Overview

The Advanced Copy Pro 9.0 Plugin provides the user three copy functions (Click and Copy, Copy Offset, and Array) to assist speeding up repetitive takeoffs. Once Advanced Copy Pro 9.0 is installed, these functions are available in the Advance Copy Pro group on the Home Tab's ribbon-bar.

The Click and Copy and Copy Offset functions are also available on a right-click menu after an item is selected and then right-clicked on.

• Click and Copy allows you to select single or multiple items and copy and paste them by clicking anywhere on the screen.
• Copy Offset allows you to select single or multiple items, set an offset distance, and make copies of those items; it also allows you to mirror and rotate items.
• Array (which is only available on from the Advance Copy Pro group of the Home tab ribbon-bar) allows you to create a two-dimensional array of all selected items.

This article uses the sample plan C1.1 Site Plan- Sample Plans included in PlanSwift’s 10.x release.

How To Use the Advanced Copy Pro Plugin

How to: Use Click and Copy

The Click and Copy selection allows you to select one or more takeoffs and then copy them to a new location. Figure 3 shows a yellow linear takeoff selected (when it is selected the yellow takeoff color is obscured by the red selection color) on the right diamond (parking lot planter) that measures 23.7 linear feet. 

With the right diamond linear takeoff selected, click on the Click and Copy icon, then click on the bottom point of the left diamond.

This screenshot shows the crosshairs visible where the copy of the diamond takeoff will appear. 

Note: An alternate way of selecting the Click and Copy command is to click on the takeoff so that it is selected, then right-click to bring up the right-click menu, where you will find the Click and Copy command as well.

After you have clicked on the bottom point of the left diamond, you will see two takeoffs, and the combined linear feet for the original and the copied takeoff is now 47.5 linear feet.

If the takeoff item isn’t exactly where you want it, select the item, hold down the Alt key, and move it to where you want it.

If you want multiple copies, hold down the Ctrl key and click in the locations where you want the takeoffs to be copied. The total linear feet of the four takeoffs is now 95 feet.

To make a copy of a new takeoff item, hold down the Shift key when you click where the new takeoff item is to go. For multiple new items, hold down both the Ctrl and Shift keys as you click to place each new takeoff item copy.

Now you see three copies of the new takeoffs, each of which is 23.7 linear feet.

Pressing the Esc key terminates the Click and Copy function.

How to: Use Copy Offset

The Copy Offset function has three sub-options: Mirror, Rotate, and Copy available from the Copy Offset window. (Note that the Copy Offset function is also available from the right-click menu when you right-click on a selected item.) To see the Copy Offset window, click on the takeoff that you want to copy (arrow 1 of Figure 9) and apply an offset to, and then click on Copy Offset (arrow 2 of figure 9); arrow 3 of Figure 9 is the Copy Offset window.

Copy Offset / Copy

 The Copy function (available from the Copy Offset window) allows you to select one or more takeoff items, specify how many copies you want and at what offset, and copy those items in the direction you specify.  

To use the Copy function, follow the procedure below.

Click on the takeoff item(s) (in this case a parking diagonal stripe) to be copied (Figure 11).

Click on the Copy Offset button in the ribbon bar to open the Copy Offset window (arrow 3 of Figure 9). (Note: The Copy Offset command is also available by selecting an item and then right-clicking on the item to bring up the right-click menu, where the Copy Offset command is also located.)

Click on Copy (Figure 10) and leave “1” as the number.

Click on the point indicated by arrow 1 of Figure 11. As you move the cursor to the left, a blue line will appear. This blue line indicates the offset and the direction (left, in this case). Click on the point indicated at arrow 2 of Figure 11.

The selected takeoff is now copied to the parking diagonal at arrow 1 of Figure 11. See Figure 12 to see that you now have two unselected takeoffs (the original at arrow 1 and the copy at arrow 2.

PlanSwift offers you two ways to copy single or multiple items and place them in the desired direction. The first way is to hold down the Shift key down as you click on each of the takeoff items. The arrows at 1 on Figure 13 show that both parking diagonal takeoffs have been selected.

The second way is to hold down the left mouse button at the location pointed to by arrow 1 of Figure 14 and drag the cursor over the items you want to select (shown by arrow 2 of Figure 14); this will highlight the area. When you release the mouse button, all items within the highlighted area will be selected the same as shown in Figure 13. Note: if there are any items within the selected area that you do NOT want selected, hold down the Ctrl key and click on those items, and they will be unselected.

To make multiple copies of these two takeoffs, click on the Copy Offset button on the ribbon bar, this opens the Copy Offset window.

Click Copy in the Copy Offset dialog box.

In the field to the right of Copy , enter the number of copies to be made (“5” in this case).

Click on OK

Click the cross hairs in the main window (at arrow point 1 in Figure 16), then click at arrow point 2 in Figure 16 to set the offset distance and angle.

The result is the addition of five pairs of parking diagonal takeoffs, each perfectly aligned with the parking diagonals.

Because the last one on the left is not needed, click on it and press the Del key to remove it, or select it by dragging the mouse over it and then press the Del ...

PlanSwift’s Copy function has another powerful feature that allows you to select a group of items (the parking diagonals shown in Figure 19), copy the items to a new location (to the left where there are more diagonals that need takeoffs done), select the copied items, reselect them yet again, and then move them to exactly the location you want by grabbing one of the re-selected nodes. To do this follow the procedure below.

Select the parking diagonal takeoffs by clicking and then dragging over them so that they are selected as shown in Figure 20.

Click on Copy Offset (arrow 1), then Copy (arrow 2), and set the Copy field value to “1” (arrow 3). Then click on OK.

Now, as shown in Figure 22, click on the point at arrow 1, then click at the point at arrow 2.

The copy is placed to the left as shown in Figure 23, but it likely will not be aligned perfectly.

Now select the diagonal takeoff items on the left by dragging the cursor over them (Figure 24).

Now reselect the selected takeoffs by dragging from the point at arrow 1 to the point at arrow 2.

The re-selected selection is shown below with the green nodes.

Now click on any one of the green nodes,

Drag the entire set of takeoffs to where they properly line up on the diagonal parking lines,

Release the mouse button.

When you release the mouse button, the takeoffs should be correctly positioned as shown below...

Note that the Copy function allows you to place copies in alternate directions (see Figure 29). The horizontal parking lines in “A” of Figure 29, for example, are horizontal, so the same procedure can replicate takeoffs in the vertical direction. The only difference is that the second click to make the copies is placed above the first click (see the “B” section of Figure 29). The location of that second click can go left, right, up, down, or anywhere between, depending on the orientation of your plans.

Copy Offset / Mirror

The Mirror option provides Left, Right, Top, and Bottom mirroring options.

With the Mirror option, one or more takeoff items can be mirrored simultaneously.

Follow the procedure below to mirror and modify two of the parking islands in our example plan...

Perform a Linear takeoff on the third island to the right (Figure 32) and name it “Island.”

The completed takeoff should resemble the takeoff shown below.

Select the takeoff by either by clicking and dragging over it or by simply clicking on it.

Click on Copy Offset in the ribbon bar to open the Copy Offset window

Click on the Mirror field’s down-arrow

Select Left, and click on OK.

Next click the furthest left point on the original takeoff, and then click on the corresponding point where the takeoff is to be pasted.

A left-mirrored copy of the island now appears, using your takeoff tools, you can now modify the mirrored image to match the island on the left side.

The modified image is shown in Figure 37. Both of these can now be copied to the other two islands.

Copy Offset / Rotate

The Rotate option allows you to both offset and rotate takeoff item or items (Figure 38). The degree values available on the menu are 45, 90, 135, and 180; other values may be entered manually (e.g., 35 or 78 degrees). When checked, the CC box rotates the takeoff item counter-clockwise. The default rotation is clockwise. 

This option works similarly to the Copy Offset / Mirror option, the only difference being that the selected takeoff item (or items) are rotated by the specified number of degrees instead of mirrored.

Follow the steps below to use Copy Offset/Rotate. 

1. Click on the takeoff item(s) to be copied (hold the Shift key down or click and drag the cursor to select multiple items)
2. Click on Copy Offset to open the Copy Offset window
3. Click on Rotate
4. Click on the CC box if you prefer a counter-clockwise rotation
5. Click on the Rotate down-arrow to see the degree options
6. Select a degree value or enter in your own value from 0 to 360 degrees
7. Click on OK
8. Click the cross hairs on the first location
9. Click the cross hairs on the second location
10. The rotated takeoff item now appears and will be rotated the specified angle and offset to the desired position, depending on where you clicked the cursor for the offset.

Using the Array Function

Parts may be copied using an array function as well. Selecting one or more takeoff items and then selecting Array from the Advance Copy Pro group of the Home tab ribbon-bar opens the Array Items window. Four different Array Directions may be selected from the Array Items window (top left, bottom left, top right, and bottom right). The number of copies to be made is in the Instance column, the distance in feet or meters is in the Distance column, and these may be specified for both the Horizontal Axis and the Vertical Axis. 

Follow the procedure below to use the Array function.

Create a segment takeoff for the left and top corners of one concrete-cut square in an array of concrete cuts.

Before you can proceed, you must know the size of the concrete cuts. Select the Dimension tool from the Measure group of the Home tab ribbon-bar.

Take a measurement of the dimension - for our purposes, 5’ is close enough.

Select the segment item takeoff created in procedure step 1,

Click on Array in the Advance Copy Pro group on the Home tab ribbon-bar to  open the Array Items window, and then click on the fourth array direction (down and right).

Enter “4” as the Instance (number of columns) on the Horizontal Axis, and “5” as the Distance (the dimension measured in step 3) between columns for the Horizontal Axis.

Enter “8” as the Instance (number of rows) on the Vertical Axis, and “5” as the Distance between columns for the Horizontal Axis.

Press Ok.

Notice that the bottom and right lines on the array need to be added.

Click on any one or more of the cement-cut takeoffs.

Click on the New Section tool in the Record group of the Home tab ribbon-bar.

Perform the takeoff for the missing bottom and right border of the cement cuts.

Recap

In our example (C1.1 Site Plan – Sample Plans), we can complete a good portion of takeoff using the tools available in Advanced Copy Pro 9.0.

FAQ

Question: I’ve read this user guide, and I still have questions. What do I do?

Answer: PlanSwift recommends that you purchase a training package. We highly recommend new users purchase a training package, because training is customized to each user. We offer one-on-one training and classroom training. Contact PlanSwift® Training Department Training-ops@ConstructConnect.com

Question: If I make a mistake, how do I fix it? 

Answer: Click the Undo button at the top of the PlanSwift application screen.

Question: What do I do to figure out the offset distance?

Answer: Use the Dimension tool.

Question: How do I select multiple items? 

Answer 1: Right click and drag over the items to be selected.

Answer 2: Hold Shift and click on items individually.

Question: How do I move multiple items? 

Answer: Select the items and hold the Alt key down as you drag them.

Answer: Drag the cursor over the area with the items you want selected so that the white nodes appear, then drag the cursor over that selected area again (which will turn the nodes’ color to green), and then move the group of items by clicking on any one of the green nodes and dragging it to the location you want the group of items to be (the others will follow).

Question: What are the two ways of selecting the Copy Offset command?

Answer 1: Click on the Copy Offset command in the Advance Copy Pro group on the Home tab ribbon-bar.

Answer 2: Right-click on a selected item to display the pop-up menu and select Copy Offset from the menu.

Question: What are the two ways of selecting the Click and Copy command?

Answer 1: Click on the Click and Copy command in the Advance Copy Pro group on the Home tab ribbon-bar.

Answer 2: Right-click on a selected item to display the right-click pop-up menu and select Click and Copy from the menu.

More Plugins and Starter Packs

Information on Plugins and Starter Packs is available directly on the Plugins Tab in PlanSwift...

If you encounter technical difficulty, consult this guide (including the FAQ section of this user manual) or contact the technical support department at: 

PlanSwift® Technical Support support@PlanSwift.com

1-888-752-6794 ext. 2

PlanSwift also offers additional training. For training options, contact the training department at:

PlanSwift® Training Department Training-ops@ConstructConnect.com