Display full version of the post: Bill of materials from an AutoCAD drawing!

anubhav1237
30.04.2014, 08:14
Is there any way to process Bill of quantities from an AutoCAD drawing? Even on conceptual level? One way I was thinking was to prepare the complete drawing in Dynamic blocks with assigning named parameters and extracting the data, but its not helping much. any ideas?

philippe JOSEPH
30.04.2014, 08:38
Hello anubhav1237, I don't know if you are used to it but I think that your answer(s) are just here under in the related CAD tips : 
Tip 4566: BOM ( Bills Of Materials ) in plain AutoCAD
Tip 8167: How to ........
Clic on the text and you will have access to the tip.philippe JOSEPH2014-04-30 08:39:38

anubhav1237
30.04.2014, 10:19
Hi Joseph,I know about Data extraction basic techniques..and the other tip is basically for AutoCAD Plant 3D software. I am an Architect and i need for architecture/civil drawings and I am currently using AutoCAD 2014 software. Is there any tutorial I cant find where i can learn the complete process for making BOQ from drawings?Anubhav

John Connor
30.04.2014, 12:03
Use the TABLE command.  You will need blocks (with attributes) obviously.To see what I am talking about find the YouTube video by Mark Petrucci entitled AutoCAD 2012 BOM Example.  It runs a little over two minutes.  Pay attention to the choices he makes as he goes through the different windows associated with the Table command.  Ex. - Extract objects from blocks and Display blocks with attributes only.
John Connor2014-04-30 18:20:28

John Connor
30.04.2014, 12:32
For anyone interested in a full tutorial about the Data Extraction Wizard and how to use it click on the link below.http://www.g-wlearning.com/cad/9781605253282/student/ch25/PDF/SupMat01.pdf

teslaoutsourcing
01.05.2014, 14:45
Hi anubhav1237, An AutoCAD generated drawing provides
information about some parameters but not all parameters. So, 100 % data extraction
(quantity extraction) is not possible from an AutoCAD drawing. AutoCAD does not
allow you in producing any Bill of Quantities sheet automatically from a
drawing. If you still want to get BOQ, you need to open an excel sheet and you
have to enter all the parameters manually within the sheet, but this sheet will
not provide you comprehensive BOQ data.

Another way of creating BOQ is you can use customized plug-in
software’s which will assist you in generating well organized data or
quantities automatically from an AutoCAD drawing.

John Connor
01.05.2014, 16:32
tesla: What parameters will the user not be able to obtain information about?  Be specific.Anyone who has used blocks with attributes and has access to a version of AutoCAD with the TABLE command can generate a bill of materials directly from their drawing.  No Excel required.  Refer to the information I provided in my FIRST post to this thread.
John Connor2014-05-01 19:07:53

teslaoutsourcing
08.05.2014, 13:45
Hi John, when we create a 2D AutoCAD drawing, we use simple straight
lines or geometric figures like triangle, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, etc.
for representing building elements. For example, when we draw a wall within the
AutoCAD interface, we just draw two simple parallel lines. If we want to create
a drawing of column, we simply use a square or rectangle to represent that
column. So, from a 2D drawing, we get information about sizes in 2 directions (W
x L) as well as area only.  

 AutoCAD does not
allow us to utilize elementary properties of any object. Let’s consider the above
example, here can’t utilize the elementary properties of the wall or the column.
So, using AutoCAD users can’t generate volume or material specifications
related data of an object, because heights and object properties are not there.


Hence, you can’t prepare complete automatic
Bill-of-Materials sheet from AutoCAD Drawings. 

John Connor
08.05.2014, 14:43
tesla: Then you obviously do not know anything about the TABLE command or how to obtain the data you need.I can choose to extract data from ALL objects in the drawing or just from blocks with attributes.I can extract such information as the length of lines or polylines.  I can extract areas of rectangles, circles and polygons.  I can extract diameters, radii, circumferences, as well as DeltaX/Y/Z data.But it all comes down to what field the OP is working in and what information he is after.  Information that may be important to me (ex. - valve counts in a process piping diagram) would be of zero value to you.  Volume information would be important information for you to extract from a drawing while the same information would be useless to me.Re: material specs.  If the information is contained within the drawing as part of an attributed block the TABLE command, used the correct way, can extract that information. 

Vladimir Michl
11.05.2014, 09:26

The easiest way is to use the DataExtraction wizard. For simple "Picture" legends you can also use our BLegend utility:http://www.cadforum.cz/cadforum_en/automatically-generated-picture-legend-of-drawing-blocks-tip6724

palkhade
17.10.2015, 09:21
Hi, Am Praveen using AutoScan and AutoSteel by Newton Software Pvt Ltd are among the best civil engineering add ons for AutoCad while estimation of Bill of Material and reduce waste while cutting steel bars and many more. In simple words it saves my time as well as cost. check their website www.newtonindia.com for more details.

John Connor
17.10.2015, 12:20
Do you have a question?

zalo0
23.10.2015, 00:30
I need to download the following website but can not can you help me

John Connor
23.10.2015, 12:34
zalo0:Why did you post your question in a thread started by someone else about an entirely different subject?What website are you referring to?  Is it the CADforum?  You did not bother to provide a link.  Anyway, I'm pretty sure you do not want to download the website as much as you do want to download the building floor plan.  Why can't you download what you want?  Is it because the drawing file is not available or is it because you are getting an error of some kind?If you are getting an error what does it say?
John Connor2015-10-23 14:01:00