Purple Hammer is native Mac and Windows takeoff and estimating software with live spreadsheets built in.
Live worksheets update automatically from measurements, cost databases and formulas - so quantities, rates, line totals and the whole estimate update as you work with no excel ping pong
PDF markup; calibrated measurements; Power Syntax; Magic Measure and Magic Count; vector and raster snapping; watched-folder document control; version history; auto-align, overlay and blink comparison; PDF, Excel, PNG and GIF export.
Purple Hammer is native Mac and Windows construction takeoff and estimating software built around one idea: the drawing and the estimate should update together.
Every geometric markup is also a measurement and a live worksheet row. As users measure lengths, areas, perimeters, counts, volumes or wall quantities, Purple Hammer can pull rates from cost databases, calculate line totals and update the whole estimate instantly. There is no need to export quantities to Excel and manually stitch them back into a pricing model.
Key capabilities:
• PDF markup, measurement and scale calibration
• Metric and imperial quantities
• Extremely fast (120 FPS pan & zoom ; ~1 second to open a large set ; ~2 seconds auto-align)
• Live estimating worksheets with Excel compatibility and extra estimating syntax
• Flexible cost, assembly, crew, supplier and waste-factor via lookup databases
• Power Syntax for project-wide, or specific meta scopes such as floor, building or discipline totals
• Magic Measure (one-click measure)
• Magic Count (find and counts repeated symbols by visual examples)
• Vector, grid and raster-edge snapping
• Watched-folder document control with rename-safe and move-safe tracking
• Version history that keeps each drawing revision with its own takeoff
• Automatic revision alignment, overlay and blink comparison
• Multiple alignment candidates for drawings where different regions have moved
• Marked-up PDF, Excel, PNG and comparison GIF export
• Open MCP access for user-controlled AI workflows
Purple Hammer’s document control works with the folders teams already use, without importing
managed sets or manually slip-sheeting revisions. When a revised drawing arrives, users can
align it with the previous version, see what was added, moved or removed, and re-measure
only the difference. The live estimate updates from those changes.
The native viewer is designed for large construction sets, targeting 120 FPS pan and zoom
and keeping project performance focused on the drawings currently in use. Purple Hammer runs
as a desktop application on macOS and Windows and includes a 30-day free trial.
Purple Hammer is native Mac and Windows construction takeoff and estimating software built around one idea: the drawing and the estimate should update together.
Every geometric markup is also a measurement and a live worksheet row. As users measure lengths, areas, perimeters, counts, volumes or wall quantities, Purple Hammer can pull rates from cost databases, calculate line totals and update the whole estimate instantly. There is no need to export quantities to Excel and manually stitch them back into a pricing model.
Key capabilities:
• PDF markup, measurement and scale calibration
• Metric and imperial quantities
• Extremely fast (120 FPS pan & zoom ; ~1 second to open a large set ; ~2 seconds auto-align)
• Live estimating worksheets with Excel compatibility and extra estimating syntax
• Flexible cost, assembly, crew, supplier and waste-factor via lookup databases
• Power Syntax for project-wide, or specific meta scopes such as floor, building or discipline totals
• Magic Measure (one-click measure)
• Magic Count (find and counts repeated symbols by visual examples)
• Vector, grid and raster-edge snapping
• Watched-folder document control with rename-safe and move-safe tracking
• Version history that keeps each drawing revision with its own takeoff
• Automatic revision alignment, overlay and blink comparison
• Multiple alignment candidates for drawings where different regions have moved
• Marked-up PDF, Excel, PNG and comparison GIF export
• Open MCP access for user-controlled AI workflows
Purple Hammer’s document control works with the folders teams already use, without importing
managed sets or manually slip-sheeting revisions. When a revised drawing arrives, users can
align it with the previous version, see what was added, moved or removed, and re-measure
only the difference. The live estimate updates from those changes.
The native viewer is designed for large construction sets, targeting 120 FPS pan and zoom
and keeping project performance focused on the drawings currently in use. Purple Hammer runs
as a desktop application on macOS and Windows and includes a 30-day free trial.
Learn more about the company and team behind Purple Hammer.
ShapeDo Ltd builds construction software: ShapeDo, a collaborative design change management platform that compares drawing revisions and routes reviews, and Purple Hammer, a fast desktop PDF and spreadsheet app for markup, measurement, comparison, takeoff and estimating.
See how Purple Hammer stacks up against similar tools before you decide.
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