Pressing the <Spacebar> toggles
between the Takeoff Tool
and the Select Tool
With takeoff selected, press the arrow keys on the keyboard to nudge or realign the takeoff that is selected
Hold the <Ctrl> key down and click with the left mouse button Zoom in, click with right mouse button to zoom out
Hold the <Alt> key down to temporarily access the Pan Tool
Roll the scroll wheel on the mouse to Pan up and down
Hold the <Shift> key down and roll the scroll wheel on the mouse to Pan left or right
Hold the <Ctrl> key down and roll the scroll wheel on the mouse to Zoom in and out
Right-clicking on a selected piece of takeoff or on a Condition provides access to many of the program’s features directly via the Context Menus
To rename a Page without having to open the Cover Sheet, right-click within the Image Window and select Rename Page... from context menu
Pressing the <Insert> key creates a NEW object relative to the current focus (a new BID on the Bids Tab, a new Condition on the Image Tab)
Use the View Window
to quickly navigate through the set of plans without changing
the view in the Image Window or to see a detail page
while performing takeoff on the floor plan
Use Bid Areas instead of Zones to separate takeoff quantities - Bid Areas are more precise, zones can leave some takeoff 'unassigned'
Create Bid Areas, then select the Bid Area before drawing takeoff – the takeoff is automatically assigned to the selected Bid Area
The Text Format Toolbar hides when text is not being edited and shows when text is being edited – it can be permanently docked on the main toolbar by dragging an dropping it there
Creating Layers in the Master > Default Layers dialog adds those Layers to every new Bid
Using Connect and Setting a Tolerance greatly aids Snap To Linear
A linear Condition can be Set As Curved Segment by default on the Advanced Properties tab
Toolbars and Dockbars can be docked or undocked and moved anywhere on the screen, even onto a second monitor
It is easy to distinguish which Areas contain takeoff by expanding the Area drop down menu - Areas in bold indicate takeoff is assigned to them
It is easy to distinguish which which pages contain takeoff on them by using the Pages drop down menu on the Image Tab - any page displayed with a blue page icon includes takeoff – pages are color coded the same way on the Cover Sheet
Undo/Redo only applies to takeoff objects
Most program wide options can be changed at the Bid level by going to the Preferences Tab on the Cover Sheet
Default Preferences can be set at Tools > Options > New Bid - these options only affect NEW Bids and will not change existing Bids
Use the three buttons above the Main Menu bar to contact On Center Software regarding Feature Requests, Support Requests and Training Requests.