RVT quantity takeoff software?

[mariomelendez]

Hi,

What's everyone using these days for quantity takeoff from RVT models? Schedules? External software?

I'm currently working with schedules and then adjustments in Excel, which becomes tedious when you've got a model from an external source that doesn't follow your usual data structure and materials assignments. Tried Navisworks for a while, but it turned out to kind of a loose-cannon solution that got real messy, real quick.

Anyone have recommendations on tools/software (either in Revit or external) that might make taking off quantities from an RVT model a bit easier and quicker? 

[barthbradley]

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@mariomelendez wrote:

Hi,

What's everyone using these days for quantity takeoff from RVT models? 

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Revit.  

[mariomelendez]

Sounds like a good plan! 😁

[dgorsman]

If you're dealing with loosey-goosey models, more software isn't going to help much.  This is more on the management side, where a BIM manager/coordinator dictates what all contributors must provide, up front, and enforces those rules during project execution.

[mariomelendez]

Ideally, that would be a solution. Except we're usually on the contracting end, so when we're called onto the project it's usually too late to do much about the models. The design team turns in what they were instructed to model, and we've gotta work with it. Some models work just fine of course, and are done to specs we can work with. It's mainly those I'm interested in putting into a takeoff tool and getting a quick automated takeoff done that can be used for initial evaluation and analysis, and then tweaked to provide the final estimate takeoff. 

I figure if a tool like that exists, it would also serve to take the models that aren't as well done, and help us figure out where the problems are and what we need to watch out for when working with them.

It can be done with schedules, but at a cost: mainly that you have to have people specialized in that type of work and analysis, who are familiar with the processing steps and pitfalls. You usually have a limited number of people with those characteristics at the office. And that's another point where I figure external software could prove useful: let the machine extract the data, run through the steps, and provide a report, which could be transferred to a basic analyst for checking.

[gandersonLV88D]

Have you tried looking at AssembleSystems? I find it to be the easiest for quantity takeoff.