In this copy of the newsletter we bring you a case study with Kent Companies of Texas plus usage tips on scanning for drawing, modifying the look of eTakeoff and using the measurement list.
Case Study
Kent Companies of Texas
Kent Companies is the 19th largest commercial concrete contractor in the U.S. Their Dallas location serves Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. They’ve been using eTakeoff for about 3 years.
Basic Viewer Tips
Scan for Drawings
Press this button (on the Project Toolbar) to scan the project folder (and its sub-folders) for drawing files. A drawing scan is usually performed when the project is created. But if you have manually added drawings to the folder since then, scanning again is the easiest way to add them to the project.
When you press this button, eTakeoff searches the project folder and its subfolders and displays all drawings found in the Drawing Scan Window. That window displays all drawings found and allows you to select which ones you want to add to the project.
Modify the Look of eTakeoff with User Preferences
Window/control look and coloring – eTakeoff supports several color themes that match themes found in Microsoft Office (Blue, Black and Silver). To change the theme, select “Admin/User Preferences” from the main menu, go to the “Look” tab and select a theme from the “Window/control look and coloring” drop down list.
Large (24 pixel) Toolbars & Buttons – The standard toolbar buttons are 16 pixels (dots) tall. If you have a high resolution monitor, that can be quite small. To make them larger, select “Admin/User Preferences” from the main menu, go to the “Look” tab and check the box for “Use large (24 pixel) toolbars”.
Changes to these preferences will not take effect until the next time you start eTakeoff. There’s a checkbox in the preferences to automatically restart eTakeoff after you make changes.
Advanced Viewer Tips
Measurement List
The Measurement List is a tool that automatically keeps track of all measurements in a project. As you measure, each measurement is saved to the list. It is configured as a grid with Rows and Columns. The rows represent each individual measurement. The columns represent information about the measurements. It is available at any time with the click of a button. Click here to watch a short training video.