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Categories

Section titled “Categories”

Categories in Darwin help you organize your Catalog — materials, labor, expenses, and especially modules — into a clear and reusable structure. They act as the taxonomy of your cost knowledge, making it easier to navigate large catalogs and maintain consistent classification across projects.

Categories do not affect costs directly. They exist to keep your information structured and easy to find.

1. Why Categories Matter

Section titled “1. Why Categories Matter”

Construction cost data can grow quickly. Without structure, you end up with:

  • duplicated items
  • inconsistent naming
  • confusing module libraries
  • long and unmanageable lists

Categories solve this by providing:

Organization — Catalog items are grouped logically by type or function.

Precision — Modules and materials stay aligned with industry standards.

Searchability — Users can find the right item quickly, even in large catalogs.

Scalability — As your Catalog grows, categories maintain clarity and order.

Interoperability — Categories can reflect UniFormat, MasterFormat, or custom company taxonomies.

2. Category Structure in Darwin

Section titled “2. Category Structure in Darwin”

Darwin supports hierarchical categories — a tree structure that allows you to create multiple levels of organization.

Example:

Concrete
 ├─ Structural
 │    ├─ Reinforced Concrete
 │    └─ Suspended Slabs
 └─ Non-Structural
      └─ Lightweight Concrete

This structure works for materials, labor trades, expense types, modules, and IFC enrichment.

3. Using Categories in Modules

Section titled “3. Using Categories in Modules”

Categories help classify modules for filtering, reporting, and organizing.

Examples:

  • A wall module may live under Walls → Masonry Walls
  • A window system may live under Openings → Windows
  • A footing module may live under Foundations → Footings

4. Creating a Category

Section titled “4. Creating a Category”

Steps:

  1. Go to Catalog → Categories
  2. Click New Category
  3. Enter a name and optional parent category
  4. Save

5. Editing or Reorganizing Categories

Section titled “5. Editing or Reorganizing Categories”

You can:

  • rename categories
  • move categories under new parents
  • merge or remove unused ones

These changes do not affect existing estimations, since categories do not store cost data.

6. Categories vs. Industry Standards

Section titled “6. Categories vs. Industry Standards”

Darwin allows your taxonomy to follow:

  • UniFormat (recommended for modules)
  • MasterFormat
  • Custom internal structures
  • IFC classification groups

7. Best Practices

Section titled “7. Best Practices”
  • Use UniFormat for module classification
  • Keep names short and clear
  • Maintain consistent naming conventions
  • Start simple; refine as needed

8. Next Steps

Section titled “8. Next Steps”
  • Materials
  • Labor
  • Modules