To Install the application:

1.  Make sure Tekla Structures is closed.
2. Install *.tsep package on the Tekla Warehouse.
3. Once installation is complete, the application can be found in the Applications & Components Catalog > US Extensions group.
    

Supporting files included in the package:

Certain UI elements will be referred to throughout this article several times, and this section defines these key elements.

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• Template ~ A Template is a *.wstTreeCat file in XML that defines the Category tree, Category properties, and export settings.  When you save a Template, it is saved to the model subfolder /attributes. This file can be edited in a text editor but is only recommended for admins or advanced users.
• Category ~ Represents an item or assembly in WinEst and contains unique selection filters and property definitions.
• Data grid ~  Displays property definitions for a selected category. There are three (3) possible types of cells within each row of the data grid:
  • Report Property - Uneditable template attribute.
  • User Property - An editable text box can be written to model objects as a UDA.
  • Spec Variable - Editable drop-down list that can be written to model objects as a UDA.

This section will briefly describe how the tool operates and is to be used.  This section will not cover setup, but describe the workflow after the custom estimate assembly/item mapping has been completed.

Using this tool is similar to Tekla's Organizer in the way that objects from the model are brought into Categories and there is a data grid where model object properties can be viewed.  Instead of this tool exporting an excel file like the Organizer,  this tool creates a text file that will be imported in WinEst.  Another difference is in the data grid where properties can be viewed, some of the properties are modifiable.  In the previous section these were defined and can be done for User Property and Spec Variable cells.  

Basic use walkthrough

In Tekla Structures:

1. In the Applications & Components catalog, find and open the WinEst Takeoff Tool under the US Extensions group.
2. Select the appropriate Template in the drop-down.  COMA Concrete has been provided with the installation as a working example.
3. If there are no model objects in the model or the Count column contains all zeroes, add some objects in the model that match any of the categories' preset selection filters.
4. For each Category that contains objects, make changes as necessary to the Spec variables or User Properties in the data grid.  If the value is blank or not set, the default value be used in the export.
5. To preserve or save these changes, press the Save to Model button so the changes are saved after closing the application.  These properties will be written to the model objects and these values are read when the application starts.
6. When the WinEst Takeoff Tool application window is open, it is not actively synchronizing changes in the model or the application.  If model objects are deleted, modified, or added you will need to press the Reload Data button to bring in those changes.  Make sure to press Save to Model prior to doing so if any changes have been made to User Properties or Spec Variables.
7. To export, make sure the Categories that you want to be exported are checked in the Category tree.  Press the Export button to create the .txt file.  By default the report will be placed in the model's subfolder .\WinEst.

In WinEst:

1. Open a new estimate file.
2. Go to Tools > Import items... > Using CAD Translation.
   1. In the dialog, browse and select the translation table (*.tbl) file.  If you are testing this tool out with the COMA database, download the translation table from the Tekla Warehouse.
   2. For the CAD export file, browse and select the file created from the WinEst Takeoff Tool.
3. Press import and the assemblies/items will be added into the estimate.

Here's a short video demonstrating the workflow:

The Home tab includes all the primary features of using the application.

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1. Close icon - Closes application and prompts to save changes.
2. Pin icon - If selected, the window will always stay on top of other windows.
3. Template - Select the Template in the drop-down box. To save a new template, start typing in the text box and press the save button.
4. Save Template - Saves an existing or new template.
5. Save to Model—Writes UDAs to model objects. When you make a change to a User Property or Spec Variable, the changes are saved by writing those properties as user-defined attributes (UDAs).
6. Read from Model - Updates the values shown in the data grid by retrieving the information from model objects.
7. Reload Data - Updates all data from templates, categories within the templates, and data from the model objects.  Every time the application is opened the model objects in the categories and their properties are refreshed.  If the application remains open and model objects are modified, press the button to consider those changes.
8. Export - Creates the *.txt file to be imported into WinEst using CAD Translation.
9. Select in model - If checked, the objects will be selected when you press a category in the category tree or a row in the data grid is selected.
10. Tag in model with export - If checked, a UDA attribute named WINEST_EXPORTED will be written to the model object with a value of 1 if it has been exported.  This feature is not used in any other aspect of the application and is only intended to filter, report, or track objects that have been exported.
11. Open file with export - If checked, the *.txt file will open after the file is exported.
12. Export checkbox - If checked, the objects will be included in the exported report.
13. Count - Counts the number of model objects brought into a single category which is based on the selection filter.

Setup tab

The Setup tab is for customizing the category tree and editing individual categories.

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1. Add Category - Creates a new category in the category tree.
2. Delete Category - Deletes the selected category.
3. Model filter - Selection filter (*.SObjGrp) that is unique for each category.
4. Edit - Edit a category and customize its Codes, Variables and SPecification Variables that correlate to the category's estimate assembly or item in WinEst.
5. Total Columns - Defines the number of columns used in the export, which is saved to the template file.

This section details the UI for editing a Category.  The window below can be found by navigating to the Setup tab > Edit.

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1. Choose the Category to edit.
2. *Add a new property definition.
3. Delete the selected property definition.
4. (Going to remove)...
5. **Code1 - Value appears in column 1 of the exported file.
6. **Code2 - Value appears in column 2 of the exported file.
7. **Code3 - Value appears in column 3 of the exported file.

* See the section for Add new column wizard.

** WinEst uses Code1, Code2 and Code3 to relate the row of data to the item or assembly in WinEst.  At least one (1) of these fields needs to be used.

Add new column wizard

These definitions represent data that will be imported into WinEst. The definition may represent an estimate Assembly's description, quantity, variable or specification variable field in WinEst.

Add Existing definition

Here is information related to adding a new property within the Category Editor.  Refer to the description for item 2 in the Category Editor section above.

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The existing definitions are read from the AllDefinitions.wstExp file.  You can select a definition from the Existing Definitions drop-down, and the property will be added after pressing the Next Page button.  

Note: The AllDefinitions.asdf file is saved to the attributes subfolder in the active model. It can also be stored in any system file location or firm/project folder.

Add New Definition

Below are details for adding a new definition.  The image on the left shows the UI's appearance when New is selected. Press Next Page to view the UI on the right below.

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• Display name: Only used for UI purposes and will show as the column header in the data grid.
• Variable name:  For a report property, enter the template attribute.  For UserProperties and SpecVariables, this represents the name of the UDA attribute that will written and saved. 
• Column order: The column order or number of the property will appear in the exported report.
• Property Type: There are three (3) different options to choose from:
  1. Report Property:  Template attributes for a model object. Concerning WinEst fields, these will mostly apply to the Description, Quantity, and Variable fields. 
     In the Variable Name field, enter the name of the template attribute.
  2. User Property:  The cell in the data table will be a textbox where the user can input any value.
  3. Spec Variable:  A drop-down option feature. 
• Unit type:  Sets the unit type used in UI and export. When creating a spec variable, make sure to use Option for the Unit Type. For example, If rounded to the nearest whole value, enter "0": round to two decimal places and enter "0.00".
• Is Blank:  The output will always be blank.
• Is Output:  If checked, the report will output the value.  If unchecked, it will be skipped over.
• Default Index:  Enter the default value if no value is set. This applies in cases for UserProperty or SpecVariable when no value has been set. The cell will appear blank in the data grid , but the export will use this default value.

If the Unit type is set to option and Next Page button is pressed, another window will prompt you to enter the values associated with the option. Here is an example:

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These options work based on how WinEst's specification variables function.  The Integer Value column represents the value that will be exported and written to the model object as a UDA.  The String Value column represents what the user sees in the data grid.