VoltaELECTRICAL ESTIMATING
Feature · Takeoff

PDF to electrical takeoff software

Drop a PDF tender set into your browser and get back a drafted electrical takeoff — every device, fixture, wire allowance and panel as an editable quantity. That literal workflow, PDF in → reviewed takeoff out, is what VOLTA is built around.

How the PDF becomes a takeoff

  1. Upload the drawings. The PDF is read in your browser, on your device — nothing is uploaded to a server. VOLTA extracts the drawing text and opens a reference viewer for zooming into dense sheets.
  2. The AI drafts quantities. Mined facts (suites, levels, buildings, panels, service size) drive parametric rules that draft counts across twelve divisions in seconds — the same conceptual-estimating logic an experienced estimator uses, automated.
  3. You review and adjust. Every quantity is a stepper. Change a count and the bid recalculates instantly; your edited lines are never overwritten by a re-run.
  4. Price and send. Labour rates, NECA-style factors, markup, contingency and tax — then a client-ready quote, plus a calculation report showing the math behind every line.

The honest part

VOLTA drafts from the drawing text, not measured geometry. Device and assembly counts are parametric; wire and conduit metres are allowances scaled from floors and buildings, and the calculation report labels them exactly that way — adjust the metres to your routed lengths before the bid goes out. AI drafts, contractor decides. That's the design, stated plainly.

Frequently asked

How do I convert a PDF drawing into an electrical takeoff?
Upload the PDF to VOLTA in your browser. It extracts the drawing text, mines it for project facts (suites, levels, panels, service size), and drafts quantities across twelve divisions — lighting, power, fire alarm, data, distribution, wire. You review and adjust every quantity, then price it.
Does it work with scanned PDFs?
VOLTA reads text-based PDFs — drawings exported from CAD with embedded text. A photo scan with no text layer won't yield detections; you can still build the takeoff manually with the drawing open in the built-in viewer.
Is the AI takeoff measured from the drawing geometry?
Quantities are drafted from the drawing text and parametric rules — per-suite assemblies × suite count, corridor packages × floors. Wire and conduit metres are parametric allowances, not measured routes, and VOLTA tells you so in the calculation report: adjust metres to your actual runs before final pricing.
Is there an electrical takeoff app for my phone or tablet?
VOLTA runs in the browser on a laptop, tablet or phone — no app to install. The drawings are processed on your device, and your estimate saves as a file you own.
What does it cost?
One plan: 30-day free trial, then $9.99 CAD/month plus applicable tax. The PDF takeoff, pricing cockpit, calculation report and client-ready quotes are all included.
Can I trust the draft enough to bid?
Treat it as a strong first pass, not gospel — VOLTA says so on every screen. The draft means you start reviewing at 80% instead of counting from zero; every figure stays editable and feeds the bid instantly.

Your next tender is the test. PDF to reviewed takeoff, free for 30 days.

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