The Dirt Simple Express, September 2026
AGTEK is rolling out Gradework 1.13, a new release designed to make every day takeoff, modeling, and reporting work even smoother. This update delivers meaningful improvements that help teams work faster and more accurately, whether you’re estimating in the office, building models for machine control, or supporting field operations.
One of the biggest upgrades in Gradework 1.13 is the introduction of more powerful materials assemblies. Users can now define multilayer materials and handle more complex structures, such as footings, walls, and highway batters, with ease. These enhancements make it easier to standardize templates, reduce repetitive data entry, and maintain consistency across projects.
Reporting also gets a major boost in this release. Gradework 1.13 improves data visualization and expands open data access, making it easier to share output with third‑party systems and integrate your data into the tools you already rely on. The result: clearer communication, better project intelligence, and less time spent reformatting data.
For teams who rely on custom symbols, the updated symbols editor is a standout improvement. It’s now faster and more flexible, allowing users to create, edit, and reuse symbols with far less effort. Gradework 1.13 even supports AI‑generated SVG symbols, making it simple to maintain consistent visuals across large or complex jobs.
As AGTEK President Matt Desmond puts it, “Gradework 1.13 is another big step toward delivering integrated takeoff, modeling, production control, and reporting. The improvements in assemblies, symbols, and reporting will give our users more precision with less effort, helping them stay faster and more accurate in a competitive environment.”
Gradework 1.13 will roll out as part of AGTEK’s regular upgrade cycle. Customers with active maintenance or subscriptions will be notified as soon as the update is available.
AGTEK is preparing to release Reveal Transform 1.1, the latest advancement in AI-powered plan preparation for heavy construction. Designed to help contractors put project data to work faster, Transform automatically reconstructs PDF plan sets into clean, structured data for estimating, takeoffs, and production workflows. By reducing the manual effort required to prepare plans, teams can gain a more accurate understanding of project quantities before bidding and maintain better visibility throughout construction.
New capabilities in Transform 1.1 include automated plan sheet alignment, improved removal of overlaps and walkbacks from plan data, and automated workflows for highway and corridor alignment projects. These enhancements build on Transform’s existing AI-driven capabilities to organize sheets, extract critical plan information, and create a consistent digital foundation for downstream workflows. The result is faster project setup, cleaner data, and a more efficient path from PDF plans to actionable project intelligence.
Fall and winter are shaping up to be busy travel seasons for the AGTEK team, and we hope to connect with you along the way. If you’re attending either of these major industry events, be sure to stop by and say hello.
- Dirt World Summit: November 9-11 | Phoenix, AZ
AGTEK is headed to Phoenix for the Ariat Dirt World Summit, hosted by BuildWitt. This unique event brings together contractors, operators, and industry leaders for three days of hands-on learning, networking, and conversations about the future of heavy civil construction.
Visit us at Booth 338 to see how AGTEK’s dirt simple solutions help contractors build more efficient workflows, from accurate takeoffs and faster model building to drone-powered progress tracking. Whether you’re exploring new technology or looking to streamline your current process, we’d love to talk with you.
The Summit is officially sold out, so if you’ve secured your spot, we’ll see you in Phoenix!
- World of Concrete: January 19-21, 2027 | Las Vegas, NV
Next up, we’re heading to Las Vegas for World of Concrete, the construction industry’s premier event for concrete and masonry professionals.
As in previous years, you’ll find AGTEK alongside the Hexagon and Leica Geosystems team. Stop by to see the latest advancements in takeoff, tracking, and machine control workflows, and learn how contractors are using AGTEK to bid more confidently, improve productivity, and maintain better visibility across their projects.
We’ll share our booth number as soon as it’s confirmed.
Whether you’re planning to attend Dirt World Summit, World of Concrete, or both, we’d love the opportunity to connect. Stop by the booth to meet the team, ask questions, see what’s new, or schedule time with us in advance. We look forward to seeing you on the road.
For many contractors, the estimating process begins long before any quantities are calculated. Plan sheets must be aligned, cleaned up, organized, and prepared before teams can start analyzing the project. While these tasks are necessary, they consume valuable time and often create bottlenecks during the bidding process.
That’s where the difference between Earthwork 4D and today’s AGTEK platform becomes clear. Gradework, combined with Reveal Transform, streamlines the journey from plans to production by reducing the manual work required to prepare project data. Reveal Transform uses AI-powered workflows to automate tasks such as sheet alignment, text extraction, and plan cleanup, allowing estimators to get to usable data faster and focus more time on evaluating quantities, risks, and opportunities.
Beyond faster plan preparation, Gradework provides a connected environment for earthwork, materials, and underground utility analysis. Instead of managing disconnected workflows and repeated data transfers, teams can work from a single project model throughout the estimating process. The result is greater efficiency, better visibility into project quantities, and more confidence in the numbers used to bid and build.
For contractors still using Earthwork 4D, upgrading to Gradework is about more than accessing new features. It’s about removing repetitive tasks, improving workflow efficiency, and taking advantage of the AI-powered tools that are shaping the future of construction estimating.
To help customers transition to Gradework and Reveal, we’re offering a trade-in incentive program through December 2027. Because trade-in values decrease each quarter, the highest value and best offer are available only through September 2026.
- Watch this video for a closer look: Gradework vs Earthwork 4D Differences
Interested in learning what an upgrade could mean for your workflow? Contact AGTEK for a personalized workflow review.
You’ve been using AGTEK for a while now, and we’re grateful to be part of your workflow. Whether you’re building more accurate bids, managing complex projects, or finding new ways to work more efficiently, your success is what drives us to keep innovating.
We’re always inspired by the ways our customers put AGTEK to work, and we’d love to hear about your experience. Reviews from construction professionals who use AGTEK every day carry significant weight for contractors evaluating software solutions. Your feedback not only helps us continue improving our products, it also helps other industry professionals make informed decisions with confidence.
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Thank you for being a valued member of the AGTEK community. We appreciate your trust, your partnership, and the opportunity to support your success year after year.
Whether you’re bidding a subdivision, highway, commercial site, or utility project, accurate earthwork quantities are the foundation of a profitable estimate. AGTEK’s blog, “Earthwork Estimating Guide: How to Calculate Earthwork Volume,” explores the fundamentals of calculating cut and fill volumes, balancing material across a site, and accounting for critical factors such as shrink and swell. Understanding these concepts helps contractors reduce quantity risk, improve planning, and make more informed decisions before construction begins.
The guide also examines how modern earthwork software has transformed the estimating process. Rather than relying on manual calculations and approximations, contractors can leverage 3D modeling and digital takeoff workflows to quantify earthwork more accurately, evaluate haul strategies, and gain greater confidence in their bids. The result is better visibility into project costs, fewer surprises in the field, and a stronger foundation for successful project delivery.
To download the latest desktop versions, AGTEK support subscribers can go to Product Downloads and click the name of the program they wish to download. When the download is complete, click the filename to install. If Windows “protects” your PC, click “More Info”, then “Run Anyway” and follow the install directions to complete the installation. (To check your program version, open the program and select Help > About, “program name”).
To update mobile apps for iOS devices, go to App Store and click Updates. For Android devices, go to Google Play and search AGTEK.
The AGTEK community continues to grow, and we’d love to connect with you across our social channels. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X for the latest product updates, upcoming events, customer success stories, team spotlights, industry insights, and more. It’s a great way to stay informed and see how contractors are putting AGTEK to work every day.
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