This was in my inbox, thought I would pass it on. There is a 14-day trial to check it out.

Tech Unlimited, Inc., a maker of software tools for the construction industry, announced today the release of PlanSwift, an intuitive, easy-to-navigate construction takeoff and estimating software program that allows users to work on, manage and share scanned or CAD blueprints right from your computer to generate estimates and takeoffs.

Many construction-industry professionals are now working with electronic architectural plans as companies across the industry continue to incorporate high-tech software applications, internet, and e-mail into their day-to-day planning work, said Fred Meade, vice president of Tech Unlimited, Inc. The company, he said, developed PlanSwift to give construction professionals a way to work with electronic plans the easy way, while leveraging a computer's inherent graphical strengths to reduce staff time and errors.

"The key for us was to create an estimating program that could be used by anyone in the field - regardless of their computer skills," Meade said. "We know that people in the field usually don't have the time to learn complicated software programs, so we put everything we had into making takeoff and estimating simple."

Meade added that PlanSwift users can calculate square footage, lineal footage, pitch and angles in seconds by clicking on the screen. Users can then export their PlanSwift data to an Excel spreadsheet with the click of a button, as well as integrate with other third-party applications. Under the hood, PlanSwift is designed from the ground up as a "platform" that can be added upon to create powerful integration with other software programs.

PlanSwift users can also calculate the cost of labor and materials in seconds using customizable assemblies and material lists with PlanSwift's built-in Excel-like formulas.

Designers and architects can use the software to overlay pages on top of each other to find bearing points, wall alignment and plan discrepancies. This powerful tool can graphically display multiple pages on top of each other in any color you choose.

PlanSwift is compatible with all major electronic blueprint files in the construction industry. The software can load scanned plans directly from the following file types: .TIF, .PDF (Adobe), .DXF, .DWG (AutoCAD), .PLN (Dodge Plan), .JPG and others. The .TIF and .DWG file formats are the preferred file formats for use within PlanSwift.

Tech Unlimited sells PlanSwift licenses for one user ($950), five users ($3,750) and 10 users ($6,400) at PlanSwift - Construction Estimating & Takeoff Software, On Screen Digitizer Software. A free 14-day trial of the PlanSwift software can be downloaded at PlanSwift - Construction Estimating & Takeoff Software, On Screen Digitizer Software

For more information on PlanSwift, visit PlanSwift - Construction Estimating & Takeoff Software, On Screen Digitizer Software