Other Digital Takeoff Tools

MARKER: The Marker tool can be used to add lines to your Sheet image that are not counted as an annotation. Marker lines will not be displayed in the Notepad. To use the Marker tool, click or select Takeoff > Line Marker. Next, left-click on your Sheet and hold down the mouse button while you draw your Marker lines. You can adjust the style and color of Marker line from the Drawing Tools tab or in the Preferences window under the Colors & Tools tab or from the Drawing Tool Tools

AREA: This tool allows you to highlight a rectangular area in the Sheet image. This area highlight is not linked to any annotation nor is it displayed in the Notepad. To use the Area tool, click from the toolbar or select Takeoff > Area Marker. Next, left-click and hold down the mouse button while you highlight the desired rectangular area of your Sheet image. You can adjust the highlight color from the Drawing Tools tab or in the Preferences window under the Colors & Tools tab. The total Sq ft (or Sq M) of the highlighted area is displayed in the left panel of the Status Bar labeled Marked Area. If you select multiple areas, the status bar shows the total square footage of the areas, including any overlap.

If you have checked Display line segment lengths in System Preferences > Settings tab, each separate area will have labels that describe that area. The segment lengths for each side of the area are measured as they are drawn. The last segment displays that segment length and the total area.

TRACE AREA: This tool allows you to highlight an area of the Sheet image. This area highlight is not linked to any annotation nor is it displayed in the Notepad. To use the Trace Area tool, click or select Takeoff > Trace Area Marker. Next, left-click from point to point as you outline (or trace) the area. Then end with a right-click at the final point. You can adjust the fill color on the Drawing Tools tab or in the Preferences window under the Colors & Tools tab. To see the total Sq ft (or Sq M) of the trace area, select the Area tool, then click in the traced area. The square footage will display in the bottom left corner of the takeoff screen.

If you have checked Display line segment lengths in System Preferences > Settings tab, each separate area will have labels that describe that area.

SHEET: This function will open the Job Setup window, which allows users to add/manage images or “Sheets” for Digital Takeoff.

ADD: This Digital Takeoff function can be used to add to an item (or group of items) already taken off. To do so, follow these steps:

Select desired Digital Takeoff annotation using the Select function.
Click Add.
Increase the annotation, for example, for a Line, draw additional lines. For Count, simply add more symbols.
When finished, click Add (or Finish).
Switch back to Standard Takeoff to verify the change to the item.

BREAK: The Break function allows the user to combine multiple Segmented Line annotations. For example, a user could start a takeoff run and instead of pressing Finish and ending the takeoff run, the Break option is used. Now the user is free to draw another run in a different section of the image, which will still be considered the same item in Standard Takeoff. Break is only used with the Segmented Line tool.

ADD DROP, ADD RISE, ADD (Horizontal) RUN:

These options allow you to manually mark on a drawing where the line turns. Drop signifies a turn down, Rise signifies a turn up (please note that a rise actually looks like it turns up on a drawing when components are shown), and Horizontal signifies a turn to the side.
Click on the drawing where the turns occur and Estimating places your chosen symbol at those locations. Select symbols at Digital Takeoff Preferences > Colors & Tools tab > Drop Options > Symbols.
When you finish your additions, Estimating adds the drop line and elbows. These can now be taken off.
Adding Drops and Rises uses the pipe installation defined for risers.
Add Run uses the pipe installation defined for hangers.

Having Add Rise and Add Run on your toolbar depend on your preferences. Use the checkboxes for Allow Rises and Allow Horizontal Runs in Digital Takeoff Preferences > Colors & Tools tab.

If you have not specified a Drop Length on the toolbar, you will be prompted to enter one. Drop Length is used for Add Drop, Rise and Run. The exact value is used, no rounding is performed.

If you do not have Show All Drop Items checked in Digital Takeoff Preferences > Colors & Tools tab, only the symbols are shown instead of the entire line and elbow (if taken off). Right-click on the symbol, select Show Components to see the actual lines and elbow symbols.

FINISH: This function is used with the Digital Takeoff tools Line, Segmented Line, SLT, and Consolidated SLT. When using any of these tools, the program will continuously take off new points when the mouse is clicked. Using Finish will end the run, allowing you to takeoff the item in Standard Takeoff.

FINISH w/DROP, FINISH w/RISE, FINISH w/RUN:

These options are on the toolbar and can be accessed from the right-click menu (if you are drawing a line).
When drawing a line, these options finish the line annotation and add a turn in the line at each break (of a segmented line) and at the last point of the annotation.

Finish w/Drop and Finish w/ Rise use vertical (riser) support in Takeoff.

Finish w/ Rise and Finish w/ Run on your toolbar depend on your preferences. Use the checkboxes for Allow Rises and Allow Horizontal Runs in Digital Takeoff Preferences > Colors & Tools tab.

If a DROP length is not specified on the toolbar (set to 0), you will be prompted to enter it.