Interpret is the Program Mode AI agent that reads a range of cells from a spreadsheet, such as a client brief or an area schedule, and turns it into program data. You can use it to create spaces or Program Blocks on the design canvas, or to set area and count targets without creating anything. You always review the result in the Interpret Table before anything is committed.

Before you start

Work in Program Mode. Interpret is one of the agents in the Program Mode AI agent dropdown, alongside Auto, Research, Analyze Site, Generate, Edit Dimensions, Assign Stories and Query (Enterprise only). The dropdown sits in the Agent panel on the left of Program Mode.
Get your program into a sheet. You can bring in a spreadsheet with Import Excel (choose Import existing program in the Get started dialog when you first open Program Mode, or use the Program Data (.csv, .xlsx, .xls) tile in the project menu's Import dialog), or type or paste your program into a blank sheet in Program Mode using your usual format.
If your project has more than one design proposal, switch to the proposal you want to work on first. Interpret writes its results to the active proposal only, and each proposal keeps its own program data sheet.

Choose Create Objects or Set Targets

Interpret offers two actions. Pick the one that matches what you want on the canvas.

Action	What it does	Use it when
Create Objects	Adds rows to the program data sheet and creates matching objects on the design canvas.	You want Snaptrude to block out the program for you.
Set Targets	Sets net or gross area and count targets. Creates no objects.	You plan to draw spaces yourself, or you already have a design and want targets to check it against.

When you choose Create Objects, you also choose what kind of objects to make:

Net area creates rooms (spaces) and sets their net area targets at the same time.
Gross area creates Program Blocks (department-level objects). It doesn't set gross targets.

Note: Creating net-area rooms doesn't create Program Blocks for their departments automatically. If you want both, run Interpret once for net area and once for gross area, or add the Program Blocks separately.

Run Interpret on your sheet

In Program Mode, open the sheet that holds your program. If you have several sheets, make sure the one you want is active.
Click and drag to select the range of cells you want to interpret. Include the header row so Interpret can tell what each column means.
Choose Create Objects or Set Targets from the actions that appear above the prompt box in the Agent panel once you have a valid selection. The agent dropdown switches to Interpret.
Optionally, type a short prompt describing how to read your columns (see the examples below). Leave it empty if your headers are clear.
Press Enter to run.
When asked, choose Net area (rooms) or Gross area (Program Blocks).
Wait while Interpret reads and processes the selection. It then shows its results in the Interpret Table.
Review and edit the table (see the next section), then click Continue to commit.

Tip: In a new project where you have just imported a program spreadsheet, the Create Objects action is offered straight away, so you can go from spreadsheet to blocked-out program in a few clicks.

Example prompts

Goal	Example prompt
Map columns explicitly	`Create spaces using "Room Name" as space label, "Area" as area and "Qty" as count.`
Keep extra columns as metadata	`Create spaces using "Room Name" as label, "Area" as area, "Qty" as count. Add "Category" and "Code" as metadata.`
Combine columns into one label	`Use "Department" + "Room Name" as the space label, "Area" as area and "Qty" as count.`

Review and edit results in the Interpret Table

The Interpret Table is a preview of what will be created. Nothing reaches the program data sheet or the canvas until you click Continue.

With Create Objects, Interpret reads more than labels and areas. Where your sheet has the information, it also picks up:

Department, space label, area and count
Length, width and ratio (proportion). If no dimensions are given, objects default to square proportions.
Height
Story. Floor names are mapped to stories, so "First Floor" becomes Story 1.
Any other columns you select, which come through as custom metadata columns.

To correct a value, click the cell in the Interpret Table and type the new value. Area, length, width and ratio are linked: change one and the related values recalculate, and every cell that changed is highlighted so you can see the knock-on effect before you commit.

Note: Length, width, ratio, height and story extraction applies to Create Objects. Set Targets works with area and count targets.

Set targets without creating objects

Use Set Targets when you want to design the spaces yourself and use the brief as a checklist.

Select your cells and choose Set Targets.
Choose Net area to set room targets, or Gross area to set department targets.
Review the Interpret Table and click Continue.

If you set gross (department) targets, you also need net (room) targets for the rooms in those departments. A department's total is calculated from the areas of its rooms, so department values only appear in the net summary once room targets exist. You can add room targets by running Set Targets again with Net area, or by drawing rooms, giving them a Department tag in the Properties panel, and setting their targets.

Tips

Always select a specific range. Selecting the whole sheet with Ctrl + A (Cmd + A on Mac) can fail or give less accurate results.
Clear, well-labeled column headers improve accuracy. For complex sheets, add a structured prompt that maps your columns.
Split very large programs into several selections, for example one department at a time. You can run Interpret as many times as you like, across any number of sheets; each run appends to the program data sheet.
Check that you're on the right proposal before you run Interpret, because results go to the active proposal.

Troubleshooting

The Create Objects and Set Targets actions don't appear. Make sure you are in Program Mode and have selected a valid range of cells, including the header row, on the active sheet.
Departments show no values in the summary. You have gross targets but no room targets. Set net targets for the rooms in those departments.
I created rooms but there are no Program Blocks. This is expected. Run Create Objects with Gross area to add Program Blocks.
Objects landed in the wrong proposal. Switch to the correct proposal and run Interpret again there.

Import Excel into Program Mode
Program Mode overview
Program Data Sheet and Custom Program Sheets
Program Blocks and Departments
Design Proposals
Snaptrude Agent

Interpret: Turn Spreadsheet Data into Program Objects or Targets