Room areas and perimeters are the basis of flooring, plaster, paint and skirting quantities in architectural and structural projects. Measuring every room in AutoCAD and typing the values into a table is slow and error-prone.
Measuring areas with AutoCAD's built-in tools
- AREA command: Pick corners or select an object to see area and perimeter. The result stays in the command line, so you still have to type it into a list.
- BOUNDARY command: Click inside a closed region to create its boundary as a polyline, then read the area in the Properties palette.
- Fields in text: Link a polyline's area to a text to build a label – one room at a time.
These are fine for a few rooms. On a floor with dozens of rooms they take hours, and copying values into a table invites mistakes.
Net area vs. gross area
- Net (interior) area: Measured from the inner faces of walls. Used for finishes, paint and skirting.
- Gross (exterior) area: Measured from the building's outer boundary. Used for construction area and cost estimates.
Decide which one you need before you start; mixing them up is one of the most common takeoff errors.
Automated area and perimeter takeoff with BoundaryPlus
BoundaryPlus is a free AutoCAD LISP add-in that does all of this in one go:
Tips
- Make sure room boundaries are really closed; open corners break the calculation.
- Keep tags on their own layer so you can toggle them when plotting.
- Link the Excel list directly to your flooring or paint quantities.
FAQ
Does it work on AutoCAD LT? No, LISP add-ins require the full version of AutoCAD.
Is it paid? BoundaryPlus is currently free for a limited time.