Does On Center Software permit/support running its products on Apple products such as MACs, iPads, and iPhones?
Although a MAC that supports running Windows in a virtual environment or in Bootcamp should be able to run On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, or Digital Production Control, we do not test our products in this environment and cannot guarantee that your specific MAC provides a suitable environment. We test our products on native Windows machines only.).
iPads, iPods, and iPhones run on hardware that is not compatible with Windows or applications such as On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, Digital Production Control.
The following applies to installing On Center products in a virtual environment on an Apple Computer running MAC OSX.
Licensing
All supported versions of On-Screen Takeoff and Quick Bid can be licensed using local or license manager licenses. See Licensing On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control - DPC OST QB for more information.
Databases, Image Files, and Downloading from Planrooms
So, when you are using a virtual machine, you have to be careful about where you are storing things, how and when you reset a machine, and how you access planrooms.
Databases and Images Files
Because a virtual machine a very "volatile" environment, it is critical that you store and backup your databases and other project file appropriately. One reset of your virtual machine could take it back to a point in time where you'd lose hours, days, even years of work.
Although you should not store working databases in "The Cloud", we encourage you to set your "Backups" folder to a Cloud drive (such as OneDrive or Google Drive), someplace outside your virtual machine and its host machine entirely. We do not provide Technical Support for OneDrive or Google Drive, but they are pretty easy to use. Follow the instructions in the following User Guide articles to adjust your backup settings (these are for OST, but QB is the same):
OST Database Maintenance - Backup and Restore
OST - Program Options - Folders (Specifying Where the Program Saves Files)
You are welcome to set your "Planroom" folder to The Cloud also - that way, when you download plans from a Planroom (such as ConstructConnect Project Intelligence/Bid Center), they will be stored in a safe place automatically. The reason we don't have you set your "databases" folder to The Cloud is that we have not completed testing of storing working databases in The Cloud and you run the risk of corrupting your database. See Can I Use "Cloud" Storage with Classic Products? for more information.
Planrooms
You must access and download from Planrooms inside your Windows virtual machine or map a lettered drive to your MAC partition. It's best to do all your OST/QB work from within the Windows virtual machine, though.
iPads and iPhones
These devices run operating systems that do not support the type of virtual machine you need to run On-Screen Takeoff or Quick Bid. If you are in the market for something similar to the iPad for use with On Center's Classic line of products, check out our FAQ Running On-Screen Takeoff, Quick Bid, and Digital Production Control on a Tablet PC FAQ. Most new Windows 10 and 11 tablets are fully capable of running On Center Software, including On-Screen Takeoff/Digital Production Control, and Quick Bid - just make sure they support installing an application from outside the Microsoft Storeā¢.