Takeoff  Tutorial

 

Lesson 5: Digitizing

 

This lesson tranfers a paper plan into Carlson Takeoff.

 

Step 1 (Setup):

To digitize in Carlson Takeoff, you need to install the Wintab digitizer driver. See Digitizer Setup in the manual if you have not installed or have problems with the Wintab driver. If Wintab is installed, then make sure your drawing board is on and take the paper plan provided with the Carlson Takeoff manual and place it on your drawing board.



Now, click on the Windows icon for Takeoff to launch the program. You may be presented with a “Startup Wizard” dialog similar to the one shown below, if so click New.



 If a Startup Wizard did not appear, then under File menu, select New to start a new drawing. You will be prompted for a template to use. Templates determine the default settings for your drawing. For this tutorial, select site.dwt and click Open.

 

Next, the New Drawing Wizard appears for setting the drawing name.  Click on the Set button at the top dialog. In the file selection dialog, enter the file name of "digitize" and pick the Save button. Then Exit the New Drawing Wizard.  From here, a Data Files dialog appears where no changes are needed. Pick the Exit button.


Step 2 (Tablet Calibration):

To start things off, you need to set the coordinate system for the paper plan by running the Calibrate command under Digitize menu and sub-menu Tablet. Calibration is required to let the program know the orientation and scale of the paper plan.



There are two different Calibration Methods: Known Reference Points and Drawing Scale with New Reference Points. Known Reference Points allows you to enter in the coordinates of two marked points on the paper plan. This method applies when you know the coordinates of at least two points on the paper plans. Drawing Scale with New Reference Points allows you to setup a coordinate system for the plans by entering the plan scale and picking any two points from the paper plan with the digitizer puck.

In this case, we will use Drawing Scale with New Reference Points. First, enter in the Drawing Scale listed on the paper plan. On this drawing, the scale is 1:40, so enter in 40. Use the default coordinates for Point 1 and click OK. Now Carlson Takeoff will prompt you for your First and Second Reference points. Generally, you want to pick to points on the drawing that you can find and use again in case you need to recalibrate. Also, the further away the points are from each other, the more accurate the coordinate system will be. With the digitizer puck, pick on the  icon in the lower left and upper right of the drawing for the two Reference Points. The first point is assigned the coordinates of 1000,1000 from the dialog and the second point is assigned coordinates to match with the plan scale. From now on, all of your points will be in relation to these two points.


Step 3 (Digitizing Existing Contours):

We will now digitize the existing contours. Under the Digitize menu, click on Existing and then go to Contour Polyline, and this dialog will appear. Enter in a Layer Name of XCONT and select OK. Note: your Elevation Interval should match the intervals marked on your paper drawing. In this drawing, the interval is the same as the default of 1.00.



The rest of the prompting occurs at the command line and starts with the contour elevation. Find the lowest elevation for the existing contours labeled in bottom right corner of the paper plan zoomed in on below. In this example, the lowest elevation is 624 feet. The elevation can be entered either with the digitizer puck keys or with the computer keyboard. The layout of the digitizer keys is set in Digitizing Settings->Puck Layout. Press Enter after you have entered in 624. You want to enter in the lowest contour so that as Carlson Takeoff adds the Elevation Interval, it is from lowest to highest.




Next, you will see the following prompt:

Sketch[0]/Exit[A]/Pick the first point:

There are two different ways to digitize: in Pick Mode or Sketch Mode. You can switch between them at anytime. In this tutorial we will run through how to do both. For now, type in [0] and press enter to get into Sketch Mode. In Sketch Mode, you will be prompted to Pick and drag. The point you pick is the starting point of a contour. Drag is asking you to follow that contour with the digitizer puck on the paper plan. Click a second time when you have traced the entire contour and have reached the end of the contour. You will then be prompted as follows:

Pick[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Pick and drag (Enter to end):

Type in [B] for Undo if you made a mistake and need to sketch part of the contour again. [A] will close the contour, and [0] will switch you into Pick Mode. We still have more existing contours to digitize, so press Enter to end and answer yes to the Digitize Another Contour prompt. Takeoff will prompt you to verify the elevation. Remember, we set the Elevation Interval to one, so the default elevation for your next contour line is 625, press Enter. Now, pick the endpoint of the next contour and trace it in the same manner as the previous contour.

Now let's try Pick Mode. Say yes to digitize another contour and check to see if the default elevation corresponds with the contour your about to digitize. If not, simply type in the correct number in the command line. Next, pick [0] to get into Pick Mode. In Pick Mode, you do not have to trace the contour. Rather, pick with the digitizer puck to create points that will make up the contour. Note: Less picks are needed on fairly straight segments. Conversely, more picks will give you a more acurrate contour. Press Enter when you have reach the end of the contour. Repeat this until you have digitized all of the existing contours you want to have in Takeoff (see below).

Step 4 (Digitizing the Design):

Now we will digitize the building and curb linework of the Design Surface using the Digitize 2D Polyline and 3D Polyline commands. Besides drawing the linework positions, we will also assign layer names to the linework that we will use later to identify the types of linework.  In this example, there are no design contours, only the design building and curb linework and spot elevations.

Let's begin by digitizing the main building. Under Digitize, check on Design and go to 2D Polyline. 2D Polyline is used to digitize linework enities with one elevation. Toggle off the check box Use current drawing layer and name the layer NEW BUILD. Toggle on the Prompt For Polylne Elevation option. Then click OK.



At the command line, enter in the building elevation of 634.41 found labeled in the middle of the building and press Enter. Then pick the points that define the building outline. Start in the upper left corner and pick at every corner around the building. When you have picked around the entire building, type in [A] for close to finish digitizing the building.

Enter polyline elevation <0.00>: 634.41
First point:  pick a building point
Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the next building point
Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the next building point
Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the last building point
Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): A to close

Digitize Another NEW_BUILD Polyline [Yes(A)/<No(B)>]? B for No


Notice that the parking lot linework consists of different elevation levels. To digitize entities with more than one elevation, go to Digitize and select 3D Polyline from the pull-down menu. Make sure that the Prompt For Polyline Elevation option is on, the Use current drawing layer toggle is off and name the layer NEW EDGE ASPH.



Let's start by digitizing the parking lot starting from the zoomed in section below. The edge of asphalt is the inside line. The parking lot elevation labels have been shortened on the paper plan. For example, they read 35.37 and 35.12, when the actual elevations are 635.37 and 635.12. Enter in 600 as the Elevation Adder, then click OK.



Click on the point with the digitizer puck where the 35.37 elevation label points to in the upper left corner of the parking lot. When prompted for Elevation enter in 35.37. Pick below the first point where the linework starts to curve. We do not have an elevation for this point, but we can interpolate the elevation from the two points around it using the interpolate option. Type in I for interpolate or hit the A button on the Puck. Next pick the middle point of the curve and again use Interpolate for the elevation. Next pick the end of the curve at the 35.12 label and enter in the elevation 35.12. Continue digitizing for the rest of the edge of asphalt linework. Digitize each point where there is an elevation label and each point where the curb line changes direction.

The first prompts should resemble these:



First point: pick first point (at 35.37 label)
Interpolate[A]/screen Pick/<Elevation[B]> <0.00>: 35.37

Z: 635.37
Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick next point (start of curve)
Slope/Ratio/Interpolate[A]/Degree/screen Pick/<Elevation[B]> <635.37>:  Press the [A] button on the Puck for Interpolate

Slope/Ratio/Elevation[B]/Degree/screen Pick/Osnap[.]/Next point or elevation<Interpolate>: pick next point (middle of curve)
This point elevation will be interpolated upon completion.
Slope/Ratio/Elevation[B]/Degree/screen Pick/Osnap[.]/Next point or elevation<Interpolate>: pick next point (end of curve, at 35.12 label)
This point elevation will be interpolated upon completion.

Slope/Ratio/Elevation[B]/Degree/screen Pick/Osnap[.]/Next point or
elevation<Interpolate>: 35.12 (Enter)


To check the elevations of the interpolated points go to List under the Inquiry menu and click on the polyline you just created and press Enter. A text window will appear showing you the layer name, coordinates, and elevation of each point. To return to the main graphic screen, press F2.

Use the 3D Polyline command to digitize the rest of the parking lot as seen below.

Step 5 (Area):

Now that we have digitized the Design Surface, let's check the Area of certain sections. Select Area under the Digitize Menu and match the below dialog.



To approximate the area of the main building, pick the points of the building outline.

Command: dig_area

Pick starting point:  Pick points as close to the building design linework as you can
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end):

Digitize Another Area [<Yes(A)>/No(B)]? B

When finished with the building points, press Enter to end. Then answer no for no more areas. Takeoff will then display an Area report similar to the one shown below.


Step 6 (Spot Elevations):

In our paper drawing, we have two spot elevations labeled 32.57 and 32.41 shown in the bottom left below.



To digitize these elevations, we can use the Spot Elevation command under the Digitize menu. Fill out the Spot Elevation dialog as shown and pick OK.



In the paper plan, find and click on the spot elevations with the puck. When prompted, enter in their corresponding elevations of 632.57 and 632.41.

Step 7 (Boundary Polyline):

The limits of the site are defined by a closed polyline. This polyline is used as the boundary for the models and the volumes. Under the digitize menu, check on Other and then select Perimeter. Type in PERIMETER as the layer name. Now digitize around the bold, outside line shown below. 




Say No to the prompt: Digitize Another PERIMETER Polyline [Yes(A)/<No(B)>]?

Now run Tools->Boundary Polyline->Set Boundary Polyline and pick the perimeter polyline. This selected polyline is now set as the boundary polyline for the rest of the Takeoff routines.

Step 8 (Layer Targets):

From the Tools menu, choose Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade. Every entity (line, polyline, point, etc) in the drawing is assigned a layer name. Takeoff uses the entity layer names to define which entities are for the existing ground surface, the design surface or no surface. These surfaces are referred to as the “Target” surfaces.  The drawing entities are assigned their target surface by their layer name. For example, if polylines representing design contours are on the layer “NEW”, then “NEW” will be set as a layer for the design surface. For layers of entities that are for neither existing nor design surfaces (such as text labels for street names), the layer target is set to Other.

The Define Layer Targets dialog has three lists of layers: Existing, Design and Other. To switch between lists, pick the tabs at the top of the dialog. We have already defined the layers for their correct targets. We did this by check on Existing, Design, or Other in the pull-down menu.

Check that your Layer Targets resemble the three lists shown here. If a layer is out of place, highlight it, and hit the "Move To" button after selecting the correct target to send it to. After reviewing, pick Save and Exit.

 


Now that the layer targets are defined, there are several commands that can be applied. In the Display menu, you can turn on/off whether to display layer targets by using Existing Drawing, Design Drawing and Other Drawing, or by right-clicking with your mouse. For example, when Design Drawing is checked, then picking this menu item will uncheck it and turn off all the layers for the design surface. Likewise, picking Design Drawing when it is unchecked will make it checked and turn on the design surface layers.

Practice turning on/off the Existing, Design and Other Drawing in the Display menu. When only Existing Drawing is on, you should see just the contours. When only Design Drawing is on, you should see just the design polylines and leader labels. When only Other Drawing is on, you should see the entities that are assigned to neither existing nor design.

 

Step 9 (Define Material/SubGrade):

Besides assigning target surfaces by layer, layers are also used to define material names and subgrade depths. By assigning material names and depths to layers, the volume, area, length and count for entities on these layers can be reported. Also the depth is used to vertically adjust the design surface. The polylines used for subgrade depth must be closed polylines. Takeoff supports nested subgrade polylines for exclusion areas such as islands by counting how many subgrade polylines surround an area. If the number is odd, then the area is inside the subgrade. Otherwise the area is not part of the subgrade.

First, let's confirm the layer names for our subgrades. Go to the Display menu and check on Design Drawing, uncheck Existing Drawing and uncheck Other Drawing. Then run Inquiry->Layer ID and pick the large pad polyline. It reports that this layer is NEW BUILD. Next use Layer ID to pick the curb polyline. It reports that this layer is NEW EDGE ASPH. 

Now run Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade and pick the Design tab. Highlight layer NEW BUILD and pick the Edit button. A dialog appears for defining the pad material properties. Check on the Include In Material Report option, enter the Material Name as “Pad”, set the first subgrade name to "Pad", and set the Depth as 1. Once the dialog is filled out as shown, pick OK.


Next pick layer NEW EDGE ASPH and choose Edit. In the Edit Materials dialog, check on Include In Material Report, set the Material Name to “Pavement”, set the first subgrade name to "Pavement", and set the Depth to 1.5. Then pick OK.
 
 

To save the subgrade changes, pick the Save button on the Define Layer Targets dialog. Then choose Exit.

Now let’s visually verify the subgrade areas. In the Inquiry menu, run Subgrade Areas->Hatch Subgrade Areas. There is a dialog to select which subgrade to hatch. Choose the Pavement. Then there is a dialog for the hatch pattern and color. Change the color to green and click OK. Then run Hatch Subgrade Areas again. This time choose Pad and set the hatch pattern to Hex with blue color. The resulting hatch areas show where the subgrade is applied. Notice how the islands are not hatched because they are curb polylines that are already inside another curb polyline. When finished viewing the subgrade areas, run Inquiry->Subgrade Areas->Erase Subgrade Hatches.

 

Step 10 (Model Existing and Design Surfaces):

To calculate volumes, Takeoff needs two surfaces: existing ground and design. These surfaces are modeled by triangulation.  With the preparation of the previous steps, we’re now ready to make the models. To make the existing ground surface, run Tools->Make Existing Ground Surface. The program will process the entities and make the triangulation surface. Then to make the design surface, run Tools->Make Design Surface.

Step 11 (Cut/Fill Color Map):

Cut/Fill color maps can be used for a visual output of the site cut/fill areas and also serves as a check that the models are correct.  In the Display menu, choose Cut/Fill Color Map. Cut areas are drawn in different shades of red for different depths of cut while fill areas are drawn in blue. To change the resolution of the color blocks, run Display->Display Options and change the Cut/Fill Color Map Subdivisions. This parameter is the number of rows and columns of color blocks to create. You can also draw a legend for the Color Map by going to Draw, Cut/Fill Map Legend. Pick a point on your drawing to locate the legend and press Enter. To turn off the color map, go to the Display menu and pick Cut/Fill Color Map to uncheck it.


Step 12 (Calculate Volumes):

To calculate volumes, run the Tools->Calculate Total Volumes command. There is an options dialog for setting the cut swell factor and fill shrink factor. These values get multipled into the cut/fill volumes. Set these factors as desired and click OK. Then the routine calculates the volumes and display the report which includes the cut/fill volumes and areas. The report can be printed or saved to a file. Pick the Exit button to exit the report viewer.

  


Step 13 (Material Quantities):

To report the material quantities, run the Tools->Material Quantities->Standard Report routine. The report includes the count, length, area and volume for each type of material that was assigned for reporting in the Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade command. The Material Quantities->Custom Report routine can be used to reporting these values with control of the report format and the option to export to Excel.