Components are individual cost line items which include, among other data, a quantity and a unit price that result in a cost. When more detailed information becomes available, the estimate evolves – new Components that describe the current Component in more detail can be added below it, thus forming an n-tiered structure.

The set of new Components remains inactive until the user decides that the full scope of the current Component is covered. At that point, the new Components are activated and the current Component evolves into an Assembly that reflects the sum of the included Components’ cost. The new cost is automatically compared to the previous cost ensuring that any change will be immediately tracked.

Cost Planner provides you with a rich set of visual feedback; for example, selecting a cost Component highlights an element in the 3D View. Changes in Assemblies’ cost are marked with distinctive icons and the hierarchical Assembly – Component structure is clearly communicated. This all to make sure you can easily communicate your plan and have tight control over your budget.

The Formula Editor is a powerful yet easy-to-use tool which grants full control over the way quantities are used for cost calculation. The Formula Editor leverages the quantity data collected with Vico Office Takeoff and allows you to define conditions based on mathematical formulae select combinations of quantities filter data based on locations and customize and refine the calculation to provide input for your Assembly-Component structure.

The Assemblies and Components in the spreadsheet view can be sorted and filtered, enabling you to focus on a desired cost view. Using the Tag Editor your can define custom attributes and use them for filtering and sorting the data.