Program Mode is Snaptrude's spreadsheet for your space program. Each row is linked to a space in the model, so target areas and counts sit right next to what the design actually achieves, and edits flow both ways between the sheet and the canvas. Use it to set up a brief, track target against achieved area by space and by department, and pull program tables into Present Mode.
Open Program Mode
Open a project.
Click the Program tab in the top bar. Program Mode opens in a separate browser tab.
To go back to the model, switch back to the project's browser tab, where Design Mode is still open.
Note: The first time you open Program Mode in a new project, a Get started dialog asks whether to use the Snaptrude template (view live linked data from the design canvas) or Import existing program (generate objects from your program table). Each project starts with three sheets: P1 - Program, P1 - Site Analysis and P1 - Envelope Data.
Note: If your project uses Design Proposals, each proposal has its own program data sheet, site analysis sheet, layers, saved views and area metrics. Program Mode shows the sheet for the active proposal, so switch proposals before you edit. Tags are shared across all proposals.
Create a program
Choose the route that matches where your brief comes from:
Direct entry: type labels, area per object and count straight into the program data sheet. Snaptrude creates a space for each row.
Import Excel: bring in an existing Excel program. Sheets, layout, formatting and formulas are kept, which suits multi-tab programs.
Interpret: if your program is in your own sheet format, select the cells (including the header row) and choose an Interpret action. Create Objects builds spaces on the design canvas, either as Net area rooms (which also sets targets) or as Gross area Program Blocks. Set Targets sets net or gross targets without creating any geometry. You review the results in the Interpret Table before anything is committed.
Program Mode AI agents: use the agent panel on the left of Program Mode and its agent dropdown. Auto is the default: it suggests an agent for your prompt, and you either confirm with Yes, proceed or choose No, I'll select myself and pick one. The other options are Research, Interpret, Analyze Site, Generate (Gross Area Objects, Net Area Objects, Charts), Edit Dimensions, Assign Stories and Query (Enterprise plan only). You can attach a PDF brief.
Snaptrude Agent: in Design Mode, click the Agent button on the far-left rail, then describe the project or attach an RFP in the chat to have it draft the program and stack departments for you.
Once a program exists, keep refining it by editing cells directly or by prompting changes.
Understand the program data sheet
The columns are grouped so you can read the program at a glance. If some column groups are collapsed, expand them to see every group.
Input fields
Column | What it does |
Label (required) | The name of the space, for example Classroom or Lobby. |
Area per Object (Achieved) (required) | The net area of one instance of the space. It starts as the value you enter and then reflects changes made in Design Mode. If you edit it here, the space keeps its width and its length changes to match the new area. |
Count (Achieved) (required) | How many of that space exist in the model. |
Department Name | The department the space belongs to. |
Department Color | The colour used for that department. |
Design fields
Column | What it does |
Area per Object (Target) | The target area set when the program was created. Editing it does not change the geometry or the achieved area. |
Count (Target) | The target count set when the program was created. Editable. |
Story | The story the space sits on. Updates automatically as you model, and can be changed here. |
Height | Defaults to the story height. Override it here for a space that needs a different height, or change the height on the canvas. |
Width | Changing the width keeps the area and recalculates the length. |
Length | Changing the length keeps the width and changes the achieved area. |
Ratio | Width divided by length. Enter a ratio to reshape the space while keeping its area. |
Net Area Summary
Read-only columns that compare target and achieved area for each space: Net Area (Target) (target area per object × count), Net Area (Achieved) (achieved area per object × count), Area difference (achieved minus target) and Difference %.
Department-wise area summary
Departments come from the Department tag. Gross-area Program Blocks nest under their department row, while net or unclassified spaces list as spaces. The department columns show net and gross totals for target and achieved area.
Efficiency is editable and defaults to 1.4. It accounts for circulation, walls, shafts and other unprogrammed area.
Gross Area Target comes from the department row's own gross area inputs when you fill them in. When they are empty, it is calculated as Net Target × Efficiency.
Efficiency (Achieved) shows the efficiency of the current design, so you can compare it with your target.
Custom calculations
Use the custom calculation columns for formulas such as occupancy factor, occupancy load or cost per area, and add your own columns for notes or local code calculations. If you import a Revit model, its built-in and custom room parameters appear here as read-only columns.
Tags, Area Type and Layer
Tag columns: one column per tag category (for example Department, Building or Phase). Double-click a cell to assign a tag value or create a new one. You can edit and delete values from the same dropdown. A space can have one tag per category.
Area Type: sets whether a space counts as Net, Gross or Excluded area. Each Space Type has a default, and you can override it here or in the Properties panel. Spaces created from Program Mode default to the Room space type.
Layer: shows the layer each space is on. You can move a space to another layer from this column. Create and manage layers in the Layers Panel in Design Mode.
Filter and sort the program
Filter and sort columns in Program Mode much as you would in Excel or Google Sheets. They work on the program data sheet and on your own sheets.
Filter: filter on one or more columns to show only the rows you need, for example a single department, the department rows for a color legend, or a list of space labels.
Sort: order rows by any column, such as a custom sub-department column.
Combine filters and sorting to pull out exactly the data you want to copy into Present Mode. To switch the sheet layout, use Toggle Detailed / Compact on the Snaptrude ribbon tab.
Note: Filtering doesn't work in Safari. Use Chrome for the best experience.
Copy program data to Present Mode
Select the cells you want in any Program Mode sheet.
Copy them with
Ctrl+C(Cmd+Con Mac), the Right-click menu Copy, or the toolbar.Switch to Present and paste onto a sheet.
The pasted table is a vector table that keeps your cell formatting. You can resize it and it exports as vector PDF.
Note: The pasted table is a static snapshot, not live-linked. If the program changes, copy and paste it again. Hidden or grouped rows aren't copied, and angled text, images and underline aren't supported.
Tips
Filter and sort before copying, so only the rows you need land in Present Mode.
To group and roll up program data your own way (for example Story, then Department, then Space), create a Custom Program Sheet with Group by on the Snaptrude ribbon tab. Edits there sync with the model.
To save the program as a file, click Export (top-right, or on the Snaptrude ribbon tab) and choose Xlsx or Pdf.
Related articles
Import Excel into Program Mode
Interpret: build a program from your own sheet
Custom Program Sheets
Tags and Space Types
Design Proposals
Snaptrude Agent