“If you don’t have confidence in your takeoff, it’s worthless,” says Coy Lowden, estimator/project manager at Lowden Excavating Inc. in Kyle, TX, “You might as well not have done it.”
True enough, but how do you get there? Four years ago onscreen takeoffs all but made digitizers obsolete. The current standard, from Roctek to Trimble, is the ability to import and work with vector PDFs. Three-D is another feature, and depending on how far you want to go, both Topcon and Trimble are focusing on integrated packages that can take you from takeoff to machine control. But how much is enough? Choosing takeoff software is a matter of the type of jobs you do, the experience of whoever’s sitting at the computer, and what, if anything, you want to do with the data beyond the takeoff. Add to that the considerations of usability and price.
“If you don’t have confidence in your takeoff, it’s worthless,” says Coy Lowden, estimator/project manager at Lowden Excavating Inc. in Kyle, TX, “You might as well not have done it.”
True enough, but how do you get there? Four years ago onscreen takeoffs all but made digitizers obsolete. The current standard, from Roctek to Trimble, is the ability to import and work with vector PDFs. Three-D is another feature, and depending on how far you want to go, both Topcon and Trimble are focusing on integrated packages that can take you from takeoff to machine control. But how much is enough? Choosing takeoff software is a matter of the type of jobs you do, the experience of whoever’s sitting at the computer, and what, if anything, you want to do with the data beyond the takeoff. Add to that the considerations of usability and price.
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“Most of the software out there today is going to give you the same calculation,” says Matt Gebarowski, president of DirtLogic, which assists contractors, civil engineers, and landscape architects in determining the most efficient way to deal with site grading. “For me, the two biggest things are how easy the software is to use and how responsive the company is when I need them. Contractors want to push the button and start tracing. And if there’s anything more complicated than that, it better be pretty easy to get through.
“The difference is night and day with a program that can take the PDF or the CAD files from the PDF, digitize it in, and create a surface. Other things you want to keep in mind are Can your software import a PDF while you’re using an AutoCAD file? How about converting your cross sections into a surface-is that a separate module you’re going to pay extra for? This is becoming more and more of an issue because DOTs are all still kicking out cross sections for roads.”
“Everybody pretty much does the same thing,” says Barkley Hensley at Topcon. “What counts is what you have to do to get to the end result and how long it takes you. And being compatible with the hardware you’re using. Whether you’re doing site development or road building, every contractor basically needs the same set of tools. Even the small mom and pops.”
“We were a Paydirt dealer for 15 years before we started selling Carlson,” says Tim Edes, at Eastpoint Lasers in Hooksett, NH. “Carlson is not the easiest software to learn, but it’s worth it because it does so much more. We’ve also found there’s a need for a very simple, inexpensive software for someone who really doesn’t like the computer-the kind of contractor who might be running a bulldozer during the day and then at night has to figure cuts and fills. He may do a dirt takeoff, get a job and then he’s not on the computer using that program again for six months.”
With these comments in mind we surveyed software developers at both ends of the spectrum about what’s new and then asked some of their customers how they’re using what the companies have developed.
Roctek spotlighted the following features for WinEx Master: 1) the ability to import vector PDF’s—the program will prompt users and can handle solid and dotted lines; objects can be imported sequentially as single items or by entire layers; 2) Proprietary LineTracker technology that allows users to sweep the mouse to automatically trace and snap to the contour line, including the capability to cross over barriers of intersecting lines for a potential 40% savings in trace times; 3) PlanBuilder, which allows you to “stitch together” PDF sheets so takeoff, quantities and graphic displays are all integrated as a single job (the original drawing files are not modified and you can refer back to them at any time); 4) the Alternate Plan feature to move the takeoff to any number of alternate plans and work in each of them as if it were the original and make any of the alternate plans the primary job plan and expand or contract the total limit of disturbance as needed.
Mark Bray, project manager and estimator at utilities contractor Nelson Lewis Inc. in Marble Falls, TX, says he uses Roctek exclusively for site work and to calculate materials in jobs that require paving, concrete work, revegtation, and erosion control—and also for pipe distances and to do counts for valve locations where everything is on one plan page. “When I’m blasting, we’ll use it because when we do the takeoff on the trenches, it calculates the spoils much better than our estimating software does.
Bray finds Roctek’s grid system an advantage. “I can make that grid as big or as small as I want, for more or less detail. If I’m working in a flat job, I can have a big grid, and if I’m working on a job that has lots of hills and valleys, I can use a smaller gird and it pins down my quantities better.”
A clean interface is primary in Earthworks software from Trakware. “Most of our customers don’t do takeoffs all that often,” says Trakware President Gregg LaPore. “They need something they can pick up and be productive with quickly, without having to spend time in training classes.
“The vector PDF is a sea change for our users. Not only speed, but because you’re pulling the actual lines out of the PDF, also accuracy. We do a lot of error checking and have ways of automating, catching, and flagging statistically unlikely errors. We can display all of the elevation information as topographically colored by elevation, which makes it easy to catch subtle errors.
Because he doesn’t have a CAD background, Lowden bypassed software that’s CAD-based and geared for machine control as too big of a learning curve for the time he had. “I tried Earthworks and hit the ground running. I do the takeoff with Earthworks and then manually transfer it over to my estimating software.
Lowden also uses Earthworks for invoicing. “If I’ve got a subdivision where we’ve installed 25,000 square yards of road base material in a month, I go out to the site, visit, see where we’re at the on job, come back, and specifically measure out just that area for a very accurate draw request.
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“If I have boring logs available that show me the different strata of the ground, I can label the strata. That’s important in our area where we have limestone, which is significantly more costly to excavate than black dirt. The software helps create an underlying typography of the limestone shelf on a project and how much heavy versus easy digging I’m I going to be doing.
“Earthwork’s vector PDF feature is phenomenal,” says Charles Hassinger at CR Hassinger Consulting in Raleigh, NC. “Importing contour data from the CAD file reduces takeoff time by 60% to 70% and vastly improves the accuracy of the volume quantities. I’m able to adjust and balance finish grades over the whole site or in specific areas to achieve the most cost-effective finished product that works for the site and moves the least amount of dirt. I use it to design the proposed contours, working with very little existing contour data to produce a finish design that I can use to create a cost spreadsheet for the site work. Several of my clients depend heavily on my cost of development figures as part of their decision process on the purchase of property for development. If your business deals with the design of a project as to final proposed elevations and determining how much dirt has to be moved you can’t afford to not use this program.”
On Center Software was founded in 1988 to build a more efficient way to complete the takeoff and estimating process, says Angelo Castelli, vice president of operations. “And that’s still core when we expand features for On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control. Our solutions are best deployed when they’re implemented from preconstruction through to the build process.”
Highlights of the newest features include Windows 8 compatibility, multicondition takeoff, auto-zoom and autolinear continuous, one-step auto count, extended customization, and expanded license management tracking. “Our users like the ability to track their software assets (office, home, and onsite) as well as have protection from employee theft. Estimators and project managers can customize the interface to how they work.”
“I think we’re stuck for a long period of time with PDFs and image files,” says Steve Warfle at Insite Software, Inc. “I think that’s going to be a popular way of document distribution for a long, long time. And truly there’s some tremendous advantage to image files, although ultimately it would ideal if CAD files were also available.
“Realistically, takeoff is a production job, which means we have to get it done as quickly as possible. Those 10 jobs you bid to get the one you end up working on are just overhead, which makes accuracy the name of the game. That way, when you are awarded a project, you know you’re actually going to make some money on it. The second thing is to minimize the time you spend doing a takeoff so you can produce more of them and potentially get more jobs. With small to mid-size contractors, the estimator often wears a bunch of different hats. Our goal is to minimize takeoff time so he can do that.
“What’s new is our capability to import vector PDF files, an interface that allows you to use dual screens so you can work at a high-detail level while you’re seeing where you are in an overall job, and 3D live, which gives you instant feedback of your work in real time. Open the 3D feature anytime during the takeoff and instantly you can see updates as you add data to the existing, proposed, or subgrade surfaces. The 3-D Live graphics are built from the triangulation and are stunning. Use the Drive/Fly command to navigate the site from an operator’s vantage point to scale.
“Most of the software out there today is going to give you the same calculation,” says Matt Gebarowski, president of DirtLogic, which assists contractors, civil engineers, and landscape architects in determining the most efficient way to deal with site grading. “For me, the two biggest things are how easy the software is to use and how responsive the company is when I need them. Contractors want to push the button and start tracing. And if there’s anything more complicated than that, it better be pretty easy to get through.
“The difference is night and day with a program that can take the PDF or the CAD files from the PDF, digitize it in, and create a surface. Other things you want to keep in mind are Can your software import a PDF while you’re using an AutoCAD file? How about converting your cross sections into a surface-is that a separate module you’re going to pay extra for? This is becoming more and more of an issue because DOTs are all still kicking out cross sections for roads.”
“Everybody pretty much does the same thing,” says Barkley Hensley at Topcon. “What counts is what you have to do to get to the end result and how long it takes you. And being compatible with the hardware you’re using. Whether you’re doing site development or road building, every contractor basically needs the same set of tools. Even the small mom and pops.”
“We were a Paydirt dealer for 15 years before we started selling Carlson,” says Tim Edes, at Eastpoint Lasers in Hooksett, NH. “Carlson is not the easiest software to learn, but it’s worth it because it does so much more. We’ve also found there’s a need for a very simple, inexpensive software for someone who really doesn’t like the computer-the kind of contractor who might be running a bulldozer during the day and then at night has to figure cuts and fills. He may do a dirt takeoff, get a job and then he’s not on the computer using that program again for six months.”
With these comments in mind we surveyed software developers at both ends of the spectrum about what’s new and then asked some of their customers how they’re using what the companies have developed.
Roctek spotlighted the following features for WinEx Master: 1) the ability to import vector PDF’s—the program will prompt users and can handle solid and dotted lines; objects can be imported sequentially as single items or by entire layers; 2) Proprietary LineTracker technology that allows users to sweep the mouse to automatically trace and snap to the contour line, including the capability to cross over barriers of intersecting lines for a potential 40% savings in trace times; 3) PlanBuilder, which allows you to “stitch together” PDF sheets so takeoff, quantities and graphic displays are all integrated as a single job (the original drawing files are not modified and you can refer back to them at any time); 4) the Alternate Plan feature to move the takeoff to any number of alternate plans and work in each of them as if it were the original and make any of the alternate plans the primary job plan and expand or contract the total limit of disturbance as needed.
Mark Bray, project manager and estimator at utilities contractor Nelson Lewis Inc. in Marble Falls, TX, says he uses Roctek exclusively for site work and to calculate materials in jobs that require paving, concrete work, revegtation, and erosion control—and also for pipe distances and to do counts for valve locations where everything is on one plan page. “When I’m blasting, we’ll use it because when we do the takeoff on the trenches, it calculates the spoils much better than our estimating software does.
Bray finds Roctek’s grid system an advantage. “I can make that grid as big or as small as I want, for more or less detail. If I’m working in a flat job, I can have a big grid, and if I’m working on a job that has lots of hills and valleys, I can use a smaller gird and it pins down my quantities better.”
A clean interface is primary in Earthworks software from Trakware. “Most of our customers don’t do takeoffs all that often,” says Trakware President Gregg LaPore. “They need something they can pick up and be productive with quickly, without having to spend time in training classes.
“The vector PDF is a sea change for our users. Not only speed, but because you’re pulling the actual lines out of the PDF, also accuracy. We do a lot of error checking and have ways of automating, catching, and flagging statistically unlikely errors. We can display all of the elevation information as topographically colored by elevation, which makes it easy to catch subtle errors.
Because he doesn’t have a CAD background, Lowden bypassed software that’s CAD-based and geared for machine control as too big of a learning curve for the time he had. “I tried Earthworks and hit the ground running. I do the takeoff with Earthworks and then manually transfer it over to my estimating software.
Lowden also uses Earthworks for invoicing. “If I’ve got a subdivision where we’ve installed 25,000 square yards of road base material in a month, I go out to the site, visit, see where we’re at the on job, come back, and specifically measure out just that area for a very accurate draw request.
“If you don’t have confidence in your takeoff, it’s worthless,” says Coy Lowden, estimator/project manager at Lowden Excavating Inc. in Kyle, TX, “You might as well not have done it.”
True enough, but how do you get there? Four years ago onscreen takeoffs all but made digitizers obsolete. The current standard, from Roctek to Trimble, is the ability to import and work with vector PDFs. Three-D is another feature, and depending on how far you want to go, both Topcon and Trimble are focusing on integrated packages that can take you from takeoff to machine control. But how much is enough? Choosing takeoff software is a matter of the type of jobs you do, the experience of whoever’s sitting at the computer, and what, if anything, you want to do with the data beyond the takeoff. Add to that the considerations of usability and price.
[text_ad]
“Most of the software out there today is going to give you the same calculation,” says Matt Gebarowski, president of DirtLogic, which assists contractors, civil engineers, and landscape architects in determining the most efficient way to deal with site grading. “For me, the two biggest things are how easy the software is to use and how responsive the company is when I need them. Contractors want to push the button and start tracing. And if there’s anything more complicated than that, it better be pretty easy to get through.
“The difference is night and day with a program that can take the PDF or the CAD files from the PDF, digitize it in, and create a surface. Other things you want to keep in mind are Can your software import a PDF while you’re using an AutoCAD file? How about converting your cross sections into a surface-is that a separate module you’re going to pay extra for? This is becoming more and more of an issue because DOTs are all still kicking out cross sections for roads.”
“Everybody pretty much does the same thing,” says Barkley Hensley at Topcon. “What counts is what you have to do to get to the end result and how long it takes you. And being compatible with the hardware you’re using. Whether you’re doing site development or road building, every contractor basically needs the same set of tools. Even the small mom and pops.”
“We were a Paydirt dealer for 15 years before we started selling Carlson,” says Tim Edes, at Eastpoint Lasers in Hooksett, NH. “Carlson is not the easiest software to learn, but it’s worth it because it does so much more. We’ve also found there’s a need for a very simple, inexpensive software for someone who really doesn’t like the computer-the kind of contractor who might be running a bulldozer during the day and then at night has to figure cuts and fills. He may do a dirt takeoff, get a job and then he’s not on the computer using that program again for six months.”
With these comments in mind we surveyed software developers at both ends of the spectrum about what’s new and then asked some of their customers how they’re using what the companies have developed.
Roctek spotlighted the following features for WinEx Master: 1) the ability to import vector PDF’s—the program will prompt users and can handle solid and dotted lines; objects can be imported sequentially as single items or by entire layers; 2) Proprietary LineTracker technology that allows users to sweep the mouse to automatically trace and snap to the contour line, including the capability to cross over barriers of intersecting lines for a potential 40% savings in trace times; 3) PlanBuilder, which allows you to “stitch together” PDF sheets so takeoff, quantities and graphic displays are all integrated as a single job (the original drawing files are not modified and you can refer back to them at any time); 4) the Alternate Plan feature to move the takeoff to any number of alternate plans and work in each of them as if it were the original and make any of the alternate plans the primary job plan and expand or contract the total limit of disturbance as needed.
Mark Bray, project manager and estimator at utilities contractor Nelson Lewis Inc. in Marble Falls, TX, says he uses Roctek exclusively for site work and to calculate materials in jobs that require paving, concrete work, revegtation, and erosion control—and also for pipe distances and to do counts for valve locations where everything is on one plan page. “When I’m blasting, we’ll use it because when we do the takeoff on the trenches, it calculates the spoils much better than our estimating software does.
Bray finds Roctek’s grid system an advantage. “I can make that grid as big or as small as I want, for more or less detail. If I’m working in a flat job, I can have a big grid, and if I’m working on a job that has lots of hills and valleys, I can use a smaller gird and it pins down my quantities better.”
A clean interface is primary in Earthworks software from Trakware. “Most of our customers don’t do takeoffs all that often,” says Trakware President Gregg LaPore. “They need something they can pick up and be productive with quickly, without having to spend time in training classes.
“The vector PDF is a sea change for our users. Not only speed, but because you’re pulling the actual lines out of the PDF, also accuracy. We do a lot of error checking and have ways of automating, catching, and flagging statistically unlikely errors. We can display all of the elevation information as topographically colored by elevation, which makes it easy to catch subtle errors.
Because he doesn’t have a CAD background, Lowden bypassed software that’s CAD-based and geared for machine control as too big of a learning curve for the time he had. “I tried Earthworks and hit the ground running. I do the takeoff with Earthworks and then manually transfer it over to my estimating software.
Lowden also uses Earthworks for invoicing. “If I’ve got a subdivision where we’ve installed 25,000 square yards of road base material in a month, I go out to the site, visit, see where we’re at the on job, come back, and specifically measure out just that area for a very accurate draw request.
[text_ad]
“If I have boring logs available that show me the different strata of the ground, I can label the strata. That’s important in our area where we have limestone, which is significantly more costly to excavate than black dirt. The software helps create an underlying typography of the limestone shelf on a project and how much heavy versus easy digging I’m I going to be doing.
“Earthwork’s vector PDF feature is phenomenal,” says Charles Hassinger at CR Hassinger Consulting in Raleigh, NC. “Importing contour data from the CAD file reduces takeoff time by 60% to 70% and vastly improves the accuracy of the volume quantities. I’m able to adjust and balance finish grades over the whole site or in specific areas to achieve the most cost-effective finished product that works for the site and moves the least amount of dirt. I use it to design the proposed contours, working with very little existing contour data to produce a finish design that I can use to create a cost spreadsheet for the site work. Several of my clients depend heavily on my cost of development figures as part of their decision process on the purchase of property for development. If your business deals with the design of a project as to final proposed elevations and determining how much dirt has to be moved you can’t afford to not use this program.”
On Center Software was founded in 1988 to build a more efficient way to complete the takeoff and estimating process, says Angelo Castelli, vice president of operations. “And that’s still core when we expand features for On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control. Our solutions are best deployed when they’re implemented from preconstruction through to the build process.”
Highlights of the newest features include Windows 8 compatibility, multicondition takeoff, auto-zoom and autolinear continuous, one-step auto count, extended customization, and expanded license management tracking. “Our users like the ability to track their software assets (office, home, and onsite) as well as have protection from employee theft. Estimators and project managers can customize the interface to how they work.”
“I think we’re stuck for a long period of time with PDFs and image files,” says Steve Warfle at Insite Software, Inc. “I think that’s going to be a popular way of document distribution for a long, long time. And truly there’s some tremendous advantage to image files, although ultimately it would ideal if CAD files were also available.
“Realistically, takeoff is a production job, which means we have to get it done as quickly as possible. Those 10 jobs you bid to get the one you end up working on are just overhead, which makes accuracy the name of the game. That way, when you are awarded a project, you know you’re actually going to make some money on it. The second thing is to minimize the time you spend doing a takeoff so you can produce more of them and potentially get more jobs. With small to mid-size contractors, the estimator often wears a bunch of different hats. Our goal is to minimize takeoff time so he can do that.
“What’s new is our capability to import vector PDF files, an interface that allows you to use dual screens so you can work at a high-detail level while you’re seeing where you are in an overall job, and 3D live, which gives you instant feedback of your work in real time. Open the 3D feature anytime during the takeoff and instantly you can see updates as you add data to the existing, proposed, or subgrade surfaces. The 3-D Live graphics are built from the triangulation and are stunning. Use the Drive/Fly command to navigate the site from an operator’s vantage point to scale.
“If I have boring logs available that show me the different strata of the ground, I can label the strata. That’s important in our area where we have limestone, which is significantly more costly to excavate than black dirt. The software helps create an underlying typography of the limestone shelf on a project and how much heavy versus easy digging I’m I going to be doing.
“Earthwork’s vector PDF feature is phenomenal,” says Charles Hassinger at CR Hassinger Consulting in Raleigh, NC. “Importing contour data from the CAD file reduces takeoff time by 60% to 70% and vastly improves the accuracy of the volume quantities. I’m able to adjust and balance finish grades over the whole site or in specific areas to achieve the most cost-effective finished product that works for the site and moves the least amount of dirt. I use it to design the proposed contours, working with very little existing contour data to produce a finish design that I can use to create a cost spreadsheet for the site work. Several of my clients depend heavily on my cost of development figures as part of their decision process on the purchase of property for development. If your business deals with the design of a project as to final proposed elevations and determining how much dirt has to be moved you can’t afford to not use this program.”
On Center Software was founded in 1988 to build a more efficient way to complete the takeoff and estimating process, says Angelo Castelli, vice president of operations. “And that’s still core when we expand features for On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control. Our solutions are best deployed when they’re implemented from preconstruction through to the build process.”
Highlights of the newest features include Windows 8 compatibility, multicondition takeoff, auto-zoom and autolinear continuous, one-step auto count, extended customization, and expanded license management tracking. “Our users like the ability to track their software assets (office, home, and onsite) as well as have protection from employee theft. Estimators and project managers can customize the interface to how they work.”
“I think we’re stuck for a long period of time with PDFs and image files,” says Steve Warfle at Insite Software, Inc. “I think that’s going to be a popular way of document distribution for a long, long time. And truly there’s some tremendous advantage to image files, although ultimately it would ideal if CAD files were also available.
“Realistically, takeoff is a production job, which means we have to get it done as quickly as possible. Those 10 jobs you bid to get the one you end up working on are just overhead, which makes accuracy the name of the game. That way, when you are awarded a project, you know you’re actually going to make some money on it. The second thing is to minimize the time you spend doing a takeoff so you can produce more of them and potentially get more jobs. With small to mid-size contractors, the estimator often wears a bunch of different hats. Our goal is to minimize takeoff time so he can do that.
“What’s new is our capability to import vector PDF files, an interface that allows you to use dual screens so you can work at a high-detail level while you’re seeing where you are in an overall job, and 3D live, which gives you instant feedback of your work in real time. Open the 3D feature anytime during the takeoff and instantly you can see updates as you add data to the existing, proposed, or subgrade surfaces. The 3-D Live graphics are built from the triangulation and are stunning. Use the Drive/Fly command to navigate the site from an operator’s vantage point to scale.
