On-Screen Takeoff (license key/server code licensing) Release Notes

Abstract: Stress Less, Win More Bids, and Get Your Weekends Back!

When it comes to construction estimating, speed and accuracy is crucial to winning more work. Time spent fixing mistakes or doing things by hand is time you’re not spending on the next bid. That’s why we’re excited to share this update with you to make your estimating faster, easier, and more accurate than ever before.

With On-Screen Takeoff 4.0, you get smarter tools to help handle the time-consuming, repetitive tasks. That means you’ll finish takeoffs in less time, make fewer errors, and submit stronger bids.

Key Highlights

On-Screen Takeoff 4.0 accelerates your estimating with smarter automation:

• Improvements to Takeoff Boost™ including:
  • For Wall and Ceiling Contractors, Takeoff Boost now identifies ACT and gypsum board ceilings
  • Painting contractors - Takeoff Boost now takes off both sides of interior walls
  • Takeoff Boost now detects unlabeled Windows
  • Takeoff Boost now uses native PDFs for greater accuracy
  • Takeoff Boost sets Default Condition Results for Wall and Paint takeoff
• Workflow Improvement that benefit all On-Screen Takeoff users:
  • A more intuitive method of reassigning takeoff from one Condition to another using the Context Menu (right-click menu)
  • Increased the number of characters in Condition Names from 75 to 255

These changes mean less manual cleanup, faster turnarounds, and more winning bids—giving you the competitive edge you need in today's market.

Let’s look at how this version helps you crush your competition.

New Features

Takeoff Boost Enhancements

See On-Screen Takeoff - 06.02.01 - Takeoff Boost - Overview and Requirements for details on using Takeoff Boost.

• Takeoff Boost now identifies gypsum board (GWB) and Acoustical Ceiling Tile (ACT) ceilings.
  • Optionally, if your ceilings are tagged with a ceiling type, like the example below, a separate Condition for each type is created and takeoff drawn with it.
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  • When Takeoff Boost is done, you can edit your Conditions to account for additional ceiling types or grids. See 06.05.01 Drawing Gridded Area Takeoff and Aligning It to your Plans (ACT, Tiles, etc.) for more information on Area Conditions and Gridded Area Takeoff.
• Takeoff Boost now supports Painting contractors by taking off both sides of interior walls. Use the improved re-assign workflow (below) to make quick work of assigning this takeoff to appropriate Paint Conditions you create.

• Takeoff Boost now identifies Windows even if they are not labeled by using the openings in exterior walls.

• Updated Default Condition Results for Takeoff Boost Conditions, based on user feedback:
  • When Takeoff Boost creates “Wall” Condition(s), it selects LF, SF, and Segment Count as the default results.
  • When Takeoff Boost creates “Wall Surface Area” (Paint) Condition(s), it selects SF, LF, and Segment Count as the default results (even though it is a Linear Condition and Linear takeoff, painting contractors are most interested in SF).
• Takeoff Boost now supports processing native PDFs, instead of converting them to lower resolution files, for greater accuracy!
  • If you converted PDFs to TIFFs using On-Screen Takeoff, Takeoff Boost locates the original PDFs and uploads them, if they are still accessible.

Changes

Workflow Improvements

• Condition Names can now contain up to 255 alpha-numeric characters, up from 75 - this matches Quick Bid’s Condition Name field.
• It’s easier than ever to Reassign Takeoff from one Condition to another! Just right-click on one or more selected takeoff objects and choose the Condition to which you want to move it:

See: Reassigning Takeoff from One Condition to Another Existing Condition for more information

Known Issues

New in this version

• We have identified an issue with importing OSP Bid Packages, we are working to release a fix ASAP. (TE-2454)
  • Bid Package import will sometimes fail creating multiple bids in the database of the same bid with either a 0 bid number or duplicated bid number
• If a project has 32 conditions or more in use on the Page, Print preview repositions the Image Legend from the user’s set position to top left corner. (TE-2583)

Carried over from previous versions

• Removing annotations in the Image window when the Annotation and View window and View window are open does not update properly (Ref# ART3-4308)
• If you CUT and paste takeoff from one Page to another, the blue "takeoff" indicator does not get updated in the Page Navigator until you leave the Image Tab and return (Case 02230614, (Ref# TE-4400 (replaces ART3-4400 and ON-4728)))
  • (Ref# ART3-4400/ON-4728 was fixed in 3.98.14, however it was determined that fix caused unforeseen issues with the Page Navigator so that fix has been reverted in later versions)

Abstract

On-Screen Takeoff v.3.98.18.03 includes improvements to Takeoff Boost™ including support for searching for Window Types based on shape (just like Wall Types) and Bid Area assignment, renamed and repositioned program Tabs so they are more aligned with their functionality, a form so you can register for future Customer Feedback sessions, an embedded, all-new Online Help experience, and several bug fixes. These features and fixes are designed to help you get your takeoff projects done faster with greater accuracy than ever.

We also updated the technology on which On-Screen Takeoff is built to ensure it remains compatible with newer versions of Windows - so you don't have worry about a Windows Update breaking your beloved takeoff software.

Please see previous Release Notes History (at the bottom of this article) for more recently added Features and Improvements.

New Features

• Takeoff Boost can now search for windows based on the Window Type symbol on your plans (see Running Takeoff Boost for details).

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• Added a pop-up that shows after you activate a license so you can register for future Customer Feedback sessions.

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• An all new (this site) Online Help experience embedded in the new Resources Tab (see “Changes, below for more on renamed Tabs).

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• Takeoff Boost now assigns the takeoff it generates to the “Active” Bid Area (think floors, buildings, rooms, etc.), see Bid Areas for more information.

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• Lastly, Takeoff Boost now prompts you for your opinion on its results after you run the utility twice.

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Changes

• We renamed the Program Tabs so their names match their function better (see Working with OST - the Program Tabs for more information). Many users were confused because you did your takeoff on the Image Tab and reviewed your summarized takeoff results on the Takeoff Tab. So now, you do your takeoff on the Takeoff Tab, and you see your cumulative results on the Summary Tab. We also changed Bids Tab to Projects Tab and Worksheet Tab to Estimate Tab.

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  • Lastly, we “did away” with the MyOnCenter Tab and created two new Tabs, at the far right: in-app access to this knowledgebase on the Resources (you can always open this site in your default browser by pressing F1), and ConstructConnect news, upcoming events, release information and other great Trending content.

• When Takeoff Boost creates a Linear Condition, its “Connect” option will be checked in Advanced Properties making it easier for to adjust takeoff that includes adjacent/connecting segments. Previously, the Connect option was not checked, so that all segments moved independently - this is not entirely desirable because it forced the users to adjust three or more segments when moving one. Now, with Connect checked, when you move one segment, any segments that are connected to it (both ends) will move along with it.
• We upgraded On-Screen's Takeoff codebase to support newer versions of Microsoft Windows - your software should continue to work fine for years to come.

Unsupported versions are no longer distributed and cannot be licensed/activated.