Object Cost in Schedule/Template

[SMB2021]

Our cost evaluator was asking if it would be possible to input the cost of a material and add the total cost to the schedule. I know you can input the price of something in the object and have it calculate the total in materials list. But that's not exactly what he's looking for. Plus, I've found a few issues with that method.

 

If for example I have (6) 4" down recessed lights in a kitchen and they cost $90 each. I'd have to open each object and input the price in the component section to have them all group together into the materials list to give a correct total cost value. And at that point we can't put the total cost that shows on the material list into a custom field on the electrical schedule. 

 

So I have a few questions:

1. Is it possible to add a price to an object and have it so that it's always associated with that object so that we wouldn't have to open the object and input the price each time it's used? Is it also possible to have it always associated with the object so that whenever we open a new plan using our template that we wouldn't have to input the pricing each time we start a new drawing?

 For example I have a plan that I started from our template and it already has the pricing information for example GFCI outlets and 4" down recessed lights without me having to input it with each new   drawing.

2. Is it at all possible to put the formula used to calculate an objects total cost into a custom field for an electrical schedule? For example if there was (4) GFCI outlets at $50 each used in the plan and the schedule shows a custom field for the total cost would be $200.

 

I know this may be out CA capabilities but I just want to confirm it's not possible to do without doing a ton of prep work each time we start a new set of plans. I've searched all over for information to help with this situation and can't seem to find answers. I just want to make sure I'm correct when I tell the cost evaluator it's not possible without inputting the information in prior to starting each set of plans.

 

Thanks

[SMB2021]

32 minutes ago, solver said:

#1 Yes. Open an object in the Library and look at Object Information.

I can only open the object and see the Object Information if I either place into the plan or copy it to my user catalog. If I copy it to my user catalog and edit it there then none of my co-workers have access to it.

[MarkMc]

#1-as long as it is in the user library-For this sort of thing I use a custom object  information field

4 minutes ago, SMB2021 said:

I can only open the object and see the Object Information if I either place into the plan or copy it to my user catalog. If I copy it to my user catalog and edit it there then none of my co-workers have access to it.

Make a library folder for your defaults, share that with everyone. Use those for your template defaults. Update as needed.

Note that using "replace from library, all objects works if someone makes a mistake as do special Style Palettes limited to the items(S)

#2-no. You can however select a schedule, copy, and paste into a spreadsheet. I'd been doing this all the time with cabinets.

If you want the pricing back in the plan you can copy from the spreadsheet and paste into a RT box or a text box

 

 

[SMB2021]

@solverI'm sure the cost evaluator will be responsible for pricing and could put all that info into an excel sheet for one of my co-workers or I to put into the specific object.

Is there any tutorials or links to show how I would even create a text file for ruby to read? And would it have to be individual text files for each object? I've spent the past 1.5 days looking into ruby and macros, etc. and it just seems time consuming and not as simple as I'm sure the cost evaluator was hoping for. 

 

It'd even be nice if I could put the price & total cost information from the materials list into a custom field for it to show on the schedule. Doesn't look like it's at all an option. I'll just have to keep looking into all of it. Thanks

[SMB2021]

@MarkMcLooks like you lose the symbol if you copy it back in from the spreadsheet though.

[SMB2021]

@solver Most that would need access to the information all work in an office. 1 of us is remote. But we all work off Microsoft OneDrive cloud service at the moment. So if there's a file in a folder on the cloud we all have access to then we see when it's been modified.