Congratulation on choosing On-Screen Takeoff for your takeoff and plan-viewing needs. We're sure you're going to love the program.

This help system is designed to make it easy to find the information you want.

• You can use the "omni search" at the top of every page to search for a term or phrase (hint about using search).
• On the left is the Table of Contents for this and all our other Takeoff and Estimating products.
• At the bottom of every article, you'll find:
• Links to other, relevant articles or even external Websites. These links typically open in a new window - be sure your Internet browser allows Pop Ups from any site within oncenter.com.
• Links to the next and previous articles so you can page-through the user guide, similar to a printed manual, these open in the same window, replacing the previous page.
• Within articles, you may find links to other articles in kBase or even other websites, these generally open in a new window or browser tab, again, ensure Pop Ups are enabled.

Getting the Most Out of Your Software

This User Guide provides you, the end user, with a detailed reference for On-Screen Takeoff. We've made every effort to include as much detail as possible. These tools are intended to complement, not replace, software Training provided by On Center Software. To get the most out of your software investment, get to know it!

View the Release Notes for On-Screen Takeoff.

Check out the On-Screen Takeoff Frequently Asked Questions.

To make full use of this program’s capabilities and find answers to basic questions, please:

• Read this Users' Guide
• To familiarize yourself with the basic features of On-Screen Takeoff, spend about 30-60 minutes (depending on the level of detail desired) reviewing this User Guide. The steps in each Section should assist you with completing your first estimating project. Feel free to skip around to what interests you.
• Review the Online Training Videos
• On Center provides access to online training videos for On-Screen Takeoff. These videos are a quick resource for On-Screen Takeoff application questions.
• Many articles include an embedded video that helps explain a function. Usually, these will be at the top of an article and can be viewed from within the article itself.
• Schedule Training
• For advanced information on particular features or elements of use, please contact On Center Software's Training Department to schedule one-on-one phone-based training, group training at your site or ours, or take advantage of the many free Webinars. Our Training Department is staffed with industry professionals who know how to get the most out of On-Screen Takeoff. There may be additional costs associated with Training. Contact your Account Manager for details.
• Contact Support
• We have a team of highly-skilled professionals waiting to help you with setting up, configuring, and using On-Screen Takeoff. See Related Articles and contact Support if you need help.

Typographic Conventions

• Terms of importance, titles to dialog boxes, button names, Tabs, and Main Menu items are bolded for easy recognition when skimming through pages.
• When instructed to select Menu choices in the application, each selection (click) is separated by the greater than (>) symbol and Italicized. For example, if instructed to select the Open command in the File menu, it appears as File > Open.
• Many topics contain links to other articles or hyperlinks to other Web sites, including Frequently Asked Questions. Anything formatted as blue underlined text is a link to additional information. Most links to external sites and articles not in the User Guide open in a New Window - be sure to disable any pop-up blockers if the User Guide is not working correctly and verify your Internet connection is active.
• Words or phrases referencing a common principle or important concept are Italicized for emphasis.
• When you are instructed to press a key on your keyboard, the name of the key will be bracketed, like this: <Shift> (means to press the Shift key on your keyboard) or <Enter> (means to press the Enter key on your keyboard), <Shift> + <S> means to press the Shift key, and while holding it down, press the "S" key at the same time.

Mouse Clicks

When looking at screenshots within the user guide, the color of the cursor indicates whether you:

Single-click (yellow)

Double-click (green)

Right-click (blue)

Click-n-drag (red).

The instructions always indicate the steps you are to perform so you do not need to rely on the color change.

Notes, Cautions, Warnings, etc.

Note

Notes are often tips to help you complete a task more efficiently or save time. Sometimes a Note will just be an explanation of how the program does something.

Caution

Cautions typically warn you that your action could have effects beyond the obvious or could cause result in inconsistencies or undesirable application behavior (such as using special characters in certain fields - this can cause issues when exporting/importing bids).

Warning

Critical information regarding an action that cannot be reversed/undone and could cause issues with a bid, cause you hours of days of extra work, etc.

Learning Goal

At the beginning of each Chapter, we give you an idea of what you should expect to learn/understand by the end of the chapter (no, there won't be a test!).

Links

Be sure your browser is set to allow "Pop-ups" from "*.oncenter.com".

Related Articles

In many articles, there are links to Related Articles toward the bottom of the page, these links open in the same window/browser tab.

In-Article Links and Links to External Content

In many articles, there may be links to other, relevant articles or even external Websites within the body of an article- these links open in a new window/browser tab.

Previous/Next Article Links

At the bottom of each User Guide article are links to the previous and next articles - this allows you to 'page' through the user guide, moving from one article to the next. Previous and Next article links open in the current window/tab (not a pop-up).

What Have You Gotten Yourself Into? An Introduction to On-Screen Takeoff

Terms of Use

Copyright

© On Center Software, Inc. (a ConstructConnect company) All rights reserved. The information in this site is protected by copyright by On Center Software, Inc., a ConstructConnect Company ("the Company"). You may not reproduce, adapt, or publish any content from this site in whole or in part for any purpose, without the express written consent of the Company. Without obtaining prior, express, written permission from the Company, you may not retransmit any files from this web site, or make any modified versions thereof.

End User License Agreement (EULA)

Click here to view a copy of our End User License Agreement - use of the application implies acceptance of and agreement to the EULA and any successors.

If that pop-up is blocked, just enter the following URL into your browser: https://downloads.oncenter.com/Downloads/eula/ON_CENTER_SOFTWARE_EULA.pdf

Trademarks

On Center Software by ConstructConnect, the On Center Software by ConstructConnect logo, Contractor Suite, Digital Production Control, Quick Bid, On-Screen Takeoff, and Project Express are registered trademarks, trademarks, or service marks of On Center Software by ConstructConnect. Windows, Excel, and Word, and other products are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.