1. Understand how the 7cad Rebar Schedule manages files and folders.

1.1 Working folder: Rebar schedules are saved as ".rebarschedule" files in this folder. Most often, this is the folder of your CAD drawings.

1.2 References folder: This folder contains ".shapecodes" and ".rebartypes" files, which are external reference files. Changing this folder location will affect all your rebar schedules on your PC. By default, the References folder is the app's content folder. If you customize shape codes and rebar types files, you should save them to a shared folder and set it as a References folder so all your users can access the same reference files.

To change the references folder, open or create a new rebar schedule, then click the "References ..." button at the bottom right corner of the spreadsheet.

1.3 Project info:The project info first part is saved to 7cad Rebar. The projectinfo file in your working folder. Therefore, changes in project info's company name, company logo, project name, etc. will populate to all rebar schedules within the working folder. On the other hand, the Project info second part, like drawing number or references, revision, created by and checked by, etc., are saved to the rebar schedule document itself.

2. 7CADREBARSCHEDULE

Adding, removing, and editing rebar schedule rows are made easy as described in the above Description section, and screenshots. Anytime, you can undo or redo changes by clicking the Undo/Redo button or simply pressing the Ctrl Z/Ctrl Y keys. The rebar schedule row can have errors, and if it has, cells will be marked up with pink color.

Common errors are member not found, rebar type not found, shape code not found, and duplicated marks. Then, check the References window by clicking the "References ..." button at the bottom right corner of the spreadsheet.

More errors can happen: Length calculation error or length calculation returns a value less than zero; Criteria evaluation fails; r bending radius < r min defined in Rebar Types.

Then, you should go to the Shape Code cell, type any key to open the Edit parameters window, and check parameter values and shape code formulas.

Mark commands: see the Mark command window in screenshots. You can renumber all marks with a click on the "Run Numbering" button.

The advanced command is "Merge similar Rebars to one row". It is when there is more than one row of rebars that have the same member, rebar type, and shape (shape code and parameters). They should be merged into one record, and the count fields should be summed up. Then, use this command button that runs through the rebar schedule and do the merging action.

Publish commands: you can publish the rebar schedule to AutoCAD or Excel for print.

3. 7CADREBARSHAPECODES

Rebar shape code collection is an external reference file. The default shape codes that come with the software is the BS 8666:2005 standard.

To customize, on the Rebar Shape Codes collection editor, simply click the "Add" or "Remove" button to add/remove a shape code. From scratch, draw your rebar shape with dimensions in AutoCAD, then click "Select CAD Shape Drawing".

All standard shapes and formulas, notes, and criteria are already defined in the default BS 8666:2005 that comes with the app. For a custom shape, i.e. shape code 99, you can add it, then name it using a "." in its shape code name, e.g. "99.1", "99.2". This naming syntax helps the app know it is a custom shape code that belongs to a "family" of shape code "99".

In a shape code, you can have many parameters defined. But keep in mind that "P" (min end projection) and "r" (general bending radius of the rebar) are considered global parameters and should not be overwritten.

4. LICENSES

If you purchase or start a trial period of the app via Autodesk Store, then the app will run without any restriction, as long as you log in to your AutoCAD with the same user ID who makes the purchase or starts the trial.

Otherwise, without a license, the app is in trial mode. Trial mode is supposed for evaluating purposes only. It is restricted to run in about 30 AutoCAD sessions. After that, you need to buy a license.

The app can and will be expanded for more features, shape codes, and units supported. Contact me at linh@7cad-programming.com for custom programming services on advanced developments.

The installer that ran when you downloaded this app/plug-in from the Autodesk App Store will start installing the app/plug-in. OR, simply double-click the downloaded installer to install the app/plugin. You may need to restart the Autodesk product to activate the app/plug-in. To uninstall this plug-in, exit the Autodesk product if you are currently running it, simply rerun the installer, and select the "Uninstall" button. OR, click Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features (Windows 7/8.1/10/11) and uninstall as you would any other application from your system.