Material Mapping

Mapping is the heart of the calculation. On the left is the Inventory — everything the project has to account for, wherever it came from: a 3D model published through Speckle, an IFC or Excel upload, rows you added by hand, or a sample set. On the right is the Library of materials and constructions. Mapping is the act of connecting the two. The two bars at the top right — the running total against your limit value, and % MAPPED — update with every mapping you make.

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Getting elements in

A project with no geometry offers four ways to start.

• Upload IFC model — see IFC file upload.
• Upload Excel file — see Excel file upload.
• + Material / + Type — build the inventory by hand.
• Add sample building elements — load a sample set to explore the workflow.

Geometry published through Speckle arrives on its own; each row is tagged with the model it came from. The New menu in the inventory header offers the same routes at any time.

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Material or Type

The Material / Type toggle changes how the inventory is grouped:

• Material groups by the material name that came from the authoring tool — Cast-in-place reinforced concrete, Drywall - Plasterboard. Each row says how many types use it.
• Type groups by building type — Walls: Plasterboard partition 125.

Map at whichever level is convenient. Mapping a material row applies to every type under it; mapping a single type overrides it for that type alone.

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Map by dragging

Drag a card from the Library onto an inventory row. The target picks up a dashed outline while you hover, and you can drop onto a group or onto one type inside it. The strip at the top of the inventory drops the card into a new group instead. The group you drop into opens, so you can see the result. Mapped rows turn green and show the EPD beneath the element name.

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Add a material by hand

Expanding a row reveals a Name / Unit / Amount line with an Add button. Use it for anything the model does not carry — site-poured concrete, a product you know the quantity of, an allowance.

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Mapping tools

Mapping tools holds the two automated passes. The AI Agent can also map for you: ask it in the panel, and it proposes an EPD, shows its reasoning, and waits for your approval before writing anything.

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Auto Mapping

Auto Mapping matches your inventory against the materials you have used most recently, across models. Nothing is written yet. The proposals land in the inventory as a preview — rows tagged Auto Mapped, with the suggested EPD shown underneath — and the header swaps to Accept or Reject Auto Mapping. Work down the tagged rows, drop a different EPD onto anything that looks wrong, then Accept to commit the lot — or Reject to drop every proposal.

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Missing properties

Some materials cannot be mapped until they carry a lifetime. When one is missing, the app asks before completing the mapping. Enter the service life in years — Lifetime table opens the reference values if you need them — and Save. The lifetime drives how many replacements fall inside the consideration period, so it changes the B4 result.

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Next steps