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Applying Design Specifications to Existing Takeoff

Design Specifications let you quickly change the type of material used for an item. Design Specifications are set-up in the data set or in the Estimate. See the "Estimate/Data: Design Specifications" topic for information on setting up Design Specifications.

Note: See Applying One or More Design Specifications for how to turn Design Specifications on prior to taking off items.

Takeoff File Maintenance in the Estimating Series allows point-and-click application of a Design Specification. The Edit > Design Spec selection or accesses the Estimate Design Specifications file where you can then select the specs to be applied (the design specification must be selected for the tool bar button to activate). Follow these steps to apply one or more Design Specs.

Note: Multiple-sized items (e.g., 1/4x2, 4x12, 1x1/2x3/4, etc.) are matched by their largest size. For example, if the item is a 2x2x4 Reduced Tee, and the Design Specification being applied covers sizes from 2-1/2 to 24, then the program will match the 4 size of the Tee as being within the spec’s range and convert the Tee to the appropriate material.

1.         Select the items. Figure 1 is an example showing item sequence numbers 30 through 35 which were taken off without a Design Specification active (there is no specification indicated in the Spec Id field).

Note: If the Spec Id field does not show in your TFM view, insert a column and label it.

Figure 1

2.         Add the Design Spec panel to your Takeoff by adjusting your screen views (see Takeoff Screen Views for more information). These are the Design Specifications set-up and activated for the selected Estimate. Next, select  or Edit > Design Specs On. 

3.         Select the Design Specifications you want to apply. The scroll bar to the right of the display can be used to review the file. Figure 2 is an example of two Design Specifications selected (in this example spec 8 was selected first, and then Ctrl-click with a mouse was used to select spec 1 also).

Figure 2

4.         As you select the specs you want, they will be applied to your selected items (Figure 3).

Figure 3

The Original Takeoff command (View menu) or toggles between the Takeoff items with their original material, before Specifications were applied.

If you realize a mistake in the application of a Design Specification, the Undo function (Edit > Undo or  can be used immediately following the procedure.