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Design Time Cost Reporting

Updated October 19, 2017


This article applies to:
  • Softree Optimal

Cost reporting and feedback is useful at all stages of design (preliminary, detailed and construction estimation).

Design Time Cost Reporting is the ability to accurately evaluate the cost of a particular design interactively before it is complete. Softree Optimal provides interactive and automated feedback to report earthwork costs. This functionality is extremely useful for manual design and is a prerequisite for optimization.

Earthwork cost calculations are based on material excavation, embankment, movement and borrow/waste locations.

Figure 1: Design Time Cost Reporting

It is worth noting, that excavation and embankment costs are generally straightforward to calculate manually but movement costs are much more difficult. The complete cost model will be discussed in greater detail further in this document.