MODEL-BASED QUANTITY TAKEOFF
THE BRIDGE
Archicad โ Excel, organized by trade.
Stop re-counting the model by hand. The BRIDGE pipes trade-organized quantities straight from your Archicad model into cost-analysis workbooks โ so the takeoff updates when the design does.
WHY IT EXISTS
Manual takeoff is where good models go to die
You build a coordinated model, then someone re-counts it by hand in a spreadsheet that's stale the moment the design moves. The BRIDGE closes that gap.
THE OLD WAY
Counted twice, trusted once
Quantities live in the model and again in a spreadsheet. Two sources of truth means neither is.
THE OLD WAY
Stale on arrival
A design change ripples through drawings but not the takeoff. Estimates drift from the model silently.
THE OLD WAY
Organized for the tool, not the trade
Native schedules group by element, not by how a GC actually buys and bids the work.
HOW IT WORKS
Three steps from model to cost workbook
No new modeling discipline to learn. The BRIDGE reads the structure CB2.0 already gives your model.
Model with CB2.0
Build as you normally do. CB2.0's classification and layer structure tags elements with the trade and work-class data The BRIDGE needs.
โ no extra steps
Map & export
The BRIDGE reads quantities, groups them by trade and work-class, and writes a structured workbook โ not a flat element dump.
โ Excel ยท CSV
Estimate & re-sync
Drop in unit costs in your own workbook. When the design changes, re-export โ the quantities update against your cost logic.
โ stays in sync
Quantities the way the field buys them
The BRIDGE structures output around CSI-style divisions and work-classes โ concrete by placement, masonry by wall type, framing by member. The numbers land in categories an estimator can price without re-sorting.
- Division & work-class grouping Concrete, masonry, thermal, finishes โ organized for the bid.
- Unit-aware SF, CY, LF, EA carried through correctly per item.
Re-export, don't re-count
Because the takeoff is generated from the model, a design change doesn't orphan your numbers. Re-run The BRIDGE and the workbook reflects the current geometry โ your cost formulas stay intact.
- Single source of truth The model is the count. The workbook is the price.
- Change-ready Compare exports across design phases to see scope drift.
BUILT FROM THE FIELD
Designed by someone who has had to defend a number.
The BRIDGE comes out of twenty years of GC-side coordination โ where a takeoff isn't an academic exercise, it's a bid you have to stand behind.
COMMON QUESTIONS
About The BRIDGE
Do I need CB2.0 to use The BRIDGE?
Is it a plugin or a separate app?
Will it overwrite my unit costs when I re-export?
Which trades are covered?
GET THE BRIDGE
Make the model do the counting
The BRIDGE is included with every CONTRABIM membership.
MEMBERSHIP
Join CONTRABIM
Get The BRIDGE, CB2.0, BIM Packages, and training in one membership.
- The BRIDGE ยท QTO workflow
- CB2.0 template framework
- Trade-specific BIM Packages
NEW TO ARCHICAD
Start a free trial
Learn the modeling workflow The BRIDGE reads from before you commit.
- 30-day Archicad trial
- Getting-started guide
- Live community sessions
LEARN FIRST
Read the QTO guides
See exactly how model-based takeoff compares to manual counting.
- Archicad โ Excel walkthrough
- Trade-organized takeoff
- Field-tested methods
