[Troy DeGroot]

First, you will need to update your waste custom column and move the decimal two spaces. Your 10% waste should be 1.10 not 110. this will work better in the calculation. While you’re updating that custom column, I would uncheck the box that says Show Totals, it only confuses things when it show a total of percentages added at the top of the column. The, you need to create another custom column with a formula that takes the measurement x the waste factor.

[Dakotah Cooper]

Fixed, and things are moving well. Thank you.

[Troy DeGroot]

Of course @dakotah great question.

Glad you’re here in the community, welcome!

[Dakotah Cooper]

Thank you again, by the way.

[Doug McLean]

Hopefully you are writing your formula based on your Measurement column, and not your Length column.
Just something to keep in mind.

[Dakotah Cooper]

I am trying to figure out a way to select two columns at once to sort markups. I would like to preferably be able to organize with subject and layer simultaneously. Is this even possible?

[David Cutler]

That’s a good question @dakotah . As far as I know Revu only allows you to sort by 1 column. Unfortunately it doesn’t have all of the functionality of Excel…

When I started using Revu exclusively for takeoffs 5 years ago I quickly found that exporting my data to Excel as a .CSV file made the information soooo much more usable. I highly recommend using Excel for your analysis, rather than trying to find work around in Revu.

Welcome to the Brainery BTW! Keep the questions coming. 🙂

[Troy DeGroot]

@DavidCutler is correct regarding the lack of this particular functionality in Revu and the value of exporting to Excel. I’m not sure if this would be exactly what you need, but you could try filtering by one column value and sorting by the other. The only time you can sort by two columns is if you set that up in the export settings. Love the questions, keep us posted.

[Dakotah Cooper]

The Sorting method is working seamlessly. Thank you!

[Dakotah Cooper]

Okay, I have started to link tools to excel. I want to know if there is a work around for linking formula custom columns. I know that excel won’t pick them up, But I will give an example:

I have 2 ply 2×4 as a tool, instead of taking off the same thing twice, the waste is set to multiply it by 2, etc.

I want to be able to upload that information into excel.

[Troy DeGroot]

Quantity Link will only pull in the original measurement from the tool used. You can’t pull through any custom column information. You will have to pull the original Measurement for the length, then apply the formula within Excel. Bluebeam is great at dimensions, and Excel is great at Formulas. If you allow each to do what they are good at, the results are easier and cleaner to troubleshoot.

[Dakotah Cooper]

Thank you, and Doug.

I want to be able to create an efficient system for my team.

If I am estimating Laminated Lumber Beams, the schedule might call out the same material:

9″ LVL for an example, 1 ply, 2ply, 3 ply.

Currently, we have tools associated with 1-3 ply of all of these materials. So that, we have 1 mark-up that is equal to 3. So, on and so forth.

If I rid the system of taking advantage this, I fear the estimating process would take too long.

Is there a way to get the Waste Factor to do its own math within the excel link? As, it is an option within the filters, but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything.

[Troy DeGroot]

I typically create generic tools that can represent different beams on each project. LVL 1, LVL 2, etc. This way, you don’t have a tool for every imaginable LVL, but think about how many generic tools you need, worst case. Then you would link the measurement to a cell in Excel, and reference that cell in a formula with the waste. This way, it would be automated. I typically advise customers whenever I do Quantity Link to create a cover Tab in Excel, list all the tools in Column A, and link to them each in Column B. Then all the following tabs will reference the cover tab. This way, you can watch the cover tab and be sure all the links are actually working (Links not working is common, unfortunately). I hope this helps. Great discussion by the way!

[Dakotah Cooper]

That makes perfect sense. The drawing board is becoming a second home to me.

Do you have any resources here I can look through for re-using links? Can I re-use the same “Checklist” and make a copy for multiple jobs, and it remembers those links?

[Troy DeGroot]

Once you make the links to the custom tools, you can save that as your Excel Template file. Drop a copy in the next project folder and remap it to the new drawings. All the links will stay connected to your custom tools (hopefully, watch them carefully).

[Dakotah Cooper]

Thank you, sir.

[Doug McLean]

you’re starting to get to the point where it makes more sense to export a .csv file and let Excel do it thing.
Troy said it best, Bluebeam is great at measurements, and Excel is great at formulas. Combine them and you have quite the formidable team.