Construction Software Review

Rhino by McNeel North America

McNeel’s Rhino 3-D software lets users analyze and fix complex 3-D design problems. The software allows for free-form 3-D modeling as well as 2-D drafting, annotation and illustration; it supports polygon meshes and point clouds as well. Users can create, edit, analyze, document, render, animate and translate NURBS curves, surfaces and solids, the vendor said. Rhino allows support for IGES, ACIS, Parasolid, DXF and DWG, so users can exchange drawings with their own CAD software.

PriMus DCF by ACCA Software

PriMus DCF is ACCA Software’s free tool for creating, publishing and sharing price books, price lists, estimates and bills. DCF stands for Document Computation Format; this standard lets users open and save documents in numerous file formats, including DOC, XLS, XML and PDF, all while working within Internet Explorer. Several PriMus DCF frequently asked questions are addressed on the ACCA Software website.

PriMus-P by ACCA Software

PriMus-P is ACCA Software’s product for completing bills of quantities and worksite estimates on private construction projects.  PriMus-P brings together price lists, RFPs, project forms and comparison tables. Available data for bills of quantities includes forecasts, resulting costs, work variations and final accounts, the vendor said. PriMus-P uses the same technology and interface as PriMus Revolution, according to ACCA Software.

PriMus Revolution by ACCA Software

PriMus Revolution manages, develops and processes estimating and project management documentation -- bills of quantities, accounting registers, cost summaries, work progress statements, comparison tables, weekly lists of employees, equipment and costs, and more, according to the vendor.

Users can access price books for a particular region or from chambers of commerce or private publishers; price information can be dragged from the list and dropped into PriMus Revolution, the vendor said.