On-Screen Takeoff (OST)
Digital measuring software that lets estimators take off quantities directly on a PDF plan.
Quick Answer
On-Screen Takeoff (OST) is digital quantity takeoff software originally built by On Center Software, now owned by ConstructConnect. It lets estimators measure counts, linear lengths, and areas directly on uploaded PDF or CAD drawings, replacing paper plans and a scale ruler. It's one of the most widely used standalone takeoff programs in commercial and residential estimating.
The Full Picture
On-Screen Takeoff exists because manual takeoff — measuring drawings by hand with a scale and highlighter — is slow and error-prone, especially on large sheet sets with dozens of scopes to measure. On Center Software built OST in the early 2000s to move that process onto a screen, and ConstructConnect acquired the company in 2015, folding it into its broader estimating and bidding suite.
Mechanically, an estimator uploads a plan set, calibrates the drawing scale, and then clicks to count items (doors, fixtures), trace lengths (pipe, conduit, trim), or outline areas and volumes (flooring, concrete slabs). Takeoff Boost, an AI-assisted feature added more recently, can auto-detect some repeated symbols to speed counting, though a person still drives and verifies the measurement.
In practice, OST is used by estimators at general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers to build the quantities behind a bid. It's commonly paired with a pricing tool — historically Quick Bid, now ConstructConnect's broader estimating products — so the measured quantities flow directly into a priced estimate rather than being re-typed.
OST is a measuring tool, not an automated one: accuracy depends entirely on the estimator doing the clicking correctly and not missing a scope. That's the core limitation contractors run into as project volume grows — the software speeds up the mechanics of measuring, but the labor of measuring every sheet still falls on a person.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: On-Screen Takeoff automatically produces an accurate takeoff.
Actually: OST measures whatever the estimator clicks — it doesn't interpret the drawing or catch a scope the estimator overlooked. A missed wall type or an uncalibrated scale produces a wrong quantity just as easily on-screen as on paper.
People assume: OST and Quick Bid are the same product.
Actually: OST does the measuring; Quick Bid (or ConstructConnect's newer estimating tools) applies unit costs to those quantities to build a priced bid. They're separate but tightly integrated products in the same suite.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentOn-Screen Takeoff and MeltPlan solve the same underlying problem — getting accurate quantities off a drawing set — but by a different method. OST gives your team software to measure the plans yourselves; MeltPlan's takeoff product has AI pull quantities from the plans automatically and has US-based estimators verify them, so you get a checked, ready-to-use takeoff without staffing the manual measuring.
Get quantities without doing the clicking yourself →Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes On-Screen Takeoff?
It was originally developed by On Center Software, which ConstructConnect acquired in 2015. It's now sold and supported as a ConstructConnect product, still under the On-Screen Takeoff name.
How does On-Screen Takeoff work?
An estimator uploads a PDF or CAD plan set, calibrates it to the drawing's scale, and then measures quantities by clicking to count items, trace lengths, or trace areas. The software totals each measured item by category for pricing.
Is On-Screen Takeoff free?
No. It's a paid subscription, typically sold as part of ConstructConnect's estimating and bidding suite alongside its pricing and project-data products. ConstructConnect quotes pricing per organization rather than publishing a flat rate.
What's the difference between On-Screen Takeoff and STACK?
Both are digital takeoff software with similar core mechanics — click to measure on an uploaded plan. OST is desktop-rooted software from ConstructConnect with deep ties to Quick Bid; STACK is a cloud-native competitor built for browser-based collaboration across a team. Feature sets converge more each release.