You can use the QTO Manager to apply rate items to model objects and then analyze the quantities.
The rate item is one of the most important elements of a highway design plan. A rate item is a specific unit of work for which a price is provided and a contractor is paid while a highway is under construction.
The three major properties of a rate item are:
- Item number, each of which is unique on a design plan
- Specification, which describes the material to be used, the method of incorporating the material, and how the completed work will be measured and paid for
- Cost estimate, which is made to ensure that the overall design falls within the budget available for the project
Incorporating rate item information correctly into design plans including plan sheets, summaries, the engineer’s estimate and bid documents is a major task for highway designers. Designers can use the QTO Manager functionality to automate the rate item management process to reduce errors and eliminate disputes with contractors.
Importing Master Rate Item Lists
Use the QTO Manager vista and Open Rate Item File dialog box to import rate item files and their categorization files into a Autodesk Civil 3D drawing.
A rate item file contains the rate item codes, descriptions, and units of measure for the master rate item list. The rate item file is formatted as either a Comma Separated Variable (CSV) file or an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.
An optional rate item categorization file categorizes rate items into manageable groups. A rate item categorization file groups similar rate items by common rate item code prefixes. The categorization file is always formatted as an XML file.
Use the commands in the QTO Manager vista to manage rate items. After you open a rate item file in your drawing, you can filter the rate item list for individual rate items, either by Rate Item ID or by the text in the Description for the rate item.
If you do not open a rate item categorization file when you opened the rate item file, you can categorize the rate item list at any time.
Use highlighting to visually sort items in the drawing.
Tagging Objects with Rate Items
Assign rate items to objects or groups of objects in your drawing. You can manually tag rate items to individual objects or bounded areas, or to groups of similar objects or bounded areas.
When rate items are assigned to a Autodesk Civil 3D code set style, a corridor object is automatically tagged with the specified rate items. When rate items are assigned to a Autodesk Civil 3D pipe network parts list, any new pipes or structures are automatically tagged with the specified rate items.
