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Version 4.0w
The About Master Estimator screen has changed to reflect the version change. In past versions, the program automatically filled in the check boxes for Also Import Classifications, Replace the Color, and Replace the Cost Codes based on last time an import was done. Now you must make the selections you want every time you import. This way you need to be conscious of your choices. On the Help Menu, there is a selection for About Master Estimator. On that screen, next to email, you can click on Support@Tradesmens.com and the email program you use will automatically start and a message will be created with the appropriate address. It will also now fill in the subject line with Contact Tradesmen's Software. Project Level Adjustments, Screen [PLA] All categories of Project Level Adjustments now support negative quantities. In version 4.0v, material categories with negative quantities were ignored and a warning message appeared on Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM], in the Calculating Walls - Messages list. Now those quantities are analyzed and are limited only when they result in an overall negative amount for the material, mortar, lay crew or in house cleaning crew. When a Project Level Adjustment is reduced a warning will appear on the Project Reports and Messages screen in the Calculating Walls - Messages list. Note: At this time, the program does not specifically check to see if the adjustments lead to negative quantities within Job Costing. While it is unlikely that adjustments that passed the other limitations would lead to negative quantities when running a job cost code transfer, it is still possible. Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM] On the Grand Totals page of the Summary report, Project Level Adjustments are listed. If there are no Miscellaneous Non-taxable adjustments, then there will not be a line for this in the report. If there is just one, then the Description of that Miscellaneous Non-taxable adjustment will be in the report. If there are more than one Miscellaneous Non-taxable adjustments, then there will be a line reading Total Project Adjustment (Misc Non-taxable) with the total amount of those adjustments Update Odd Course, Grout/Rebar, Screen [D4 Tab:2] The Prompt to Use Auto Grout for Bondbeams checkbox has been replaced by a drop-down list box with the following selections: Ask Me to, Yes Automatically, and No Don't. Choosing Ask Me to is the same as previous versions. When you select an odd course material with Side Bonding set to Bond Beam (on Update Project Material, Screen [F]) and the Grout and Rebar entries are blank, a message box will appear that asks "Would you like to automatically set Grout and Rebar for your Bond Beam?' If you choose Set, from the message box, the saved settings will be inserted; if you choose Leave Alone the settings will remain unchanged. Selecting Yes Automatically from the drop-down list box will bypass the message and automatically fill-in the previously saved settings. No Don't will not show the message and not change the settings. The choice you make will be saved if you click Remember Current Settings. Update Wall-Wall Shape, Screen [D-17] You can now digitize profiles of a wall within the graphics area of this screen. As a result there are many changes to this screen. New entry areas for Autoset Wall Hgt and Autoset Wall Len have been added at the top of the screen next to Wall Height and Wall Length. From the Autoset drop-down list boxes there are three selections: Manual, Grow, and Set. Manual is the way it's always been. The program will use the numbers you enter for wall height and length. When Grow is selected, the program determines the amounts as you digitize. You will not be able to reduce the amount but you may increase the numbers. Set is the completely automatic mode, Wall Height and Wall Length are disabled and the program uses only what has been digitized to set the wall height and length. The Odd Course and Coping Start and End entry areas that were at the bottom of the screen have moved up to just after Extend Flashing. There are new tabs above the Top Profile and Bottom Profile tabs: Misc and Digitize. Misc contains the following entry areas: Gable/Slope Height, Pier Length, Pier Width, Extend Flashing on each step and the Odd Course and Coping Start and End entry areas. The new Digitize tab has been added so that you can use the graphic area on the Wall Shape screen to digitize the wall profile in elevation mode. You will select the scale from Named Scales and you will click on the Place Sheet on the Digitizer button. Every time you open the D17 screen to make insertions or changes, you will need to place the sheet on the digitizer. You click once on the digitizer to initiate the process. You will hear the message that begins "Place the sheet on the digitizer ..." On the screen, there will be prompts to guide you. Use the button zero to digitize the anchor and direction points. This is basically the same as digitizing a wall in Place Wall, Screen [PW].except you are using evaluation mode. Using button zero the first click needs to be in a particular place. Imagine a rectangular box around the wall evaluation that you are digitizing. Make the first click in the lower left corner of that rectangle. Then click in the lower right corner or somewhere along an imaginary line between the lower left corner and lower right corner. Make necessary entries to the Controls for next digitized profile detail area: Round off Rise, Round off Run, Profile Type, and for steps: Leave Vertical Out, and Quantity. Now you can select the Top Profile or Bottom Profile tab, indicate if the profile Starts on the Left or Right. Using the 16-button cursor click on the points of the blueprint to create the profile changing the Controls for next digitized profile detail as necessary. There are 16 button shortcuts to complete all of these entry areas including quantity. The Match Step button is now called Match Profile. In the list of steps, the column heading Rise replaces Step and order of the columns is now Rise, Run instead of Run, Step. The name change to Rise indicates a distance moved up. Also, Qty-Type has replaced Count Type. Update Wall Profile, Screen [D17A] Now because you can digitize wall profiles, the entry areas on tabs called Step has been renamed Rise indicating that you are moving up a specific amount. Notice the terminology on the graphic example has also changed. The word Quantity has replaced Step Count. Version 4.0v
The About Master Estimator screen has changed to reflect the version change. Screens At the top of the screen, you can now indicate that you want to Replace Sheet for the copied wall(s) and, from the new drop-down list box, select the replacement from Project Sheets, Screen [PS]. A new section has been added to the bottom of this screen to allow you to do Multiple Copies of tagged walls so that you can easily created duplicates of multiple floors of a project. Under Indicate Floor, you specify what you want to add to the Wall Area or Descriptioin (e.g. 1 2 3 or 1st 2nd 3rd), the Start Number, and if you want to Add to Wall Area and/or Add to Wall Description. The detail of the copy is entered on the new Update Copy Wall, Screen [UCW],( see below). Default Project Level Adjustments, Screen [DPLA] You now have the ability to insert more adjustments than those listed on the Preferences, Additional Project Detail screen. When a project is created all the Default Project Level Adjustments are copied into the new project so you do not need to insert them in every new project. They will affect the whole project and, therefore, are called Default Project Level Adjustments. These should not be confused with wall or opening adjustments. Once they are in the project, use Project Level Adjustments and Update Project Level Adjustment to customize them for the new project. Preferences, Additional Project Detail, Screen [Y Tab:2] Click on the new Adjustment button to open Default Project Level Adjustments, Screen [DPLA], to see a list of adjustments. Adjustments will add to or take away from entries on the Grand Total Page of reports. They will affect the whole project. Adjustments will add to or take away from entries on the Grand Total Page of reports. If there are no adjustments listed or you want to change an existing adjustment, click on the Insert button or select the adjustment and click on the Change button. Project Level Adjustments, Screen [PLA] You now have the ability to insert more adjustments than those listed on the Update Project, Additional Project Detail screen. Adjustments will affect the whole project and, therefore, are called Project Level Adjustments. Adjustments will add to or take away from entries on the Grand Total Page of reports. They should not be confused with wall or opening adjustments. Update Copy Wall, Screen [UCW] From Copy Wall, Screen [CW], click on Insert or Change to open this new screen that contains the details of how to copy the wall or tagged walls. Once you have created a series of walls for one story, you tag the walls you want to copy, indicate the number of times to copy them in Copies to Make, what is the Floor Number of First Copy, the number to Increment Floor Number by, the Elevation of 1st Copy, and the elevation number to Add to Elevation for each copy. Update Project, Additional Project Detail, Screen [UP] Click on the new Adjustment button to open Default Project Level Adjustments, Screen [DPLA], to see a list of adjustments. Adjustments will add to or take away from entries on the Grand Total Page of reports. If there are no adjustments or you want to change an existing adjustment, click on the Insert button or select the adjustment and click on the Change button. Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM], previously Project Messages, Screen [PM] The report selection area of newly named Walls, Screen [C], has been moved to this screen. When you click on the Show Report button on the Walls screen, it opens this screen. See the Walls screen changes below. The Project Messages, Screen [PM], has been renamed to Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM]. There are two sections on this screen. The top section shows the Calculating Walls-Messages, just as it did in the Project Message screen, and bottom shows the old reports area of the Walls screen. In addition, new features have been added to give you the ability to create a spreadsheet duplicating the selected report. Calculation Progress and Messages contains the same information always provided on the old Project Messages screen. When you first enter this screen, or if you recalculate, you will see the progress and be able to correct errors. In the Selected Report section, you see the Selected Report drop-down list box and all the check boxes like Show Totals Only, By Wall (Totals Only), etc. that were on the Walls screen. This is also where the Print Setup button is now located. Two new reports options are Show Walls Included Page drop-down list box and the check box Show Marked up Cost on Walls Included Page. For Show Walls Included Page, Auto means if there is one or more untagged walls then the walls included page will appear as the first page of the report. Always means the page is always there and Never means it's never there. You now have the option to save any report as a file, currently as a spreadsheet file, using what is called a template. There are new check boxes to select if you want to Create File and/or Open Created File. You also need to indicate where the file is to be saved by entering a directory and filename next to Save As. Additionally, next to Template, the directory location and filename for the template must be entered by typing or using the Browse button to the right of the entry area.. Currently there is only a spreadsheet template available but in future versions of the program other templates may be added. You now have the ability to Replace the Default Report Title, by selecting that check box and then typing the replacement text in the entry area next to Report Title. Update Default Project Level Adjustment, Screen [UDPLA] This new screen defines each adjustment that is to be added to or taken away from the adjustment's category., Examples of categories are Material, Misc Taxable Cost, Labor, Subbed Out Cleaning, etc. If the category is a Material, then you will be selecting a Standard material and entering Mortar and Crew information, if necessary. The description, units (amount or cost), and the quantity is entered and then whether this adjustment will add to or take away from the take-off. This default project level adjustment will be copied to each new project. Update Project Level Adjustment, Screen [UPLA] This new screen defines each adjustment that is to be added to or taken away from the adjustment's category. Examples of categories are Material, Misc Taxable Cost, Labor, Subbed Out Cleaning, etc. If the category is a Material, then you will be selecting a Project material and entering Mortar and Crew information, if necessary. The description, units (amount or cost), and the quantity is entered and then whether this adjustment will add to or take away from the take-off. Related to the new Multiple Copies feature on Copy Wall, Screen [CW], if you have just made multiple copies and click on the Cancel button, the Delete Wall warning message appears. The message reads, "Copied Wall Canceled. Delete one wall or delete all [#] of the Copied Walls?" with the option buttons Delete One, Delete All, Just Close [D], Stay on [D]. If you want to just delete the wall shown on Update Wall, click on the Delete One button. If you want to delete all the walls you just copied, click on Delete All. If you want save your changes and just exit the Update Wall screen, click on Just Close [D]. If you want to go back to Update Wall, click on Stay on [D]. The new screen name for Walls & Reports, Screen [C], is Walls, Screen [C], because all of the report options have been moved to Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM]. To print reports, click on the Show Report button (next to the Crews button) on this screen. The Show Report button has been moved next to the Crews button. When clicked, it opens Project Reports and Messages, Screen [PRM] that has, at the bottom of the screen, all the report selection options and Print Setup button.
Version 4.0u The About Master Estimator screen has changed to reflect the version change. Text for button E has changed from Toggle Radius to Next from Radius, Circular, and Copy Path. Screens A checkbox has been added for Match Line Anchors. This is only available on Place Wall, Screen [PW]. You will see indicators in the graphic for each sheet or match line that has at least one wall currently being shown. This is how to read the indicators: The indicators look like a bracket ( [ ). The vertical portion of the indicator is positioned at the anchor point for the sheet/match line, The height of the indicator is determined by the range of elevations for the walls being shown that are on it's sheet/match line. The horizontal portion of the indicator points in the same direction as the sheet/match line. The indicators are shown in one of 3 colors: Green - is for the sheet which matches the current wall; White - is for the site sheet (will be green if the current wall is on the site sheet); and Blue - is for all other match lines. Like the Digitizer Cursor Location checkbox, when the Match Line Anchors checkbox is selected, you will see on the Place Wall screen graphic indicators of the location and direction of match lines as well as the elevations for currently shown walls that use match lines. You will not see the anchors when using Auto Camera or when saving the graphic to a file. There are three colors for match lines: 1) Green is the match line for the current wall; 2) White is the site sheet Anchor/Direction and 3) Blue is all other match lines. Note: When the site sheet is used by the current wall, it will show as green. How the checkbox is selected is stored for each user or computer. Next to Background Color, a checkbox has been added for Show Gradient Background. When checked the background color changes from a solid color to various shades of the selected color starting with the lightest at the top and going to the darkest at bottom. Project Blueprint, Screen [BP] You now have the ability to view just the graphic area by right clicking on the area and choosing Full Screen from the Quick Menu. You now have the ability to copy a previously digitized wall section or path to a new location. Currently, you can only do this for rectangular walls. You need to do three things: tell the program what you want to copy, how you want to copy it, and where you want to copy it. Select a path using the new Last Wall Moved Through drop-down list box in the center of the screen (see explanation below). Whatever appears under that box, is what will be copied when you select Copy Path, on the Place Wall tab, located on the place wall mode drop-down list box containing Continuous, Segmental, etc. If you want to copy the path's openings, panels, or pilasters, select the With Openings checkbox. Complete the process by moving to where you want the copy and digitize the Anchor and Direction point where you want the new path to be. The new path must be located on the same sheet. Copy Path can also be selected on the 16 button cursor using button E. Use the new Last Wall Moved Through drop-down list box in the center of the screen to select what you want to copy. Last Wall Moved Through displays the last segment section that the digitizer moved through. As you make your choice, the information for what is going to be copied appears below the drop-down list box: The options are: 1) Copy Path-Highlighted means you want to copy the selected or highlighted segment/section to the right of the drop-down list box on the screen; 2) Copy Path-Tag Segment means you want to copy the segment section that you have moved to in the graphic area of this screen using your digitizer pen or 16 Button Cursor; and 3) Copy Path-Lock Segment is selected to indicate you have finished making your selection. You can then move through other walls to digitize where you want to place the copy. The Last Wall Moved Through list is color coded and option 2 and 3 are the same color to indicate that they are used together. On Graphic Options, Screen [GO], a checkbox has been added for Match Line Anchors that is only available on Place Wall, Screen [PW]. On the Place Wall screen you will see indicators in the graphic for each sheet or match line that has at least one wall currently being shown. This is how to read the indicators: The indicators look like a bracket ( [ ). The vertical portion of the indicator is positioned at the anchor point for the sheet/match line, The height of the indicator is determined by the range of elevations for the walls being shown that are on its sheet/match line. The horizontal portion of the indicator points in the same direction as the sheet/match line. The indicators are shown in one of 3 colors: Green - is for the sheet which matches the current wall; White - is for the site sheet (will be green if the current wall is on the site sheet); and Blue - is for all other match lines. You now have the ability to view just the graphic area by right clicking on the area and choosing Full Screen from the Quick Menu. Next to Background Color, a checkbox has been added for Show Gradient Background. When checked the background color changes from a solid color to various shades of the selected color starting with the lightest at the top and going to the darkest at bottom. When you save the graphic, you can select two new graphic file types: PNG or Portable Network Graphic and RGB. PNG is the recommended choice. You now have the ability to view just the graphic area by right clicking on the area and choosing Full Screen from the Quick Menu. Update Wall-Wall Shape, Screen [D-17] You now have the ability to view just the graphic area by right clicking on the area and choosing Full Screen from the Quick Menu. |
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