Assigning Cost and Weight Data

Layer Cost Data (Layer$)

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Unit weight and unit costs may be associated to any Layer in your model. All Objects that are effectively on that Layer will use the assigned unit weights and costs in their particular quantity calculations.

1. Select the Layer to assign the data. Layers that already contain cost data will show a $ sign in front of the name.
2. Input the weight (density) of the objects on this layer as well as the unit (optional).
3. Input an optional cost code for grouping and sorting similar costs in the report.
4. Input a description of the cost item.
5. Select the input quantity. This is the quantity that is calculated by Quantifier Pro from the objects in your model that are on this Layer.
6. Input the conversion factor to convert from the input quantity to the unit of measure (Unit). This is a simple multipler of the input quantity. If the input quantity is the same as the unit of measure, then the factor should be 1.0. However, it is often desired to convert from the input quantity to another quantity (eg. man-hours, bags, truck-loads, etc.) The conversion factor allows you to perform these conversions.
7. Input the unit of measure that will be used to calculate the cost of this line item. This is the unit that will be displayed in the cost detail report for this line.
8. Input the unit cost. The cost must be entered as an integer or decimal number without any commas (eg. 12345.67) Do not enter 12.345,67.
9. Input an optional waste factor percentage. Use waste to account for extra material that may be needed.
10. Input an optional tax factor percentage.

Layers can use a variety of input quantities including:

• Length
• Area (projected area, not surface area)
• Volume
• Weight (see #2 above)

Important: Use the SketchUp 'color by layer' feature or the Quantifier Pro Cost Inspector tool to see what layer is effectively assigned to an object. This is the layer that will be used for the cost calculation of the object.

Material Cost Data (Material$)

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Costs that are driven by surface area quantities can be associated with a Material in your model. This feature is best used to calculate costs for surface finishes such as:

• Paint
• Flooring
• Tile
• Coatings
• Roofing

1. Select the Material to assign the data. Materials that already contain cost data will show a $ sign in front of the name.
2. Material cost items can only use surface area (ft2 or m2) as the input quantity since the quantities are calculated from the surface area of the faces that are painted with the selected Material.

An object can have cost input from both Layers and Materials at the same time. See the example below.

Layer$ and Material$ Example

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1. Layer cost data is assigned to the 'Steel-Beam' layer. This will be used to calculate the cost of the fabricated steel beam material.
2. Material cost data is assigned to the 'Galvanized Metal' material. This will be used to calculate the additional cost of the galvanized metal coating of the beam.
3. The layer cost calculation is combined with the material cost calculation to determine the total cost for this object.

Object Cost Data (Object$)

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Cost and weight data can be assigned directly to the selected Object.

Important:

• If you assign cost data directly to an object, any cost information (by layer, material, or object) that is associated with the entities contained within the object (child objects) will be ignored.
• All component instances of the object will use the same cost data.

This feature is best used to calculate costs for 'off-the-shelf' objects where costs are not driven by a particular measurement such as:

• Doors
• Windows
• Plumbing and Electrical Fixtures
• Mechanical Equipment
• Specialty Items

1. Select an Object in your model to assign the data using the SketchUp select tool.
2. Uncheck the 'Report Child Objects' to supress reporting of nested objects inside the selected object. Nested (child) objects will then not be included in component reports.
3. Object cost line items can only use EA (each) as the input quantity. The cost data will be applied for each instance of the object or component.
4. If 'Report Child Objects' is unchecked you can also assign the weight of this object. This weight will then be displayed in the Component Report.

Remember that you can use the 'factor' field to convert from EA to another quantity. In the example above, each post component in the model will also include the quantity and cost of 4 bolts.

Object$ Example

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1. First, two telepost components are selected. The telepost object has two cost lines associated with it (telepost and bolts)
2. The 'Cost Detail Report' type is selected.
3. Click the 'Create report' button to generate a report on the selected objects.
4. Each cost line creates a row in the cost detail report. Since two teleposts were selected, there are two posts shown in the report. There are also 8 bolts shown in the report (4 bolts for each post). The bolts are not actually in the 3D model but the Object$ is used to calculate the quantity and cost required.

Model Cost Data (Model$)

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Cost data can be assigned to the entire model file.

This feature is best used to calculate costs that may not otherwise be easily determined from the model objects OR in cases where it is not practical to create the entities in your model such as:

• Labour costs and quotes
• Roof Truss Package
• Administrative or overhead costs
• Windows or Doors Package
• Other costs that are not represented by an entity in your model.

Important:

• Model costs will not be included in the Quantifier dialog cost total but will always be included if you create a cost report.

Instant Cost Estimates

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Once cost data has been assigned, getting a cost estimate is simply a matter of selecting the Objects that you are interested in.