10.02.00 selecting and resizing overlays

Overlays video

The Overlay feature allow an addendum drawing to overlay the Base image, making it easy to identify changes.  Think of this like placing two drawings on top of one another and being able to see changes between the two.  Although Overlays can be assigned on the Cover Sheet the instructions below are geared toward doing it on the Image Tab so the "Resize Assistant" is invoked.

Additions appear in BLUE (only on the overlay image) and deletions appear in RED (only on the original (or BASE) image).

Overlay Rules/Restrictions

• Only one overlay image can be associated with a single base page.  If there are multiple addenda for the same page, the base page must be duplicated, and then each addendum overlaid on a copy of the original.

• An Overlay cannot be an indexed (multi-page) file.  Each Overlay must be a single page file (an example of an indexed file is a single PDF file that contains multiple pages - in this case, only Page 1 can be displayed as an overlay.  Use an external PDF viewer to extract the individual pages, if necessary).

• When adding an overlay to a page on the Image Tab, the program automatically attempts to resize the overlay to match the base image.  It is possible to adjust the overlay manually using the steps below to fine-tune the image.

• When an Overlay is added to a base image on the Image Tab, or resized, a copy of the overlay image is saved as a tiff in a folder named "Overlays" and all  changes are saved to that tiff file.  The Cover Sheet is updated to indicate the overlay file is the tiff (the original overlay file is not altered).  Adding Overlays directly on the Cover Sheet does not automatically create a tiff copy - unless the Overlay is resized.

• Overlay images are always displayed in grey-scale, regardless of whether the image file is color.

• At VERY high zoom, pixel-level differences are bound to occur - this is simply the nature of digital imagery.  The Overlay function is designed to show you differences in the plan at reasonable zoom and will highlight ANY changes, even a pixel out of place, between the Base and Overlay images.

• When you add an overlay to a project using this method, On-Screen Takeoff makes a COPY of that overlay file and places it in an "Overlay" folder in the "Image Folder" as indicated on the CoverSheet.  Any alignment or resizing changes are made TO THAT copy.  If you add an overlay via the Coversheet, bypassing the copy-creation process, alignment/resizing is made directly to the file you add.  If you've used this file as the Base Image or Overlay on another Page, you will be resizing/aligning it anywhere it's used.  It's best to add Overlays via the Image Tab.

selecting an Overlay Image

• Right-click anywhere on the image and click Overlay > Select Overlay Image - the Add Image dialog displays

• Browse to the addendum drawing, select the file, and then click Open - The Overlay Orientation window appears

• To disable this Wizard, click the "Do not show this again" checkbox and then click Cancel.  If you disable the Overlay Wizard, you can turn it back on by clicking Tools>Options and changing the selection for "Show all Quick Start Wizards" to a checkbox.

• Select the orientation for the overlay image, based on the orientation of the base image,

• Click OK

Deskewing an Overlay

• A prompt asks if the image needs to be deskewed (this should be done if the image was scanned at an angle)

• Select Yes to open the Deskew Image window

• Click on the Select tool , find a horizontal line on the overlay image (BLUE), and then click and drag to trace the line from left to right - use the longest horizontal line possible for the most accurate deskewing)

On-Screen Takeoff deskews the drawing to make that drawn line horizontal

Resizing an Overlay

Once the image is deskewed, a prompt asks if the image needs to be resized - the program automatically tries to matchup the base image and the overlay, resize manually if the results are unsatisfactory

• Select Yes, the Resize Overlay window opens (select No and manually resize later, if needed)

• With the Select tool  active, click a spot on in the upper left corner of the overlay image (BLUE) that corresponds to a spot on the Base image - a crosshairs icon is placed on the overlay image

• Next, click the point on the base image (RED) that corresponds to the same point on the Overlay

• A second, smaller crosshairs icon is placed on the base image

• and the program matches those two points...

• Click a spot in the lower right area of the overlay image (BLUE) that corresponds to a spot on the Base image

• The large crosshairs icon is placed on the overlay image

• Lastly, click the point on the base image (RED) that corresponds to same point on the Overlay

• The second, smaller crosshairs icon is placed on the base image and the overlay image is resized so that the two sets of coordinates match up

• Make additional adjustments on final lower point by clicking the final point on the base image (RED) again,
• Click OK in the "Accept" dialog box when the overlay appears to be lined up correctly

The addendum drawing is overlaid on top of the base image, deskewed, and in the selected orientation:

• The images may NOT align perfectly, this could be due to variations in how the overlay image was created.  Use trial and error to get the two images to match up as closely as possible.

Manually Resizing an Overlay

The overlay image may be a different size or DPI than the base image, causing the overlay to appear much smaller or larger than the base image. If resizing is skipped during the "Select Overlay" process or Overlays are added via the Cover Sheet, the overlays may be resized manually on the Image Tab.

In the example above, notice that the overlay (blue) is much smaller than the base image - use the Resize Overlay Tool to resize the overlay manually.

• Activate the tool by right-clicking anywhere on the page and clicking Overlay > Resize Overlay Image

• Follow the steps above for instructions on using the Resize Overlay Wizard

Changes made to the overlay during the resizing process are saved to a tiff stored in the Overlay folder (a sub-folder created where the original overlay file is located).

• If you are using Digital Production Control, please note that Overlay images are NOT visible to a user with ONLY a DPC-Foreman license.  The concept of Overlays/addenda drawings is to allow the Estimator, not the foreman, to see changes affecting takeoff.  The Foreman should only be interested in how the project is supposed to look (the final, or addenda drawings).  Although the Foreman cannot SEE the Overlay, the actual Overlay image file is included in the DPC Bid packages.  NEVER perform takeoff on an overlay - the BASE image is the only image the Foreman can see - all takeoff must be performed on the Base image - swap the Original & Addenda image files if necessary to accomplish this setup.

Aligning Overlays