We have been talking about Pages (Sheets), Plans, Sheet Names/Sheet Numbers, Plan Sets, and the like, but before we go any further, we should do a deep dive.
There are all sorts of names for Plans: plans, drawings, blueprints, images, pages, sheets, and probably others.
In this app, we use the terms "Pages" and "Plans" mostly (we strive to avoid using the same term for different concepts).
Drawing, Plan, Page, Sheet, or Image?
Before we go any further, we should explain that sometimes, in the construction industry, the terms Drawing, Plan, Image, and Sheet are used interchangeably. This is not the end of the world, but it can create a little confusion when you are trying to differentiate between what you are provided by the Architect, what you see on the screen, and where your takeoff and annotation are stored. So let us clarify a few terms, in this application we refer to:
- Drawings - we use this term to describe the Architectural plans before they are loaded into ConstructConnect Takeoff. We avoid using the term "drawing" when referring to the representation of a building plan once it is loaded into the software because we reserve 'drawing' for what you do within ConstructConnect Takeoff - you draw takeoff to measure building objects and draw Annotations to markup a Plan.
- Image - is the term we use to refer to the actual file or files you upload into the software (the PDFs, TIFFs, and CAD files you receive from Architects and General Contractors). These are "image" files, but some people call them drawings or plans, or simply by their extensions "PDF Files" or "CAD Files".
- Plan - this is a single drawing from a set of construction documents (which we call a "Plan Set") as loaded into the Plan Set Editor. While working in the Plan Set Editor, the different pages or drawings in your Plan Set are referred to as "Plans", once you save the Plan Set, the program creates "Sheets" for those Plans (unless you are matching up new plans to existing, which we cover in detail in Related Articles). We use the term "Plans" when discussing uploading and editing image files using the Plan Organizer and to the graphical display of those Plans on the Takeoff Tab.
- Page and Sheet - A Page is an electronic "container" that stores the Plan (including the original issue and all addenda and revisions), all takeoff objects, and all Annotations (drawing markups). The Sheet is the name and drawing number as identified on the blueprint - usually in a title block.
- Page number is based on the sequence of Pages in the Plan Organizer starting at "1" and proceeding incrementally. It is not associated with the name or sheet number of a drawing or plan. It is just an index number.
- Sheet Name is assigned based on the name of the Image File uploaded to the Cloud (so, if you import a PDF named "drawings" that contains 100 pages, each page would be named Drawings (1), Drawings (2), etc.) We recommend you update the Sheet Name to match the Title Block on the drawing - this makes Page Navigation much easier.
- Sheet No. is assigned sequentially when you load a Plan Set in the Plan Organizer starting with "000001". We recommend you change the Sheet No. to match the drawings (Examples: A2.31; M210, etc. - the code that explains that individual plan's position in the Set). We use the Sheet No. to match revisions - we explain Revisions and Matching in Chapter 11.
- It is a good idea to update the Sheet Name and Sheet No. to what shows on the plans when you add a Plan Set. That way, when a Revision comes in, you can match it to the original more easily. If you are using a ConstructConnect Project Intelligence project, this is done for you in the cloud, automatically. All you need to do is use our Overlay function (see Related articles) to compare Revisions.
What is a Plan Set?
Plan Sets refer to the "batch" of plans, drawings, prints, files, etc., that you receive from an Architect or planroom that explains what needs to be built, how, and where. When you are doing takeoff, or even if you are just looking at a set of drawings, everything starts with a Plan Set (without a Plan Set, you would not have anything to view or measure).
Just as its name implies, a Plan Set is a collection of construction drawings (or sheets, images, blueprints - whatever you call them). When a job starts, normally you are provided with the "Original" set of plans.
If you are using a ConstructConnect Project Intelligence project, changes and updates to your Plan Sets are incorporated into your Project, automatically, and you are notified that there is a Project Update.
- When you create a project (and bid, of course), you must upload at least one Plan Set - this is done in the Plan Organizer and the Plan Set Editor. (When you save a project the first time, the Plan Organizer and Plan Set Editor open automatically, to help you add an initial Plan Set. Both are covered in the articles that follow.)
- If you have already created a Bid in a Project and are adding another Bid, you need to make at least one Set Active, also covered in the articles that follow.
What are Revisions?
Subsequent changes to a project (addenda) are called Revisions and typically include a new Plan Set such as "Addendum 1" or "May 20, 2015 Changes to X" depending on how the updates are published. In ConstructConnect Takeoff, "Revisions" are different versions or views of the same Sheet from different issues of the plans from the Architect or General Contractor.
Revisions are managed in the Plan Organizer - where you organize your plan sets.
When you upload a "Revision Set", you can match the revised drawings to their original - this way, you can see the differences easily using Overlays, but more important, it makes navigation through the history of a drawing much faster.
Managing Revisions and using Overlays to compare those revisions is covered in a later chapter (see Related Articles). This chapter is going to walk you through uploading a single set of plans so you can get started with your project.
That's the basics of Plans, Plan Sets, and Revisions, the next chapter is all about organizing and managing your Plans, staring with the Plan Organizer.
Creating Additional Bids in Same Project