Has anyone used exactimate software on their MacBook Pro?

If you mean Xactimate I have read where folks have got it working using Parallels.

Using Xactimate 27.2 and 27.3, on my MacBook Pro since April without any problems whatsoever. No issues with any of the vendor profiles, uploading or downloading. Sketch works like a champ too.

Running Fusion and Windows 7 flawlessly, in fact better than any PC we have in the office.

I honestly feel that at this point, I'll never purchase another PC again. Very happy with Mac, easy to use and everything just works! What more do you want?

Oh there was one tiny glitch. When printing to our network printer, the Mac would only print from the Windows side and not the Mac OS side of the desktop. This was corrected by adding a postscript module in our network printer (Sharp MX3100 series). No issues with the desktop printers.

That wasn't an xactimate issue, but since I just stated how flawlessly everything worked, I did recall that one glitch.

To date I have yet to find a PC program that doesn't work as good if not better on the Windows/Fusion-Mac setup.

The only issue I have found with the Mac Book is that it didn't like to be recharged using an inverter and they do not make a power adaptor for cars.

There are tricks to get the inverter to work, but the word trick is key, tricks do not always work.

But Xactimate still rocks using the Mac

I am a Mac user and new adjuster wanting to use Xactimate...Just purchased a new MB Pro and have the XM disk, trying to use Parallels/Windows 7 and getting error messages on the install. Would really appreciate some guidance, don't know where to turn.

Anyone out there?

Thnx, B

B,

I have a MacBook Pro, using VMware Fusion with Windows 7, and Xactware 27 works fine, just as it normally would in a PC.

I can't advise you on how it works or not with Parallels as I've never used it. I installed Xactimate from a downloaded file once I got the windows 7 installed. I would think once you get Windows working, the Xactware should work just fine.

If the Win side of the system see your install disk, it shoudl work..not sure what else it could be. But works fine on the Fusion/Win 7 platform.

Steve

Contractor in AZ

Thank you Steve, I think I've got it figured out (fingers crossed) had to do with the Windows side not recognizing my DVD drive.

B

That the trick half the time is sometimes you need to eject the drive from the Mac side before the Win side will see it, and vice versa.

You should be happy with it.

Ive been researching this topic myselff, and i dont want to hijack this tread but i would like to add a few additional questions within the lines of this post

Those who are using xactimate daily-

1. do any of you also use a disto with the software?

2 are any of you Xactimate professional users that have experiance using the xactscope part of the software on mac

3. have any of you had sketching issues or annotations issues?

The reasons im asking this is im currently using a tablet pc running 8 gigs of ram with a ssd and dedicated graphics and it fails miserably. Xactimate techs are scratching their heads over it. Thinking its TIME FOR A MAC.

again dont mean to hijack, but this might also help the OP

1: Not sure what you mean by "disto"

2: No haven't tried usuing the Scope part of the program, but I suspect that since everything else works as advertised on the windows portions of the Mac to include Xactimate, I'd be real surprised the functionality would stop there at XactScope.

3: Sketch was the main reason I wanted to try using Xacimate on a Mac to begin with. It works like a champ. I have the MacBook Pro i5 proscessor 2.3 GHz, 4GB RAM - no problems. Not sure the i7 is worth the extra $300 or not, but couldn't hurt I guess.

I will say that many of the same glitches in Windows and Xactware that normally would exist on a PC, also exist on the Mac. Your still running Windows afterall, so it's not glitch free. Mac programs crash once in a while too, just less so.

Also have found it's best to do a frest restart every day, Windows is still a pain in the rear no different than if on a PC. Just wish Xactware would make a Mac version.

Bottom line is: MacBookPro is still the way to go, as the platform is stable and consistant, which makes even running windows and Xactware a bit smoother. I only use the Windows side for the aboslute minimum, just Xactware.

1: A disto is a laser measuring device made by Leica. It has a camera and screen on it to assist aiming over long distances. To use it in xactimate disto integration must be enabled from the system preferences and your laptop must have Bluetooth. The disto pairs as a USB device since it controls some features in sketch.to use add room dimensionally and then use the disto to input the measurements.

My concern is how does the Mac-vm-windows relationship work. I do not know if it would support this kind of operation.

2: xactscope is a module only available in xactimate professional. U can drag projects into the xactscope window and it exports them to the app on the iPad or iPhone. You them use that device to write the claim and take pictures and voice notes. Once complete u upload and it returns to the xactscope window on the xactimate machine.

3: i have been having issues with my sketches. Once I add a complicated roof over 2 or 3 layers of rooms and try to use drag and drop from the sketch reference window to calculate my claim the poor little tablet just cannot take anymore and starts a massive memory leak. Xactimate tech removed into my machine and just cannot figure out what the issue is. His happens on a fresh reload of the drive with everything up to date and minimal installed. Something to do with Wacom and xactimate.

A fresh restart every day sounds far more appealing then a system scan and restart almost every hour on the hour because of a crash. Then lost files. And to my understanding Mac os handles graphic better than windows so that in itself might be a big help

Was considering a fully spec'd air but at this point leaning to the 15" pro with an i7 ssd and 8 gigs ram

Thank you for the info, the disto sounds interesting.

Based upon how seamless the VM relationship works now, even with bluetooth, I'd would say it's a safe bet that it should work. There may be the intitial selection of the shared resource one way or another process [Mac side vs. MS side], as is the case with using the CD drive, etc. You need to eject it from the Mac side before the MS side sees it.

Bluetooth seems to be seamless allowing both at the same time, like using a bluetooth keyboard or mouse. Just have to make sure you have the correct window selected. Haven't found anything that does work, except for network printing.

I have a Sharp MX3100 that needed a postscript module to allow printing from Macs. The MS side going through VM worked fine though. Macs need a postscript printer. Other than that, no glitches.

I am familar with the Xactscope, just haven't used it, so cannot comment. Again, I'd be surprised if it didn't work. No reason it wouldn't.

Your right about Mac handing the graphics better. They are not crash proof, but just crash much less often, and even if I do not do a fresh restart once a day, more like weeks sometimes, it's still a surpise when a lockup or crash happens.

It's rare!

The air vs. the pro?..I'd get the pro. No reason, just the indended use and the horsepower for the money, the pro just seems better.

One of our it guys paired it with his MacBook and he said it showed it as a serial USB..really don't know if this holds any significance. I know it has direction keys and an enter key that allow you to do program specific things from the device.

Not to worried about my printer. I use an Hp 8500 plus and it scans and prints from the iPad so I'd hope the Mac wouldnt have issues.

Only other software I use is ms office and I'll keep that on windows side to keep my onenote integration with outlook.

Anything else we should know?

UPDATE

Had access to 2 Macbook pros over the past 2 days. one is a few years old 13" model and the other is a year old 15"

first one already had parellels 6 trial on it. upgraded to parallels 7 trial , loaded windows xp, and xactimate 25. loaded the bluetooth drivers off the bootcamp disk. windows found my leica d8 disto and was up and running in no time. spent an hour putting togeather unlikely senarios to attempt to crash it. DID receive one windows illegal operation. clicked the ok button on the dialog box and kept on throwing stuff at it without another glitch. if t his was on my windows machine it would have shut the system down and lost the file but the only thing that came from it was the inconvenience of having to click the quit button.

Second machine loaded Parellels 7 trial, Windows (64bit) and trial of Xactimate 27.5. Installed drivers from the bootcamp cd. Paired the disto and away i went. Disto controlled the software correctly, did get a couple lags from it but there was a ton of stuff open on the machine. Windows does open SLOOOWly but once its up its fine. Plugged in my llogitech unifying receiver and my wireless keyboard and mouse worked without having to add drivers. by working im talking typeable and left right clicking with scroll, nothing beyond that) Downloaded some pictometry, generated 2 stories worth of rooms with windows doors and missing walls then proceeded to drag and drop roofing, flooring, paint and stucco onto the sketch. NO ISSUE so far. Runs alot faster than on my PC. Did run into a snag with photos. found its easier to let mac do its thing with pics than try to fight it and import though windows. 20 images loaded to xactimate in less than 10 seconds. Did try to lock it up with 100 12mp photos at once and it resulted in having to close and reopen the software. That is beyond the extreme end and i wasnt expecting it to handle that much to start with.Since this was only a trial version i was unable to do any data transfer within Xactimate.

I am wondering if it might run better if i load it as windows 7 (32 bit) will have to experiment with that one. I will try over the next few days to duplicate some of my previously troubled files and see what happens. if it all works out Ill be heading to the apple store to pick up my own Macbook pro and thunderbolt display next week. On a side note ive found a few postings about usb sound cards working from the thunderbolt diplay. Sounds like this is going to work out better than i planned.

Ill update this post once i have more time with the software.

**UPDATE**

I have now been using Xactimate 27 Pro on my MacBook Pro through Parallels ( now verison 8) for well over a year. BEST DECISION I EVER MADE! I am a Pro user and have come to appreciate the Speed and ease the Mac handles the software. I have not upgraded to XM28Pro yet due to a discussion with a XM rep. It is not offering me anything i dont already have. Large complicated sketches are not an issue, nor is extensive item lists. i have written 300 page reports(items, tons of photos, many sketches) and still didnt crash it. Keep your photo filesize from getting to large and your good. this is easy if you are exporting the origional photos from iphoto. Even the Disto works perfectly. The only issue i have now is with Parallels. but thats reserved for another forum. If this can benefit anyone in the future or if you have any related questions to my configuration or equipment used and how it works together, here is the list:

15" MBP (late 2011) with optical drive and antiglare screen

2.4GHZ i7

16GB 1333 DDR3

AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1024

Crucial M4 SSD 250GB

OSX 10.9.1 (mavericks)

Parallels 8

Windows 7(64bit)

Xactimate 27.3 Pro

Leica Db Disto w/bluetooth

Flir e40Bx Thermal imaging camera w/meterlink

Extech m0297 Moisture meter w/meterlink

I have just purchased a new MacBook Pro 15" and plan on using Xactimate 28 with Parallels, I will be using win 8.1.

checkin to see if you have been having any issues since you posted this info.

I may have some questions on setup