[David Cutler]

One option @ChrisRiley is to print the file to a new PDF from Bluebeam. That should eliminate any layers.

Is there a reason why you want to remove the layers? Other than trying to figure out the designers “code” in their layer names I find it quite handy to be able to toggle the layers on and off.

[David Cutler]

Welcome to the Brainery @korup73

Great question. I’ve considered doing something similar with my next generation of tools, but haven’t got there yet so I’m curious to see where this leads for you.

The way I handle this type of situation now for paving as an example is to measure the area of the first step in the paving process, finegrade subgrade. Next I find the paving cross section and make a series of “0” SY takeoffs for my 6” stone base, 6” base paving, 3” Binder, Tack and 1.5” Top. (I set the scale on the detail sheet as 1 inch = 1 Foot on this sheet so a small square measures 0 SY)

Next I export my markups in a .CSV file and “wash” the data in Excel prior to uploading the “clean” items and quantities into our estimating software, B2W. Part of this washing process is copying the original fine grade quantity into the above referenced “0 SY” items.

I’ve started to streamline the washing process using Power Query (thank you @Doug McLean and @Vince !), but I have a ways to go….

[David Cutler]

This post by @troy-degroot might give you the answer that you’re looking for @Nic_Bitting

https://uchapter2.com/managing-custom-columns/

I also have had this issue from time to time. I posted a similar question at one point:

https://uchapter2.com/brainery/general-questions/forum/topic/conflicting-custom-columns/

Hope this helps!

[David Cutler]

One thought for your order issue @Nic_Bitting would be to add a custom column with “sort order” values.

Assuming they stay consistent between estimates you could have the sort order value pre-populated in your custom tools. If I was to do this I’d probably use a 4 digit number and then increment them by the “10” value so that you can add other items into the order later if needed.

This would definitely give you an ability to sort in the markups list, but I’m not positive about the legend. I don’t use legends very often and lately I’ve found them to be very finicky…

[David Cutler]

(Adding a new comment to bring this to the top of the page.)

If you haven’t already registered for today’s free live event there is still time to do so!

The event goes live at 2 PM eastern time (US).

@lizlarsen is sure to have a few tricks up her sleeve that you can use to improve your workflows.

[David Cutler]

My preference is to work in a multiple page PDF for a couple of reasons:

1. I can quickly jump between plan views and detail pages.

2. I have my complete markups list available at all times.

3. I can split the screen and look at multiple pages at the same time without having to open another file. I sometimes undock and drag one of these pages onto a separate screen.

4. Having everything in one file saves me time at the end of my workflow when I export my markup list to wash in Excel and upload to B2W.

5. Tradition/Old Habits – I started in the business with full sets of 1/2 size drawings in 11×17 binders. A multipage PDF is similar…

One drawback of this is my computer can get bogged down a bit at times. My IT guy says that it’s time for an upgrade…

My boss on the other hand works with single sheets for his takeoff – but he exports his quantities onto a yellow pad using the “#2 pencil” app. 😎

[David Cutler]

Welcome to the Brainery @bittingn !

Please ask away – we all learn from each other as the answers are posted.

[David Cutler]

I wonder if @Vince has seen the news, downloaded the update and tested it out yet????

Thank you for posting @lizlarsen !

[David Cutler]

Mine are setup similarly @dhwalkellc using the “Activity ID” from our estimating software. I get a 2 for 1 out of using this system….

[David Cutler]

Good thoughts there @troy-degroot . I need to make the time to update my tools worksheets as they have gotten out of date. I like them for building bulk new tools, but I tend to “add on the fly” and am not disciplined about adding them to my worksheets…

One new discovery this week was the ability to add layers to tools that are currently in your toolbox by simply right clicking on the tool in the toolbox and selecting “layer”. They don’t provide a dropdown in this option so you have to ensure you get the spelling/capitalization correct, but it does save you scrolling through 100s of CAD layers if you are lucky enough to have them. @Vince you might find this helpful for re-establishing layers when they “disappear”…

[David Cutler]

For this one @Nic_Bitting I’d suggest making custom tools for each role modifying the “subject” field for each role. I tried this out by making a “PM CLOUD+” tool. When I did this the markup list shows the Cloud+ symbol followed by “PM CLOUD+”.

You could have a toolbox for each role with those standard tools ready to go for the reviewer to use. With this method you could establish a color code – Estimator with orange, PM with green, etc.

[David Cutler]

I remembered the thought process as to why I duplicated the “Subject” and “Label” values. It has to do with how the values are displayed in the Toolbox and on the PDF.

Having full data in the Subject field helps me to find the tool in my toolbox even when the toolbox pane is “narrow” to maximize space on the screen for my drawing.

Having the full data repeated in the Label field allows me to display the data on the marked up sheet.

As a bonus, when you have the information in both fields if you turn off the “Show Caption” option you can still see the information in the “Label” field when you hover over the markup.

[David Cutler]

You had my hopes up for a minute there @Vince !

I’m hoping that that improved functionality for “Cloud” comes along soon. I really like what I’ve seen demonstrated regarding geolocation of photos. One of these days I’ll get a chance to explore that functionality.

Unfortunately @lizlarsen I don’t get out from behind my desk very often and we have a hard enough time getting our field folks to take/send in photos from their phones so I don’t see a big digital program involving our field crews any time soon…

[David Cutler]

That’s a great suggestion @Nic_Bitting – and thank you for bringing this post up to the front. Somehow I missed the original post…

If you find later that you need to change all of the markups you should be able to sort the markups list by the subject and then delete the entire group of markups even if they are on sperate pages. Or, if something only changes on the 10th floor you could go to that sheet and remove the individual markup.

One option, building off of your technique, would be to establish a “Space” in Revu representing each floor on separate pages. This would allow @johnseidenberggmail-com to create his list takeoff list by floor.

I also like @troy-degroot ‘s suggestion to use a floor multiplier with custom columns.

Using either method I’m sure @Doug McLean could whip up a quick power query to produce a report that would work. I’d actually be surprised if he didn’t already have a great way of handling these types of situations given the nature of his work.

[David Cutler]

Having my item description in the “Subject” slot works well for me as I use that to keep my tools in order, in the appropriate custom “Toolbox”.

I also added custom columns for my Item Number, Description, Quantity, Unit and Phase which I need for my import file. This works pretty well, but I have to add information to 4 fields with every tool. This was before I was introduced to the world of Power Query (#revunitroskit) in Excel by @Doug McLean and @vinc . If I was to start over again I would probably keep all of the Item and Description information in the Subject slot and then use PQ to split the information into the pieces that I need for my import. 😎