zbCAD

Drafting

• zbCAD

  2D drafting with a typed command line, object snaps, layers and associative dimensions. Opens and saves DXF and plots to scaled vector PDF.

  Open/Documentation
• Sheet Metal Layout

  Flat patterns for rectangle-to-round transitions, cones, offset reducers, elbows and branches. Exports DXF and SVG, or prints full size across multiple sheets.

Roofing

• Wind Zone Visualizer

  Roof and wall wind zone geometry from the FM Global Data Sheet 1-28 zone figures, drawn to the building's actual dimensions. Low-slope, gable and monoslope roofs, stepped buildings and tall buildings, in 3D and plan, with zone areas and a PDF.

• Taper Studio

  Tapered roof insulation layout: drains, crickets and saddles, panel layout and takeoff, and average R-value. Exports a plan along with DXF, Excel and CSV.

• Metal Panel Layout

  Metal roof and wall panel layout from field dimensions: every panel numbered on a layout drawing, a rollformer-ready cut list by location and by length, long runs split with laps and splices flagged, and area and waste broken down by cause. Exports a vector PDF package and CSV.

• Roof Overlay

  Lay a building's floor plan over an aerial photo of its roof, to show where a leak, a ceiling stain or a room inside is on the roof. Opens PDF, JPEG, PNG and TIFF plans, clears the white background and recolors the lines, and lines the plan up by two matching corners or by dragging grips, stretching it one way when the drawing isn't to scale. Saves a marked-up image with notes.

Scheduling

• CPM Scheduler

  Critical path scheduling with a Gantt chart: finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish links with lag, work calendars and holidays, float, baselines and progress. Imports and exports MS Project XML.

• Deadline Planner

  Plan a day's work backwards from a deadline: the latest start and finish for every step, a safety buffer that shows how much of it is left, and alerts before each step is due. Works offline and installs to a phone's home screen.

Photos

• 360 Photo Viewer

  Look around a 360° photo from an Insta360 or any other 360 camera, and save ordinary photos of any part of it: any direction, any zoom, a straightened horizon, landscape, square or portrait, at as many pixels as the photo holds. A wide lens and a little-planet view for the overview shot.

Guides

• Estimating from First Principles

  How to build a construction estimate from the ground up: scope, logistics, quantity takeoff, materials, labor by crew and production rate, and general conditions, with what usually gets missed at each step.