Most teams know LIFT for automating member takeoffs. Upload your drawings, get your counts. But LIFT goes well beyond member counting. It includes built-in automation for weight calculations, connection analysis, framing logic, and labor code integration.
These are the steps that typically eat up hours after the initial takeoff is done. They don't have to.
Once a project is set up, LIFT's scale functionality calculates and populates member weights automatically, across your entire project, in seconds. This eliminates manual weight calculations and repetitive data entry, especially on larger jobs where those hours add up fast.
LIFT also keeps weight totals aligned as the project evolves, so you're not recalculating every time something changes. That gives you more confidence in your totals before submission.
On top of weights, LIFT captures camber and stud data automatically, eliminating the need to manually search drawings and count these details one by one.
Instead of reviewing connection conditions sheet by sheet, LIFT analyzes them systematically, identifying fabrication effort and labor allocation requirements before they become surprises downstream.
LIFT detects across several connection categories:
Copes identified by analyzing beam geometry and the relative sizes of connecting members.
Holes with quantities determined using AISC-based connection logic and double clip angle standards.
Moments detected through symbol recognition, identifying moment indicators on your drawings.
Framing codes using LIFT's own framing code system to categorize end conditions consistently across your project. For example, B2B represents a beam-to-beam connection, making it easy to review how members connect throughout the job.
For teams using Tekla PowerFab, EJE, or FabTrol, LIFT can apply custom labor codes and production rules automatically based on your internal standards. Provide your codes, and LIFT maps them to detected connections.
If you have man-hour calculations or labor factors, LIFT can incorporate those as well, structuring your data before it moves downstream into detailing or fabrication workflows.
Once everything is complete, your data exports directly into the software your team already uses.
The member takeoff is just the starting point. Weights, connections, and labor codes are where a lot of estimating time gets spent after the initial count is done. Automating these steps means your team gets from drawings to a complete estimate faster, with fewer manual errors along the way.If you're a current LIFT user and haven't explored these features yet, reach out to your Customer Success Manager to get set up.
If you're not yet using LIFT, book a demo and we'll walk you through the full workflow on your own drawings.
