By Joe Stoddard . Materials take-off modules are now available for the leading computer aided design (CAD) programs. These modules will generate a bill of materials right from a set of plans: a process called CAD-assisted estimating.
Some CAD vendors will tell you the process is simple and seamless. Don't believe them. Making this technology work means adapting your workflow and changing some of your approaches to the design process. Here are five things you should be prepared to do.
1. Modify procedures: A bare-bones drawing may work fine for a sales presentation, but it's too simple to generate a bill of materials. Instead, you'll need planned forks in the road and multiple versions of each drawing. That introduces another layer of complexity to CAD management and version control that for a production home builder can represent a major shift in work processes.
2. Multiply objects: To save time, one-off details are often drawn with lines and shapes. Problem is, the computer has no idea that those tiny boxes you drew represent a custom whirlpool that needs to be taken off and priced. You will need to create and organize libraries of CAD "objects"--countable items and assemblies that mirror real-world options and upgrades.
3. Nix naysayers: If your CAD drafters won't change their ways, the CAD- estimating effort is doomed. So if your CAD guy is spewing all the reasons why he can't change his work methods, or worse, sabotaging drawings to prove that CAD-assisted estimating is a waste of time, it may be time to use the delete button on him.
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