v8.8.2 - BIM and CAD converters that install themselves, and currency-correct BOQ totals.

8.8.2 removes a setup step and closes a money bug. The BIM and CAD converters used to need a manual install from the Settings screen before a native file would convert; now they install themselves on first use, quietly and across a wide range of server types. And the bill-of-quantities exports and the compare view, which used to add raw figures from different currencies together, now convert everything to the project's base currency first, so the totals are right.

What is new in version 8.8.2

• Converters install themselves, with no manual steps. The first time you upload an .rvt, .ifc, .dwg or .dgn file, the matching converter is fetched and provisioned in the background, with an inline notice showing progress; you no longer have to open Settings and click Install. The install tries several methods in turn so it works across the widest range of hosts, downloads resume and retry on slow or flaky links, and the binary is self-tested after install.
• Currency-correct bill-of-quantities totals. Bill-of-quantities exports and side-by-side comparison now convert foreign-currency amounts into the project's base currency before totalling, at both the position and the resource level. An export that mixed currencies previously added the raw figures together; the Excel and PDF exports and the compare view now apply the project exchange rates so the totals reconcile. Reported as issue #150.

The converter is just there when you need it

Converting a native CAD or BIM file - an .rvt, .ifc, .dwg or .dgn - used to mean a detour: open Settings, find the right converter, click Install, wait, then go back and upload. 8.8.2 removes the detour. The first time you upload one of those files, the matching converter is fetched and provisioned in the background, with an inline notice showing progress, so the work starts from the upload you were already making.

Getting that to work everywhere is the hard part, because servers differ. The install tries several methods in turn: a system package install when the service runs with the right privileges, a rootless unpack into the app's own data directory when it does not, and a built-in pure-Python reader for the package format when neither system tool is present - the case on minimal containers and non-Debian distributions. Downloads resume and retry on slow or flaky links, and the binary is self-tested after install, so a converter that reports itself ready actually runs. Terminal install steps remain documented for locked-down networks, but only as a genuine last resort.

Totals that add up across currencies

A bill of quantities can carry costs in more than one currency - an imported rate here, a supplier quote there. When those amounts were exported or compared, the totals were simply summing the raw figures, which means adding numbers that are not in the same unit. The result was a total that looked precise and was wrong.

8.8.2 fixes this at the source. Bill-of-quantities exports and the side-by-side comparison now convert every foreign-currency amount into the project's base currency before totalling, at both the position and the resource level, using the project's exchange rates. The Excel export, the PDF export and the compare view all reconcile now, so a mixed-currency bill adds up to a figure you can hand to a client. This was reported as issue #150.

By the numbers

Install or upgrade

pip install --upgrade openconstructionerp

The desktop installers for Windows, macOS and Linux carry the same one-installer setup, and the Linux build includes the CAD and BIM converters for AutoCAD, Revit and IFC. You can grab the latest installers from openconstructionerp.com/download. If you run an external PostgreSQL through DATABASE_URL, nothing about that connection changes. Questions or trouble upgrading, write to info@datadrivenconstruction.io.