Best Construction Estimating Software 2. There are more than 5. They range from Excel add- ons to enterprise- class, multi- user systems. Some cost as little as $9. Meanwhile, there are unique systems designed for different industries, trades and divisions. If you haven't been in the market for some time (or ever), there's a lot to figure out. We've written this guide to help you make sense of the market so you can choose the best construction estimating software. Here's what we’ll cover: Common Features of Construction Estimating Software.
Well control is the technique used in oil and gas operations such as drilling, well workover, and well completions to maintaining the fluid column hydrostatic pressure and formation pressure to prevent influx of formation. Dlib is a modern C++ toolkit containing machine learning algorithms and tools for creating complex software in C++ to solve real world problems. It is used in both industry and academia in a wide range of domains. The Auto Collision 620 hour program teaches the basic principles and terminology of the auto body repair industry. This hands-on repair program teaches metal work, basic painting and color matching, cost estimation, industry. Magnetic flux leakage (MFL) is a magnetic method of nondestructive testing that is used to detect corrosion and pitting in steel structures, most commonly pipelines and storage tanks. The basic principle is that a powerful. Benefits of This Application. How Estimating and Takeoff Differ. Market Trends to Understand. The Vendor Landscape. Common Features of Construction Estimating Software. Construction cost estimating software, also known as construction bidding software, helps estimators calculate material and labor costs as well as produce detailed, professional proposals from these estimates. While these systems have always been useful, the proliferation of fixed- bid work and intensifying competition for projects is making them an even more important tool. Below is a breakdown of the functionality included in a typical contractor estimating software package. In case you aren't familiar with these terms, here is a plain English description of the function of each module. Module. What it does. Proposal Generator. Takes your cost estimates and creates an accurate and professional- looking bid proposal. Cost database. Stores materials and labor costs to reference when creating an estimate. Visual assemblies. Displays a graphical view of a build assembly to visualize which portion of the project you're estimating. Labor & materials. Automates labor and materials cost estimates based on calculations from your project takeoff. Historical database. Stores all of your past projects with related materials and labor cost estimates in a database. Pre- built templates. Applications suitable for web and mobile phone to calculate the size of water pipes for domestic and commercial Installations. MDT Research - Research Projects. Main Content Research Research Projects. Complete the research registration form to receive final reports. Subscribe to the Research What’s New RSS feed to receive notification of newly. Korf Hydraulics is an advanced pressure drop and piping network solver for liquids, gases and 2-phase fluid flow. Support flexible pipe, orifice, control valve and pump sizing. Process Design Practices is an intensive training. Accelerates the process by providing a set of commonly required parts and labor for standard jobs, such as a bathroom remodel. Project reporting. Creates cost breakdown reports using charts and graphs to improve the analysis of project costs. What- if analysis. Models how your bid will change if assumptions (e. Many contractors require specialized construction estimate software to handle their trade- specific requirements. As such, specialty contractors should evaluate products designed for their unique needs. For example, a mechanical contractor who needs to estimate custom sheet metal work for HVAC ducts would benefit from a specialized application such as Wendes Systems Wen. Duct. Or, a residential contractor who is performing his own project estimates might want a straightforward, affordable residential estimating solution where ease of use trumps depth of functionality and sophistication. Other contractors that we often find have unique needs include electrical and earthwork contractors. Benefits of This Application. Last year, we surveyed contractors, estimators, building owners and other construction professionals about their estimating processes. In our survey, we asked industry professionals about their top priorities for 2. The top priorities of construction firms (improved process standardization, accuracy and speed) mapped closely to the benefits firms say they noticed after deploying construction estimator software. To gain more insights into industry benchmarks and best practices, check out our 2. Benchmark Report. How Estimating and Takeoff Differ. We find that buyers sometimes confuse estimating software with takeoff software. The confusion stems partly from the fact that these two programs are often deployed in conjunction, as both are critical to developing accurate bids. But they perform two distinct functions. To simplify it: Takeoff systems help measure plans and blueprints to estimate the amount of materials and labor needed to complete a project. Construction estimating systems determine how much the estimated materials and labor will cost, and then produces a complete bid in a professional format. This table will help you determine if you need takeoff or construction estimating software (or both): If you.. Then You Need.. Spend too much time measuring plans and blueprints. Takeoff. Often incorrectly estimate labor/materials quantities. Takeoff. Spend too much time calculating labor/materials costs. Estimating. Often incorrectly estimate labor/materials costs. Estimating. Have trouble creating professional- looking bid proposals. Estimating. Need one system to estimate labor/materials quantities & costs. Both. If, after reviewing our table of common pain points, you realize that a takeoff program is what you need, head over to our takeoff systems buyer's guide to better understand this market. Market Trends to Understand. These pre- construction application market trends should be considered when evaluating a new system and reading construction estimating software reviews. Digital takeoff. Digital takeoff has matured and it provides many efficiencies. It reduces the cost, time and hassle of printing paper plans. It also costs less than a plotter or reprographic service. Most systems can measure . Auto. CAD and other digital file formats. Buyers should strongly consider (and trial) digital takeoff before investing in another digitizer board. Increased competition for jobs. The sluggish economy means that contractors are competing for fewer jobs. GCs and project sponsors are running more intense selection processes with shorter bid turnaround times. Contractors need to produce bids faster and more accurately to compete for more jobs, win and make a profit. Geographic migration. Some companies are now bidding on jobs outside their traditional territory. The availability of electronic plan files via online plan rooms, as well as data from BIM files, makes it easier to identify projects and get the data necessary to produce a bid. To compete, contractors need an efficient infrastructure that will allow them to access these online plan rooms. Multi- user estimation. Many contractors are seeing a need to involve more employees in the process. In some cases, this results from growth. In other cases it results from a reaction to turnover of seasoned estimators and the resulting skills gap. And other times it results from a desire to gain consensus on estimates. Regardless, demand for multi- user systems is growing and if this is an important consideration you should evaluate the best vendors that support many users. The Vendor Landscape. The application landscape is highly fragmented and can be confusing. However, we can simplify the market by matching top- rated solutions to our four buyer types. If you are a.. Then you should evaluate.. Commercial Contractor. Pro. Est, Maxwell Pro. Contractor. MX, On. Center On- Screen Takeoff, Sage Timberline, Quick. Measure. Electrical Contractor. Accubid, Con. Est, Mc. Cormick, Electrical Bid Manager. Mechanical/HVAC Contractor. Accubid, Wendes, Quote. Express. Earthwork Contractor / Heavy Construction Contractor. BID2. WIN, Hard Dollar, HCSS, Sharpe. Soft, Win. Ex Master. Residential Contractor. Clear Estimates, Contractor's Office, Giddy. Up, My Project Estimator. Notes on Water Pipe sizing Programs. SIZING WATER PIPES FOR PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS. How to Calculate the size of Water Pipes for Buildings. Water always flows downhill. Therefore to start calculating pipe sizes we must first find a length and a vertical drop. To make life easier, the Plumbing Codes start out by calculating a length called the . Like any hill it is the difference between the top and the bottom. A flatter grade means a slower flow. A Slower flow needs a bigger pipe to deliver the required design flow. It makes the grade flatter, and is a lot easier to calculate. More detail on this below. The Design Flow. OMG! So how do we arrive at a . The minimum supply pressure must be used. This minimum pressure can be obtained from the Water Utility, or by direct measurement at peak flow times. The weight of which is the pressure. The water in this case will not rise higher than the water level in the reservoir, or the height supplied by the pump. Remember that water must always flow down hill. From a point of higher pressure to a point of lower pressure, from a high water level to a lower water level etc. If we were to put a series of vertical pipes along a water main and draw a line between the top water level in each pipe. Hydraulic Grade line. This is what the Hydraulic Grade line represents. In other words the 'Head' at each point along the pipeline. If water is flowing, pressure/head is being lost due to friction, therefore the height to which water will rise is getting progressively lower along the pipe line. If there is no flow there is no head loss due to friction, and the Hydraulic grade line will. A pressure pipe is obviously a pipe flowing under pressure as in water pipes. A gravity pipe is a pipe that flows without pressure as in. If a gravity pipe is flowing full. The Plumbing Codes set a maximum and a minimum pressure. The maximum is around about 5. Pa (8. 0psi). Pressures above this require a. The minimum is the pressure required to operate the fixture in question. The codes have recommendations on this. These 'k' factors are added up, and a formula is used. They may use different methods to avoid obstructions etc. The minor loss coefficient method, and the Equivalent length method. These programs apply the formula used in the relevant Plumbing Code. In our situation we start with an 'estimated' flow, we've made a 'best guess' allowance for friction losses in bends and fittings by increasing the length by 5. Then we normally choose a pipe that is a few mm bigger than necessary, because that is the nearest available size. Also a large percentage of the pipes will be controlled by velocity (not pressure) more on this below. The Hydraulic Grade is the slope of that hill. The Hydraulic Grade involves only four things: -. The start Pressure (Street Main)The end Pressure (residual head)The difference in elevation between the start and end points. The length between the start and end points. Sometimes we don't know whether this will be a close high point. The available head is what we need to calculate the Hydraulic grade. To make life easier, pipes are given a 'nominal' diameter. Sometimes you will see this expressed as DN (diameter nominal). Pipe flow formulas only relate to the inside diameter (ID). So the pipe sizing programs on this site calculate the actual inside diameter, and if this exact size does not exist, then for the Australian Programs. The nominal diameter associated with this size is then displayed. The international versions display the actual inside pipe diameter (I. D.)The user can then select the nearest available (larger) pipe size from the Manufacturers data of the material and strength class of choice. However sometimes it may be advantageous. For example. underground pipes of straight runs with no bends or fittings, especially valves. Hence it may be justified in irrigation, fire flows, etc. But this will be outside the plumbing codes. Lowering the velocity on the other hand, would be advantageous. Lowering the allowable velocity requires a larger pipe to get the same flow. The maximum velocity limitation occurs when the available water pressure is high enough to push the design flow of. The object is to adjust all the friction/head loss in each pipe section so that the total head loss is. This is necessary in systems where the end pressure must fall. Is it necessary to recalculate the start pressure at the riser for every level of a high rise building? And will this change the pipe sizes on each level, even if the Architecture is identical? And is it even worth thinking about? Well, the lower levels usually have so much pressure that the pipe size is velocity controlled, so recalculating the start pressure will. Also during construction it is always better to keep things consistent. Every floor plumbed the same. This code. now beats the Aussi code in that the probable simultaneous design flow is even less. That is, the total loading units of the group is. This substantially reduces the total loading units. British Standard BS 6. The Aussie Code has a one size fits all approach, which significantly reduces the design time, but produces a larger pipe size. That is, the hydraulic grade to the worst case. WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT! So we start with a guess of the pipe size for each pipe section, and then use trial and error to end up with a total head loss, that is as close as possible. The end result is, we may or may not have succeeded in reducing a couple of pipe sizes. But are we any more correct? Given that it is. Is there such a thing as over design in plumbing, (or is it just a better design) if increasing the pipe size reduces the pressure fluctuations? The free International version of these programs uses the simple approach. This is useful for some other plumbing standards, or for heated water. Also allows the user to change the minimum residual head. Handy for tanks (lower residual head), fire hose reels or hydrants (higher residual head). The Australian Proversion also has a table that displays the capability of every pipe size, for the calculated Hydraulic Grade. That is : -. How many dwellings each size can service. What flow (L/s) each diameter can supply. And what is the velocity in each pipe diameter. And how many Loading Units each pipe can handle. So no need to calculate the pipe size. Also, showing the flow capacity of each size will help in cases where the flow is known. For example, irrigation, some fire services, and some mechanical systems. If the velocity shown is the maximum allowable, then we know that velocity is controlling the pipe size, not the pressure. Which means that we have plenty of pressure, which in- turn suggests that we should end up with more pressure at the end point than our desired minimum. Pumps. Pro version also calculates Pump Duty. This is the required operating point of the pump. It is the flow required. If the hydraulic grade falls below 1: 1. So better to put on a small pump. When sucking with a pump, is is also necessary to check the NPSH (net positive suction head) of the pump with the Manufacturer. This is a NPSH of 4m. When the pump duty is calculated, use the pump k. Pa (or start) pressure, (shown at the end of the page) as the. Start pressure' to calculate the pipe sizes. The pump 'duty' point is not the figure that the local pump suppliers usually quote. Check that out to get the correct pump.
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