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I am trying to do a takeoff on storm structures.  The CAD data for the structures are given in a block reference.  The properties for these block references show a Name but I am not able to edit this to the name of the structure.  It also shows Feature but this list of available features that are given are not the features that I have created.  Is there a way to "unlock" this so I can edit it or another work around?

Are you using just the Counts function of Takeoff or the Utilities Takeoff Processes to do the Takeoff? 

If the Counts process, then you need to put the Blocks you want to count into separate layers in TBC and then you can do an Area Length Count Report and it will report the # of Blocks on different Layers for you.

If you are using The Takeoff Reports then the Block Layers need to be categorized using the Takeoff Categorize Layers Function, and you need to link them to a Site Improvement e.g. a Utility Valve or Manhole etc to get them to count. It is all based on the layers that the blocks are placed on.

If you are using the Utility Takeoff - we don't really use the Blocks at all for that - you have to create the Utility Nodes at the locations of the Blocks in order to have them count in the Utility Takeoff Reports

If you have the CAD file / VCE file and let me know which method you want to use (Area Length Count Report, Takeoff Report or Utility Takeoff Report I could mock up a small area of the data for you to see how I would do it.

Alan

Thanks for the email back Brian. Here are some suggestions - without seeing the data in the CAD file specifically I can only guess at exactly what you are seeing, however hopefully this shines a light on the two options that you have here - I wold like to chat through this with you to see if I can create some additional tools for TBC to make this better / faster than we have today, or maybe what I have done in the video below may help you as well

Click Here to download the video

Alan 

Alan,

I did not see the link for the video in your reply.  Also see the attached file for the current job I am working on.  You will be able to see that I have changed the name of the pipes.  Thanks for your help.

Link is working now

Brian

Here is a second video using your data to show how to use Names and Excel Pivot Tables to generate summary reports that may be what you are looking for here

Click Here for the video download

You can also use Create Points from CAD to create Points and link those to Feature Code Library which has all the Attributes that you want to capture on the codes that you use for the points created. Then you can copy and paste from the Points Spreadsheet into Excel to get Columns of data from the Point Data that can be used for your Calculations

Here is a link to the video - Click Here

Alan,

I have reviewed all of the videos.  I will take a little time to process the different options.  From what I have seen so far one or multiple of these will allow me to get the desired result.  Perfect world I would purchase the Utility Module and use it.  To give you a little more information on our current situation.  I am new to estimating/takeoffs.  I originally have a background as a Golf Course Superintendent.  Recently I made a career change to construction.  So I am slowly learning with the help of the more experienced guys in the office.  The guys in the office are currently using Agtek for dirt takeoff.  All of our survey and machine control equipment is Trimble.  There is one TBC license in the office that was used by our surveyor/machine model builder who has since moved on to another opportunity.  This has left somewhat of an opening to fill.  I am trying to learn as fast as I can to help fill the gap until we can find a new surveyor.  Before he left I was using Bluebeam Revu to do most of the 2D takeoff.  I really liked the way I can do a visual takeoff with it and it also makes my markups easy to get to.  Perfect world I would like a one stop solution for takeoff.  I think TBC offers that once I get through the learning curve.  Some of the more experienced guys still take off pipe with plans and a marker.  I would rather do this digitally in some form so I can leverage my own work for my use in the future and for others down stream.  Having said that I want to get the most for the time I put in.  Long term I will most likely push for the Utility Module as I think it gives the most visual feed back for the amount of time put in.  As anything its all about the most efficient option.  How much time relatively speaking does it take to build the nodes, etc in the Utility Module vs the methods we have already discussed?

Utility is quicker and for sure more visual - but for lengths and counts

there is not a huge difference - the trench and backfill and visual clash

and data organization is what you get with Utilities - I will share a video

for you tomorrow on that that does a tour of the module if you are

interested in looking at it in more detail

Happy to help you - I am looking at more simplified 2D / 3D Takeoff stuff

so good talking to you

Alan

On Tue, Apr 21, 2020, 8:24 PM brian@aohardee-son.com <trimble@jiveon.com>

Alan,

I have used what discussed for the first time.  Here are a few things that I have found along with a few suggestions and questions.  For the pipe I have already made unique layers for each pipe size/material combination.  I used the name field for the given polyline to give it the name of the run and then placed it on the layer for the given pipe size/material.  This then allowed me to run the takeoff report for the total of the pipe.  It also allowed me to run the length, area, count report to be able to export to excel.  After sending to excel i was able to use the pivot table to get what I needed.

I tried a couple of different things on the structures.  After the pipes had been removed from the original storm layer and place on to my layers it only left the storm structures on the old layer.  This made it much easier to then use the method you described to add the points for the structures.  Here is the major lesson I learned.  After the points have been created rather than editing the points it was cleaner to go to the property of each point and then choose the feature.  This allowed me to edit all of the feature attributes within the property pain itself without the floating window in the way.  It also then allowed me to go the feature spreadsheet rather than the point spreadsheet.  All of the needed column titles were intact using this method rather than the point method and it was easier to use in excel.  One thing to keep in mind when doing this is once you start entering the feature attribute info is changes the layer the points are on to the original layer.  If you don't change they layer back to the layer you created for the points you will not be able to see the points.  Not a big issue but one I did have to figure out.

Now to the suggestions.  Once all of this has been entered is there a way or to be able to search for the name of the structures, pipe runs, etc and then have those items highlighted on the screen?  On larger jobs this would be helpful to find specific items.  Also to add to that to be able to find structures or pipe runs at or below a given depth?

Maybe this is already possible or it is included in the Utility Module.  Does the Utility Module give a report that shows the given pipe totals by size at certain depths relative to a given surface?  Did you say you had another video showing more about the Utility Module?

Thanks for all of your help.

Awesome response Brian

I will send you the link to Utility Module - apologies

I also updated our Points to CSV exporter TML (from Rockpile) to be able to

output the attributes to individual columns in Excel

I have a plan to write a TML to do the depth of cover / min max depth of

pipes to a surface or two surfaces if needed eg FG and OG or FG and SG etc.

I can send you a Utility Takeoff Report so you can take a look at one

tomorrow

On Sun, May 3, 2020, 7:07 AM brian@aohardee-son.com <trimble@jiveon.com>

I just did this on some storm drop inlets from the engineers CAD file.  I used the Explode tool to explode the block drop inlet.  This did create 2 additional drop inlets,  when I go click on a drop inlet it would show three(3) inlets in that location.  It could be just how they exported the file. The explode worked for this file I have.