A Take-Off filter presents a list of materials appropriate for the existing facilities in the design. This topic describes how the end-user might utilize a Take-Off filter in the CU Filter tool as well as how to create one in the CU Administration tool.

Take-Off Filter

A Designer can select a take-off filter, then choose a feature on the map. The cursor snaps only to features that participate in a take-off filter.

For example, the GasValve feature class (Diameter field) has been assigned to a take-off filter in the CU Administrator. When the Designer clicks the Take-Off button in ArcMap, the Compatible Unit Filter disappears and the cursor changes to the cross-hairs symbol, indicating that the Designer must select a feature. Because the Gas Valve feature is the only one assigned to a take-off filter, the cursor snaps only to gas valves. Once the Designer clicks a gas valve on the map, the Compatible Unit Filter returns and displays all compatible CUs based on the Diameter field.

Figure 1, Take-off filter in Designer (ArcMap)

Create Take-Off Filter

As an example in this section, we're going to create a take-off filter that enables when the user selects a Regulator Station or a Town Border Station and filters the available CUs based on the Pipe Diameter field.

When creating a take-off filter, there cannot be other users accessing the database (e.g., ArcMap open).

Open the CU Administration tool and select the Manage Filters tab.
Click Take-off.
In the New Filter field, provide a name for your filter and click Create.
In the next screen, select the feature class that the user will select on the map (e.g., RegulatorStation). Polygon and annotation features will NOT be included in this list.
When you select a feature, the Field column is populated. This is a list of fields that use domains. Select the field you want to use as a criteria (e.g., PipeDiameter). The Tag Items column displays the values for the domain assigned to the selected field. There is no need to select a domain value.

Figure 2, Create take-off filter
Click Next.
The next screen displays the name of the filter and the domain it uses in the first column. You can double-click the Filter Name field to edit it. Click Save.

The second column shows the feature class that must be selected to enable the take-off filter (Assigned Feature Class Attributes field). It also displays other feature classes that use the same domain (Available Feature Class Attributes). You can add these feature classes to the Assigned Feature Class Attributes field.

Figure 3, Create take-off filter

If you want to add another feature class to this take-off filter, click the green plus symbol next to it in the Available Feature Class Attributes field. It will be moved to the Assigned Feature Class Attributes field.

Click the red X next to a feature class in the Assigned Feature Class Attributes field to remove it from the filter.

Click Save.
Next, you'll use the Assign Tags tab to assign tags for your take-off filter to the CUs that fit the criteria. For example, all CUs that have a pipe diameter of 6" should be assigned the 6" tag in the Pipe Diameter take-off filter. If you don't assign tags to CUs for the take-off filter, it will return no CUs when the user selects it in Designer. See Assign Tags page.
Each added filter results in a new table in the geodatabase. You must assign permissions to the new filter table before the filter can be used.

Figure 4, Assign tags

Edit Take-Off Filter

This section outlines how to edit an existing take-off filter using the CU Administration tool.

Open the CU Administration tool and select the Manage Filters tab.
Click Take-Off.
Determine which take-off filter you want to edit and click the Edit icon next to it.

Click the red X next to a take-off filter to delete it. A deleted take-off filter cannot be restored. It must be recreated.

The next screen allows you to move feature classes between the Assigned Feature Class Attributes and Available Feature Class Attributes fields.
If you want to edit the Filter Name, double-click the Filter Name field.
Click Save after you've finished editing. You can click Cancel to stop editing the filter without saving any changes. Cancel does not close the CU Administration tool.