Mix Chapter

BidScreen XL, an Excel add-in, quantity takeoff application, gives you the power to takeoff your electronic plans directly in Microsoft Excel. BidScreen XL provides an outstanding audit trail while automating and speeding up the time-consuming takeoff process. Takeoffs are a snap, just click on a spreadsheet cell and measure and identify areas, lengths and counts from your digital drawing files. The measurements and color-coded takeoff drawings are saved with the Excel workbook and can be edited and printed. And, you can apply colors, count symbols, line styles and area fill patterns to your drawings. Sample estimating Excel template files for general contractors, concrete, roofing, painting and other subtrades are also included. Works with PDF and DWG vector files; isolate layers and snap to the object to obtain exact measurements. Open multiple quantity takeoff files or multiple pages of a file with a single click.

Concrete Mix AI is a browser-based toolkit for concrete professionals, civil engineers, contractors, estimators, inspectors, and students. Its free plan takeoff service accepts vector PDF or DWG plan sets and returns estimated concrete, rebar, and CMU quantities traced to the drawings, with calculation explanations and questions for engineer review. It reads schedules, legends, notes, and dimensions, checks scale against drawing dimensions, and flags conflicts between schedules, drawings, and specifications. Users receive a private takeoff link and quantities CSV by email. The takeoff provides quantities, not job prices or bids; estimates should be verified before ordering. The site also offers concrete calculators, including a material-cost estimator, ACI certification practice exams in English and Spanish, and building-code tools. Takeoffs, calculators, exams, and code tools are free, and takeoffs require no account.