QTO Tutorial.pdf

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QTO BASIC TUTORIAL

This Tutorial is copyrighted by Kevin R. Miller.

Modified 06-12-2012

OVERVIEW

QTO assists the estimator to quantify a project. By having the documents generated from BIM many off the quantities can be

obtained from the model and for items not modeled, measurements can be taken on the computer monitor to generate the

quantities that are needed. DWF or DWFx files are needed for model takeoff; DWF,DWFx, PDF, TIF, GIF, JPG files can be used for

Manual takeoff. QTO doesn't takeoff directly from the Revit model files rather, QTO use the DWF(x)files which are generated

from Revit. The benefit of using the DWF files instead of the Revit model files are that the file is read-only, the files sizes are

much smaller than the original Revit model file, and the estimator has copy of the model that doesn't change.

PROJECT SETUP

The Dataset for this tutorial is found on the Schedule page as the link 411 Data Files. This data file needs to be downloaded

and then extracted in order to be used with the instruction found in this tutorial.

To start QTO, press the Start button , All Programs , Autodesk , Autodesk Quantity Takeoff 2013 , then select Autodesk

Quantity Takeoff 2013 to start the application.

After the program opens, the Project Wizard window

should be open (If the windown doesn't open, go to the

File pulldown menu and select New ).

Name the project QTO??? and replace the question

marks with your initals. The path for the project should be

F:\CM 411\QTO\, then press Next .

In the Specify Settings screen accept the defaults. Press

Next .

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In the Specify Settings screen accept the defaults. Press

Next .

In the Select Catalog window, press the down arrow and

select Browse . Browse to F:\CM 411\QTO\Catalogs and select CSI-48QTO2011.att. Press Import . Press Next .

In the Import Files screen, press the Add button and browse to F:\CM 411\projects\dormitory and select all the DWF files.

Do NOT select the PNG file. Press the Import button. Then press the Finish button.

On the Congratulations! window press Close .

On the Select Items To Import window, press OK .

The hard drive will spin for a minute or two and then a screen like this should appear.

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If the Documents and Takeoff windows are not visible or docked on the left of the screen, go to the Window pulldown menu

and select the Documents and Takeoff options. If they are docked on the left side of the window, select the tab and press the

Thumbtack icon so it is pointing down (pinned) instead of to the left . This will lock the window open so it remains visible.

ORGANIZATION

In the Takeoff window is a list of the 48 CSI codes. Many of the codes do not relate to the project that is going to be taken off so

we will delete some of the CSI codes below to make the list shorter (If the codes would have been unselected from the Select

Items To Import window that open as the last step of the project creation, the codes also would not have been in the project).

To delete the CSI codes they first need to be unlocked.

You will have less problems if you unlock all the groups at once, press the padlock at the top of the column to

unlock all the groups.

The divisions to delete are listed below.

Div. 00 - Procurement & reqs.

Div. 01 - General Requirements

Div. 13 - Special Construction

Div. 34 - Transportation thru Div. 48 - Electrical Power Gen

Now left click on the groups above and press the Del key on the keyboard, or right click and select Delete .

In the Documents palette, rename the folders below. To rename the folders left click on the name, wait a second and then left

click again. An alternate method is to right click on the folder Rename . To speed things up, you may want to copy the

descriptions below and paste them into QTO.

Rename the following folders on the Documents palette:

QTO Dormitory Revit 3D DWF to 3D ModelQTO Dormitory Revit A100 Sheet to A100 Site Drawings

QTO Dormitory Revit A101 Sheet to A101 Arch Floor Plans

QTO Dormitory Revit A200 Sheet to A200 Arch Elevations

QTO Dormitory Revit A300 Sheet to A300 Sections

QTO Dormitory Revit A601 Sheet to A600 Reflected Ceiling Plans

Now from the QTO Dormitory Revit A103 Sheet folder drag the drawing (Sheet: A103 - Upper Level 2 & Roof) to the A101

Arch Floor Plans folder, then delete the QTO Dormitory Revit A103 Sheet folder. To delete the folder, right click and select

Delete . Repeat this process for the 2 remaining folders by dragging the sheets to the appropriate folder and then deleting the

QTO folder.

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Note: If all the drawings were contained in 1 DWF(x) file, there would have only been one folder created and no need to

drag and drop the images.

On the Takeoff palette groups and items need to be created so the takeoff can be organized. To create a group named 09 22 16

Non-Structural Metal Framing, right click on the Div. 09 Finishes and select New Group. Then type 09 22 16 into the WBS

column and Non-Structural Metal Framing in the description column. Repeat the process for the groups below. Hint: Right

click and copy from this tutorial and then paste the number into the WBS field and the name into the Description field.

09 20 00 Wall Assemblies

09 29 00 Gypsum Board

09 30 00 Tiling

Expand Division 08 Openings, it would probably be better to put the Metal Frames and Wood Doors as groups under DOORS AND

FRAMES. To do this, drag the Metal Frames group onto the DOORS AND FRAMES group. This makes the Metal Frames a

subgroup of DOORS AND FRAMES. Now drag Wood Doors onto the DOORS AND FRAMES group.

Now summarize or collapse all the groups on the Takeoff palette so that only the major divisions are visible.

PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF

The Takeoff palette is organizationally divided into

Groups, Subgroups, Items and Objects. At the Itemlevel, Units of Measure can be defined and the objects

that are taken off are displayed under the Item level.

Instructions on how to define the Unit of Measure is

described below during the door takeoff example

below.

Prior to doing any takeoff, on the Documents palette,

left click on Sheet: A101 - Entry Level & Upper

Level 1. Notice that all the lines are black with no

other color in the plan area. The black lines indicate that no takeoff has occurred. As the takeoff process moves forward, many of

the black lines will switch to various colored lines indicating that takeoff has occurred on those objects.

Navigational hint: To Zoom in and out, roll the mouse roller. To pan, press the mouse roller down and hold it down, then

drag to where you would like to go.

MODEL TAKEOFF

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Model takeoff goes through the DWF(x) files and searchs for the objects in the model and create a list of objects that were

found.

To perform a takeoff of all the items found in the model, do the following 2 steps.

1. On the Documents palette open the 3D Model folder, select the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt. Now the Model Takeoff

Tool is available. Press the Model Takeoff tool (or from the Takeoff pulldown menu select Model).

2. Now left click on the model (in the Canvas area) to perform the takeoff.

When the program is done creating a list of objects found in the model, a Model Takeoff window is displayed. Press Close.

The figure at the right shows the Takeoff palette. The lower portion of the

window shows where the takeoff quantities are generated from the Model

or by performing Manual takeoff. The upper portion of the window is where

the estimator organizes the takeoff quantities in a manner that can be used

to prepare and estimate. In a general sense, the lower portion of the

window could be considered takeoff quantities while the upper portion of

the window could be considered estimate quantities.

PLEASE NOTE that the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt group inside of QTO is

not the actual the Revit model file. It is a copy of the Revit model thatwas generated in the DWF file.

The process of moving objects from the Takeoff Qty's section of the list to

the Estimate Qty's portion of the list, creates the opportunity for the

estimator to organize the takeoff items according the estimators view of

the project and it also allow for changes in the estimate structure rather

than being "hard coded" to a specific organization structure.

After the model takeoff is complete, notice on the Takeoff palette that the

last row is a group named QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt. The number in

parathesis is the number of objects that were taken off from the model.

Also notice that in the 3D model, the colors have changed and the objects

have become transparent.

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Press the black arrow next to the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt in the Takeoff palette. The takeoff groups from the model are

now displayed. Throughout the remainder of the tutorial, the doors, elevators, walls, fire extishinquishers and ceramic tile will

be taken off, illustrating various forms of takeoff that are possible with QTO. There are additional forms of takeoff that can be

done using QTO that are not currently covered in this tutorial. To learn how to use the other forms of takeoff, go to the help

menu and review the getting started guide.

DOORS

Expand the Doors group (located in the Description column) that is under the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt, expand the Single-

Flush group, expand the 30" x 80" group. In this group a Single-Flush [89861] takeoff object is visible. Notice in the Type

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The other 4 objects are not needed for the cost model so right click on the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt group, select New

Group , and in the WBS column type zNot Needed. Now drag the i_Elevator-Center item group in the model to the zNot

Needed. This will let others know that these objects have been reviewed but are not needed for the cost model for the project.

Now collapse all the Elevator groups, by collapsing the groups it easier to navigate.

WALLS

The next items to be taken off are gypsum board and metal studs. The first thing that should be done is to create the items for

the 5/8" drywall and the 3 5/8" metal studs.

Expand Div. 09 - Finishes so that the wall assemblies, metal studs group, and gypsum board groups are visible.

Under the 09 22 16 Non-Structural Metal Framing group, right click and create an New item with a description of3 5/8"

Metal Studs and in the Type column of the Takeoff palette change the Type ofCount, don't change the WBS column.

Under the 09 29 00 Gypsum Board group create an item with a description of5/8" Drywall and the Type ofLinear.

The last item to create is under the Wall Assemblies group. Create an item with a description of10' Tall 3 5/8" Studs 16 oc

1 Layer each side. Right click on the new Item and select Properties . Change the Type to Linear. On the Assembly tab press

the + button and browse to find 3 5/8" Metal Studs and the 5/8" Drywall items that were just created. Hold down the CTRL

key and left click on both items, then press the Select button. Press the Apply button.

Now left click on the 5/8" Drywall

row in the Quantity 1 column. In

the Quantity Values drop down

box, select Length. Now type *,

now from the Quantity Values drop

down box, select Height , and

finally type * 2 . It should look like

the image to the right.

Now press the green Check Mark button.

Now click on the 3 5/8" Metal Studs row in the Quantity 1 column and from the Quantity Values drop down box select

Length then enter * .75. This will count a stud every 16".

Click OK on the Takeoff Item Properties window.

Navigate to the QTO_Dormitory_2010.rvt, groups Walls, Basic Wall, Interior - 4 7/8" Partition (1-hr), on the

itemInterior - 4 7/8" Partition (1-hr) change the Type to Linear and the Length from Undefined to Length. Now drag the

object Basic Wall [64072] to the 10' Tall 3 5/8" Studs 16 oc 1 Layer each side takeoff item that you just created. If the

item 10' Tall 3 5/8" Studs 16 oc 1 Layer each side is collapsed, press the down arrow by the item.

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Now that you have check to quantities to make sure that it works as anticipated drag all the 4 7/8" partitions to the Wall


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Now that you have check to quantities to make sure that it works as anticipated, drag all the 4 7/8 partitions to the Wall

Assemblies items. The reason that we didn't previously drag them was so you could easily check the calculation.

MANUAL TAKOFF

On each floor outside the elevator doors, the designers forgot to include fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers can beincluded in the takeoff by performing a manual takeoff. First, select the floor plan (A101) on the Documents palette then select

the Count tool . Now on each floor plan (A101, A103), left click somewhere in the area of the elevator doors. A

Takeoff Item Conflict window may open, just press Close in this window.

As you do this, at the top, or possibly the bottom, of the Takeoff palette, a Count item is automatically created. Expand this

takeoff item see the 3 objects. Drag the Count item under 10 44 16 Fire Extinguishers. Single left click on the Count item

(not the 3 objects), wait a second and single left click again, and rename the takeoff item to Fire Extinguishers.

IMAGE TAKEOFF

Not only can QTO perform takeoff from 3D models and 2D DWF files, but also takeoff can be performed from image file formats

(TIF, JPG, GIF and PNG) as well.

To import a PNG image file go to the File pulldown menu and select Import , select Sheets & Models . Browse to F:\CM

411\projects\dormitory and select QTO Dormitory A101 Sheet.png. On the Documents palette, a new folder called QTO

Dormitory A101 Sheet is created. Drag the PNG file to the A101 Arch Floor Plans folder. Delete the QTO Dormitory A101

Sheet folder.

Select the sheet QTO Dormitory A101 Sheet.png on the Documents palette. From this sheet ceramic tile will be taken off in

the 2 bathrooms on the Level 1 plan. Before the takeoff can occur, the scale for the drawing needs to be set. Since there aren't

any dimensions on the sheet, use the width of the south entry door (Door 16) is 6' 0".

Select the Polyline Area Takeoff tool to measure the area of the 2 bathrooms on Level 1.

A prompt then appears to set the scale. In the Drawing Units field, change the value to Feet.

The Sheet Scale: value should be Custom.

Now select the Set scale by plotting points... In the field Baseline Segment Length: enter 6 and leave the unit field

at Feet.

Now left click on the drawing at one side of the entryway, the left click again at the other side of the entryway.Press the OK button on the Set Scale by Plotting Points window.

Press OK in the Document Properties window.

On the Takeoff palette, go the 09 30 00 group. Create an New Item called Ceramic Tile. Change the Type to Area. Now select

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On the Takeoff palette go the 09 30 00 group Create an New Item called Ceramic Tile Change the Type to Area Now select


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On the Takeoff palette, go the 09 30 00 group. Create an New Item called Ceramic Tile. Change the Type to Area. Now select

the Area Takeoff tool to measure the area of the 2 bathrooms on Level 1. Double left click to close the area.

On the Workbook palette, goto the Div 09 - Finishes tab. Expand the groups to review the square footage takeoff to ensure that

the quantity makes sense. If the quantity isn't reasonable, set the scale again. (How should I know what is reasonable, you can

always open the PNG file in OST, do a takeoff there and see if it matches the takeoff from QTO).

To add points to the shapes, select the line or area that you want to add to, select the linear or area takeoff tool, hold the

control key and add points. (notice the plus sign by the cursor).

To delete points, do the procedure above, but hover over an existing point and the cursor will have a minus by it and then

you can delete a point from a manual area or linear takeoff.

EXPORTING DATA

It is important to be able to export the takeoff to another application like a spreadsheet or estimating program. To export the

entire takeoff, from the File pulldown menu select Export , then select Quantities . From the Export Quantity Options window

select All Sheets , then press OK . Save the file to F:\CM 411\QTO.

Using Windows Explorer or My Computer , browse to F:\CM 411\QTO and double left click the XML file. Internet Explorer should

open with a File Download window. Press the Open button in the window and Excel should open the file.

As you look around the spreadsheet, adjust the column widths to make them readable. Notice that Labor, Material, Equipment

costs could be placed on the objects in QTO. This was not done in the tutorial because most companies will already have an

estimating database created that would have the costs for the takeoff. Therefore adding them into the QTO objects would be

redundant work and create more maintenance work to be done in QTO.

In Excel, save the file as an Excel Workbook to the F:\CM 411\QTO and then upload the file to Moodle.

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