Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 - Sage University

Sage Estimating Solutions

Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 Overview Using Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 (QTO), you can produce detailed quantity takeoff for material, labor, and other resources to accurately estimate and bid on construction and renovation projects. With QTO, you can spend less time counting and measuring items in your projects, giving you more time to analyze projects and their costs. The integration component (Estimating Quantity Takeoff Integrator) allows you to drive these quantities in to a new Sage Timberline Office Estimating estimate through the item and assemblies. The workflow is characterized as: Importing your Sage Estimating data into QTO Taking the model off Assigning the model objects to Estimating Items or Assemblies Defining how the object is calculated Linking the model objects (QTO) with variable inputs (EST) Exporting the quantities to a new estimate As you continue to use the QTO tool, your assignments and definitions are stored and remembered from project to project making the time to takeoff much quicker. The following document describes how to successfully use Sage Timberline Office Estimating data with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 product.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

Sage Estimating Solutions

Versions and Configuration Information The Estimating Quantity Takeoff Integrator is compatible with: Sage Timberline Office Estimating version 9.6.x Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 In order for the integration to work properly, Estimating and Quantity Takeoff must be installed on the same machine. For additional information about each product please see the application specific documentation or the application help.

Integration Workflow The following sections describe general workflow for using the quantities generated in 3D model objects to feed the variable inputs for Items and Assemblies. You should be familiar and comfortable in using the QTO 2010 product prior to working through the integration workflow.  Create a New Project and Import Sage Estimating Data The first step in using QTO is to create a project. A QTO project is a collection of drawing files and takeoff items that yield the material quantities needed for a construction or renovation job. If you already have been working with QTO you can use an existing project.

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Launch Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010. (Start > Programs > Autodesk > Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010 > Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010.

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Create a new Project by selecting File > New.

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Give the project a name and specify the location of the project on the 1-Name Project page of the Project Setup Wizard.

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Specify the Unit System and Currency on the 2-Specify Settings page.

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On the 3-Select Catalog page, select Browse… from the Catalog drop down menu. Change the ‘Files of type’ to be Sage Timberline Office 9.6 Database (PEI.dat) or Sage Timberline Office 9.6 Estimate (*.pee) to select an Estimating database or estimate to import into QTO and navigate on the machine to where your database or estimate is stored.

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On the 4-Import Files page, under Drawings/Models, click Add to select drawing and model files. Drawing files can include both DWF and non-DWF files.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

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Click Finish to project setup process.

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Click Close to exit the Project Setup Wizard. The project will begin to load.

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The Select Items to Import dialog opens allowing you to filter the Estimating data you wish to import into QTO. The dialog is organized by Assemblies and Items. The list is organized by Group Assembly / Assembly and Group Phase / Phase / Item. You can expand, collapse, and filter via the check box at all levels

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By checking the ‘Save selection with catalog (*.dat.options)’ check box, any filtering you have done will preserve the next time you import this database or estimate.

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The Item and Assembly data is placed on the Takeoff palette by default as Locked. In order to use the data, you must first Unlock the entire data set or subset of the data.

Perform takeoff  Using Model Takeoff When you perform a model takeoff, QTO extracts the object tree from the 3D model and places it in a group on the Takeoff palette. Model takeoff is available only for 3D models. You can perform model takeoffs on multiple models in a project. If the project contains matching 2D sheets, these sheets are marked up and cross-referenced. 1.

On the Documents palette select the Revit 3D DWF model (*.rvt). If you do not see the Documents palette, select it from the Window menu. This will open the model to the canvas.

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On the toolbar, click the Model Takeoff icon – or select Model from the Takeoff menu.

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When a dialog prompts you that the takeoff is complete, click Close. The object tree that populated the Model palette when you imported the 3D model is now added to the Takeoff palette.

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You now will notice that along with the Sage Timberline Assemblies and Sage Timberline Items, the model and all of its objects are available in the Takeoff palette.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

Sage Estimating Solutions

Assign the model objects to Estimating assemblies and/or items In order for the quantities from the model to flow through to the estimate, the model objects must be assigned to an Item or Assembly. As you continue to use QTO, it will remember the assignments of the objects to the items and assemblies and will automatically assign the objects to items and assemblies in subsequent projects. There are a couple of ways to assign an object to an assembly or item – Drag and Drop or Assign to Item.  Drag and Drop 1.

From the Takeoff palette, expand the model to the desired object.

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Click and hold the object and drag it to the desired item or assembly in the takeoff list. This will move the object from the model tree down under the item or assembly tree.

 Assign to Item 1.

Expand the model to the desired object.

2.

Right-click and select Assign to Item

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Navigate the Assign to Item list for the desired item or assembly

Notice that as you assign the objects to the items and assemblies, they are moved from under the model to under the item or assembly. Continue through the model assigning objects to items and assemblies. Define the Item Type Once the model object has been assigned to an item or assembly, the next step is to define the Item Type. You must specify an item type for a takeoff item before it can be measured or counted by takeoff tools. The type you select determines the method that will be used to calculate takeoff for the item. For example, you would select Area as the item type for flooring, but Count as the item type for floor drains. For walls, select either Linear or Area, depending on the calculation needed for your estimate. The following item types are available: Linear. A linear takeoff item yields a linear measurement. Examples of this item type include trim and beams. Area. An area takeoff item yields an area calculation. Examples of this item type include flooring and carpet.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

Volume. A volume takeoff item yields a volume calculation. Examples of this item type include concrete slabs and rooms. Objects with this item type can be created only by automatic takeoff tools. Count. A count takeoff item yields a total number. Examples of this item type include doors, windows, and furnishings. Undefined. This is the default type for a newly created takeoff item. Undefined items are not counted or measured when you use takeoff tools.  Defining the Item Type 1.

Select an item or assembly to define in the Takeoff palette.

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In the Type column, choose the appropriate quantification method for the object from the drop down menu. Alternatively, you can right-click, or double-click on the item or assembly to bring up the Takeoff Item Properties and assign the Type.

Once the Type is defined, each of the objects are defined with a specific quantity. As you continue to work with QTO, it will remember the Item Type assignments for future projects.  Link the object’s quantities to Item and Assembly Variables Now that the objects have been assigned and defined, the last step is to directly tie the quantities from the model object to the variable dimensions in the assembly or on the item. This is done via the Catalog Parameters in the properties of the item or assembly.  Link the object quantities 1.

Right-click (or double-click) on an item or assembly in the Takeoff palette and select Properties.

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Click on the Catalog Parameters tab

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The Catalog Parameters shows the variable list from the assembly or item in the Name column, along with any variable defaults and units of measure in the Formula and Unit columns respectively.

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Click in the Formula field for a variable to open the Formula Editor window. There are many available elements that can be used to quantify the variable. Quantity Values represent the dimensional quantities for the different types of quantities. Object Properties allow other properties of the object to be used to quantify the variables. In this window you can build the expression that will prefill the selected variable during takeoff.

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Assign an Object Quantity or Property to the assembly or item variable.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

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Sage Estimating Solutions

Click Apply and OK to exit.

The quantities produced by the model are now directly tied to the variables in the items and assemblies. Once the quantities have been mapped, they are saved with the assembly and automatically linked on subsequent projects.  Export quantities to an estimate Once the model objects have been assigned, defined, and mapped, the remaining step is to export the model to Estimating as a new estimate. 1.

From the File menu select Export, then Quantities

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On the Export Quantity Options, select to export all sheets and click OK.

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Select the destination directory and give the estimate a name in the Export Quantities dialog. Also, select to Save as Type “Sage Timberline Office Estimate (*.pee)”. QTO will create a new estimate and takeoff the items and assemblies defining them with the quantities from the model.

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When the export is finished, launch Estimating and open the newly created estimate.

Reviewing QTO data in Estimating The estimate has been created and items and assemblies have been taken off using quantities pulled from the model objects. This last section shows where you can see directly the data that has been sent over. Reviewing Assemblies If you have assigned model objects to assemblies, each of the model objects will be created as a pass in the assembly. For example, if you have a wall grouping in QTO that has 8 wall objects and those 8 wall objects have been assigned to an assembly – when the quantities are exported, that assembly will be taken off with 8 passes for each of the objects. Use Review Assembly mode to review the quantities that have come over from QTO. Reviewing Items If you have assigned a model object to an item and mapped the quantities to the variables in the item’s formula, you can review the quantities for that formula

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

Using Manual Takeoff Tools (2D) QTO also provides many manual takeoff tools to help leverage the 3D model takeoff or as a primary method of takeoff using 2D electronic plans. Use manual takeoff tools to create takeoff for objects on 2D DWF sheets and non-DWF files, such as PDFs, DWGs, TIFs, GIFs, and JPGs. Manual takeoff tools count objects or measure drawing geometry, rather than using published design data as automatic takeoff tools do. This takeoff method is sometimes called on-screen takeoff. The tools available are: Linear takeoff. This group of tools (single-click, polyline, rectangular, ellipse) lets you record linear measurements by tracing lines on a floor plan or, in the case of the Single-Click, by clicking on a line. Area takeoff. This group of tools (polyline, rectangle, ellipse) lets you record area measurements by tracing geometry on a floor plan. Count takeoff. This tool lets you tally and record occurrences of objects, such as windows and doors, that you want to quantify on a floor plan. Backout takeoff. This group of tools (polyline, rectangle, ellipse, count) lets you refine takeoff data by subtracting from previously recorded counts or measurements. Using Linear Takeoff QTO provides you with several linear takeoff tools, all of which create linear measurements from line geometry on a floor plan. Any takeoff objects you create are placed in a Linear item at the root of the Takeoff palette unless you create the item under an Estimating Item or Assembly. For a complete description of all the available options that can be used for linear takeoff see Using Linear Takeoff Tools to Trace Geometry in Help for QTO. The following sections describe using the polylinear takeoff method to quantify Estimating data.  Open a Drawing File Before you can begin, make sure you are looking at a 2D drawing file. On the Documents palette select the appropriate drawing or plan. If you do not see the Documents palette, select it from the Window menu. This will open the model to the canvas. If you do not see any drawing files, select Import, then Sheets & Models from the File menu.

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Integration with Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2010

Sage Estimating Solutions

 Setting the Scale Before you can use linear and area takeoff tools on PDF files and image files, you must set the sheet scale. Use this procedure to select a predefined sheet scale if you know the scale of the drawing. Otherwise, you must set the scale manually. 1.

Select Units and Scale from the Document menu

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On the Units and Scale tab, select the appropriate Scale Style

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For Sheet Scale, select an appropriate scale.

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If you would like to manually set the scale, select Set scale by plotting points… which will allow you to enter a known distance on the drawing.

 Using Linear Takeoff with Estimating Data You can directly select an item or assembly from the Estimating data in the Takeoff palette and use the on screen manual linear takeoff to determine the quantities. Those quantities can then be sent back to an estimate. 1.

Select an Item or Assembly from the tree in the Takeoff palette.

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From the toolbar, select the Polyline Linear Takeoff (L) icon. (Notice there are sub-options you can select, such as Single-Click or Rectangle, for the linear takeoff). Select the appropriate option for the takeoff. A sub menu with additional options appears.

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From the Polyline Linear Takeoff sub menu select either Line or Arc, and between Single and Multi-Select. The Color and Opacity can also be selected from this location. If Line and Single is selected for example, the entire takeoff will be captured in a single item. If Line and Multi-Select is selected there will be an item created for each series of clicks and the quantity associated with each.

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Takeoff the target drawing element. QTO will recognize the end point of an enclosed takeoff and close off the takeoff. Double-clicking when finished taking off an element will also close the takeoff session. Notice there have been items associated with the Item or Assembly depending on the options selected above.

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In order to send the quantities to Estimating, the QTO quantities need to be mapped to the Assembly or Item variables. See the “Link the object’s quantities to Item and Assembly variables” section above for the steps.

These quantities can now be included when exporting to an estimate either in addition to the model object quantities or as a stand alone estimate.

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