Collecting Input: Integrations and AI Features

Some type of Excel integration would be great but I don't really do anything too fancy

As for AI features, being able to search plans for text and/or image snippets would be extremely useful to me. That ability is one of the only missing features left on my must have list. Once that is added to this platform (along with overlays), I won't have a need for any other takeoff software.

This thread from a few months back for linking section details by mouse click, as well as this one for searching & labeling plans, come to mind as examples of what I'd like to see AI tools be able to do one day.

I know there are people who also want to be able to search plans for scope and "ask the AI questions" which also falls within the realms of AI searching functionality

Great input Jes. Much appreciated.

Thanks for kicking this off — here’s my take:

🔗 Estimating App Integrations

The big takeaway? Too many steps kills adoption.

I’ve tried OST-to-Sage with a excel middleman, eTakeoff with using Bridge as the middleman. If I have to export to Excel, open a middle tool, reformat the data, sync it, and then send it into my estimate… forget it. Most people will just copy-paste and move on.

But here’s what would actually move the needle:

• Access to estimate items from your estimate directly inside the takeoff tool. I see this working wonderfully with having a WBS/Sort field in the estimating tool, ideally its hard coded like "Takeoff Source" as this will become important for 3D takeoffs in the future too.
• A clean, trackable sync workflow
• Draw takeoff on the left screen → BAM, it shows up in your estimate on the right screen

We don’t want to wonder what’s synced. We want to see it. Live if possible, or at least with a solid “Sync” button.

🤖 AI Feature Wishlist

1. Word search (Bluebeam-style—always helpful)
2. Click-to-hatch — auto-fill spaces based on patterns. KREO and Togal have some slick auto-hatching features that are amazing.
3. Snip + Search — select a detail image and locate similar callouts
4. Spec/Plan Chat — upload docs and ask the AI real questions.
5. Auto Areas — for GSF of floor plans and rooms.

And yes — linking section details by click is a must. That feature thread Jes dropped? Love it. Huge time saver, and it makes the viewer actually useful.

Really liking the direction this is heading. Keep it rolling.

Awesome feedback Kyle 🙂 Sorry for the delay responding, the last few days has been crazy, with a lot going on. Things are going good. We're gaining some good momentum.

Yes, I totally agree on the comment from Jes about linking to details. That one will be some good low hanging fruit. Some of that data is already available in the PDF, and some will need AI to extract, but that will be super fun.

Thanks guys for all your input and help spreading the buzz 🚀

I've posted this elsewhere in the community, but I want to make sure this gets some traction. Planswift's Excel integration with a "live" link is one of the most useful features I use in PS. It allows me to tailor my takeoff to my client's needs while being able to make revisions which are instantly reflected in my Excel reports. In addition I prefer a live link over a sync button if that is possible.

I am really excited that you folks are working on this new app! I have been looking for a solid and reasonably priced alternative for quite some time. Thanks again!

Mark yeah I hope they can do a better job of it here because whenever I tried using that feature in PlanSwift, it would give me headaches in Excel when I had to modify rows/columns of my Excel sheets.

PlanSwift would start duplicating data into cells of the sheet that I didn't even want it to touch. Ultimately it was faster for me to just completely finish my takeoff first and then port it all into Excel myself afterwards, instead of using sync to do them simultaneously. But I am glad you were somehow able to get it to work for you

Jes I was using the "old" version of Excel integration. I believe it was version 9ish. The newer integration was never really right and still isn't although PS customer service disagrees.

Heber, it would be great if you could "like" or "upvote" another users post (unless I mised it).

Kyle crushed it with his comments and I would agree with most of them.

This may be outside of this thread, but having the ability to interact/collaborate with other users or tag them is helpful in a collaborative environment. Could even be a feature linked to an actual take-off or call-out where you could right click and "alert" a user. They get a notification with a screen shot and can click to bring them to the take-off/call-out location. We use this in bluebeam a lot.

Thanks Chris!

Another idea that I heard thru the grapevine that others are doing is using AI to help align and overlay the pages, lets do that too! I know overlay needs to be a separate chain here on how that should work, our team spent hours overlaying in bluebeam last week.......lets do better please.

As someone involved in innovation—particularly value engineering with flat sheet systems—I see a high-impact opportunity for zzTakeoff to lead the next wave of digital transformation in material estimating.

Opportunity: Visual Value Engineering Built Into zzTakeoff

Contractors, fabricators, and designers constantly face inefficiencies in how flat sheets are laid out, cut, and installed. This leads to:

-Excess material waste,

-Higher labor costs,

-And time-consuming revisions due to layout inefficiencies.

What if zzTakeoff could do more than just quantify materials—what if it could actively guide users toward the most cost-effective, buildable, and efficient layout?

🧠 Suggestion: AI-Powered Visual Value Engineering Module

This feature would allow zzTakeoff users to:

-Automatically detect wasteful sheet layouts in their plans,

-Receive intelligent layout suggestions that reduce offcuts,

-Compare material and labor savings from various design alternatives,

-And even suggest optimized assemblies based on product availability and project specs.

🧩 Why This Matters for Flat Sheet Systems.

-These products come in fixed sizes and configurations—layout efficiency is critical.

-Installers often improvise on-site to minimize waste; this tool can front-load that intelligence into the design process.

-Aligns with the sustainability and cost-awareness that developers and specifiers are demanding.

-In short: This kind of automation doesn’t just make the takeoff process smarter—it helps zzTakeoff become a design-optimization tool, not just a quantity extractor.

1. Would it be feasible for zzTakeoff to allow dynamic text generation within the Description field, based on input parameters like width?

For example:

-When a user inputs a width of 600mm for a flashing, the Description could auto-populate as:

- "Metal Flashing – 600mm"

-This would help reduce manual edits and ensure naming consistency in reports.

2. Since zzTakeoff already demonstrates AI capabilities like recognizing and renaming sheets based on highlighted titles, it would be an added edge if the same logic could be extended to read and extract relevant text from drawing details or bidding documents.

Specifically:

-When a detail tag or spec callout includes dimensions or product names (e.g., “Colorsteel 150mm Fascia Flashing to match roof profile”), zzTakeoff could parse and auto-populate the Description field based on that string.

-This would help estimators reduce repetitive manual entry and ensure alignment with the design intent.

-This would greatly enhance traceability and context accuracy, especially in projects where custom accessories are specified directly in annotated details or written specs.

I want to put my vote in for a live link between Excel and ZZ. I like seeing my alterations result in real time updates to my quantities.