Calculating estimates linked
ArchiQuant is an ArchiCAD plug-in developed to provide users with a simpler and more immediate way of calculating estimates linked to the construction (and other) elements in an ArchiCAD Virtual Building.

Using ArchiQuant requires no knowledge of GDL language, nor the use of Property Objects or the ArchiCAD calculation database. You simply need to assign a component to the construction element in question, then define the calculation method (quantity calculation formula) for that element and it will be automatically calculated from the list of calculations provided by ArchiQuant.

How ArchiCAD changes when you install ArchiQuant
If ArchiQuant is correctly installed in the ArchiCAD add-ons directory, there will be a new panel inside most of the element setting dialog boxes (in practice, for all elements which can be calculated by ArchiQuant) and a dedicated tool palette providing access to the various ArchiQuant functions. You will be able to calculate quantity estimates using just these two elements (settings panel and tool palette).

The components database
The components database file (in other words, the price list) contains all the items which can be calculated in our
ArchiCAD project. It is essentially based on two types of element:

• the Chapter (identical to the concept of the Key in the ArchiCAD database);
• the Component (identical to the concept of the Component in the ArchiCAD database).

The data in the database (codes, descriptions, measurement units and unit prices) can be imported from external
files or defined manually using ArchiQuant itself.

Quantity calculation formula
When a component is assigned to an ArchiCAD construction element, the way in which that component is calculated must be defined according to the sizes/quantities of that construction element. The rule used for this calculation, simply a mathematical equation easily and intuitively defined by the user, is known as the calculation formula.

List of linked components
You can link a number of components and therefore a number of formulas to each ArchiCAD construction element: For example, in the case of a certain type of wall, the individual components could be:

• bricks (number of bricks per cubic metre of wall);
• external plaster (linked to the external surface area of the wall);
• internal plaster (linked to the internal surface area of the wall);
• external finish (linked to the external surface area of the wall);
• internal painting (linked to the internal surface area of the wall);
• skirting (linked to the internal length of the wall minus the width of the doors in the host wall);
• etc.

The list of components could be quite long and the formulas quite complex. ArchiQuant enables the user to save these lists of components, change the settings and link them again later (or in other projects) to the various construction elements.

Calculation Lists
These lists display the estimates calculated by ArchiQuant. There are two types:

• tabbed calculation lists (where the data are presented within a grid of cells);
• formatted calculation lists (where the data are arranged in a structured layout).

The calculation lists can obviously be customised, choosing which data to display, the filters to be used and the
graphics of the list itself. Once again, the settings can be saved for use at any moment without having to waste time reconfiguring the list as required.