle this

Finish the drawing the shop will actually build
Issue from the approved revision, not from a working file someone still has open.
Import into Spectr
Generate the BOM and product records from AutoCAD instead of starting a blank spreadsheet.
Check nested structure and cutlists
Confirm sheet, extrusions, and fasteners sit under the right products before anyone cuts.
Issue and label
Once issued, the floor scans the same IDs engineering just created.

Common questions

Does this replace AutoCAD?

No. Detailing stays in AutoCAD. Spectr consumes the design so operations do not retype it.

What if the drawing changes after we issue?

Treat it as a revision on the same product record. Do not invent a second Excel BOM “just this once.”

Can we still print a cutlist?

Yes — the point is the cutlist is born from the same records the shop will scan.

Experience how Spectr could fit in your shop

From the jobs you're quoting now to the installs you're managing next month — we'll walk through your actual work, not a canned tour.

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