New in Bluebeam Revu 2017 is the ability to make custom count markups from your custom symbols.  As the top enhancement request by estimators, count tools can be any shape or symbol. Break out of the box and go beyond different colored check marks, triangles, squares, diamonds, and circles.  With custom count tools your take-off information will be clearer and your legends easier to understand.

How to Create Custom Count Tools

1. Right Click on any tool in your Tool Chest
2. Choose Create Count from the context choices (your new tool will display with a 123 beside it)
3. Click on the new tool to select it, and set additional customizations in Steps 4 and 5
4. On the Measurements Tab in the Measurements section, customize the tool Subject, Label, and if applicable a Depth, Height, Width. (see left)
5. On the Properties Tab in the Appearance section (see right), set the Caption option by checking the Show Caption Box and click Edit to select what to display (Label, Area, Volume, Depth, Width or Height).
6. Drag and Drop your new count tool into the appropriate Tool Set

Height, Width and Depth

The custom count markups now have their own values for height, depth, and width.   This caption information can be displayed in the markup label and is searchable and sortable in the markups list. You can Split the counts to specify individual attributes. This is perfect for doors and windows and will help later to stage the right door in the correct space during installation.  Why not use takeoff for more than just estimates?   Using the height, depth and width allow you to calculate the total area or total volume across multiple counts too.

Multi-Level Floor Plans

When dealing with multiple floors, Revu 2017 adds copy and paste between both pages and files to make the counting process faster. There are also split and merge options along with an automatic split across spaces (aka rooms). Drop a legend on the floor plan to show counts by room by floor. The custom count markups blow the socks off standard count tools found in typical take-off programs.

Watch this video to see the custom count tools in action:

What else can Bluebeam Revu 2017 do? See how Revu 2017 makes area take-off feel like Estimating on Steroids with Dynamic Fill.

If you don’t have Revu 2017, contact me to purchase it at a discounted price, just
Email me your contact info. Hagen Business Systems is the largest Bluebeam Gold Partner in the world.

Looking for Bluebeam Revu Training?,
Email me to schedule training in your office or remotely using GoToMeeting. Carol Hagen is a Certified Bluebeam Instructor

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First, a few tips on comparisons. The better the drawings, the better the comparison results. If you can, request vector drawings.
Revisions should also be issued as full sheets to make the process easier. See these and other guidelines for working in PDF at www.cpcoalition.com

If working with a single page revision, under Document | Comparison run the Compare Documents and chose Export from within the markups panel on the diff file (see Steps 1 and 2 below), then save the exported markups file with the name differences.bax

Next, under Document | Comparison run the Overlay Pages then Import the saved markups file, differences.bax, into the overlay. The results are shown in the first image at the top of this article.

What you end up with is a document both clouded and showing the overlaid differences. The benefit of doing both comparison processes is that you have a better way to review the changes. Oftentimes, the cloud may include multiple differences which the overlay clearly points out. Zoom in on the page then click on the first difference in the markup list. As you work through them, use the checkmark column in the Markups List to verify that you’ve noted each change. This is ideal for estimators who need to ensure they don’t miss anything and are concerned with multiple differences that are in close proximity… that can appear in a single clouded area. It also addresses small changes in a revision that architects may have forgotten to cloud.

If you use Revu’s Sets feature, Batch Compare and Batch Overlay features can be run directly from within your Set and either can be run against drawing revisions. Simply right-click one of the revisions and select either Batch Compare or Batch Overlay, as desired. If you are not familiar with Sets or the Batch functions, you may want to review the videos available under Help | Resources for these topics.

If you need help or Revu training, please email me with the topics you are interested and whether you want on-site or web training. We’ll get back with you shortly.

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This video shows a resilient flooring tool, an area measurement) that then has the depth entered.  This method saves time in that you get multiple calculations in one measurement.  I’d use this method if I were a general contractor or a wall and flooring contractor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kgv-kbYJbGg&feature=youtu.be&t=6m30s

The feature for taking off wall area was introduced back in 2014 with the Bluebeam Revu 12 release.  If you have an earlier version of Revu and would like to upgrade to the latest release, Click here and email me your contact info. I’ll help get you upgraded.

For more Bluebeam estimating tips you may want to read these previous posts:

Estimating and Layers

Manual Counting Ends with Visual Search

Multiple Monitors for Estimating Take-off Productivity

Show all Measurements in an Estimating Take-off

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How many times during your estimating take-off do you right click and add an item to a layer? You use layers to place like items together (all the electrical, all the the flooring or all the insulation, etc.), so you can toggle these layers on and off, to isolate trades and to keep your take-off ordered and uncluttered. When using one drawing to take-off many trades, layers helps but adding an item to a layer each time you take-off an item in Revu is time-consuming. There’s a quicker way.

Estimating professionals take-off like items together. By chunking your work you are naturally more efficient as your mind works best when focused. Once you take off all the plumbing (or electrical fixtures, etc) there’s a quick way to add all of them to a layer using the flatten tool. Just check the box next to Assign Layer then type in the Layer name (overwrite the default ‘Markups” in the text box). As you add Layers, a drop down choice will show you your previously entered layer names. Remember to keep the unflatten option checked so you can add any missed items and to then create or export your report summary to .CSV format (Excel) later. If you haven’t used the layers function you’ll want to turn the Layers Tab on in your left panel using the Tab Access (It’s an upside down orange triangle on the command bar). Then check/uncheck any layers you want to display/hide.

You could alternatively use CTRL-A in the Worklist then Right Click and Create a New Layer, but this doesn’t get all your markups out of the way in the Worklist for the next set of related take-off items like the Flatten Tool does. What else do you use Flatten for? The flatten function in Bluebeam Revu is important to use so you don’t accidentally move markups that should remain in place and it makes the markups printable. It’s also important when you email PDFs to others (who may not have Bluebeam yet) so that hyperlinks work in those other PDF programs.

For more tips on Estimating with Bluebeam, these topics may be of interest to you:

Multiple Monitors for Estimating Take-off Productivity

Show All Measurements in one Estimating Take-off item

Improving Estimating Take-off Accuracy

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Once your design has been selected your next step should pull the construction team together to make the magic happen. Beginning with a system that provides measurable results with analytics and project controls can make the e-procurement process a well coordinated project and set the tone for a collaborative experience that streamlines your project’s procurement process. Here’s an international solution coming soon to the United States that every Architect should know about:

Gaining a reputation for effective and efficienct communication will keep your reputation growing in the right direction. The owner will see his project start sooner, and you’ll be able to track and control costs all the way down to the supplier, all up front. If you’d like more information on ProTenders, please email their sales team, and tell them Carol sent you.

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If you aren’t likely to commit these to memory, you can still work more efficiently with these helpful toolchest estimating tool tips.

A Markup and its layer can be defined in the toolchest. To add a layer to a markup, right click on your toolchest markup tool and choose layer. Common uses of layers for estimators is to name each layer by trade or specialty. This way you can toggle them off and on, which is especially helpful when you have many measurements in a small area.

Color coding by specialty or discipline is also popular for custom estimating markup tools. My suggestion would be to follow industry standards like the American Public Works Association (APWA) uniform color code for underground utilites:

This also makes for a great “Legend” custom markup tool you can place on your estimating take-off plan set. Not sure how to make this color coded legend as one tool? Tune in for next week’s Bluebeam tip and I’ll cover how to group markups.

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The problem comes in with the varying line weights on drawings.  It can be difficult to tell if there are two lines close together and a one inch measurement differential will adversely affect your accuracy.  Many plans do not have layers activated so toggling the layers off/on doesn’t improve the drawing lines.  Estimators will make it a best practice to Disable Line Weights .  This feature is hidden but can be added to any toolbar.  Follow these steps:

1. Right click in a black space next to any tool bar on your profile and select Customize from the list (right)
2. Change the Categories choice to “All” and scroll down and select “Disable Line Weights”
3. Select which toolbar you want to add it to, or click the plus to create a new toolbar that you can drop onto your profile.
4. Click on the arrow to add it to your toolbar.  I added mine to the right navigation and it appears in the lower right on my screenshot at the top of this post.

I suggest you add Disable Line Weights before your next bid.  As a professional construction estimator you’ll be more productive and accurate with your measurements.

BONUS: Remember to have your snap to content activated so your clicks will attach themselves to the nearest underlying content.

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1. Elevation views and the area tool (most accurate, most time consuming)
2. Perspective drawing and the volume tool 
3. Perspective drawings and the perimeter tool

With options 2 and 3 there will be further calculations necessary to account for doors and windows.  Knowing that you’ll all want to try these faster options and get more bids completed, I’m providing this handy reference document explaining the process using the Bluebeam Revu Measurement tools.  You can download this free PDF (and yes, you can view it first because I’m using Box.com).  

The 3 Wall Area Measurement Methods for Estimators using Bluebeam Revu

Please share this with other professional estimators and fellow Bluebeamers.  If they aren’t using Bluebeam Revu, share this link to get a 30 day free trial

Disclosure: My firm, Hagen Business Systems Inc is a Silver Level Bluebeam Partner and sells Bluebeam Revu to architects, engineers and contractors throughout the United States.

The post Bluebeam Tip of the Week: 3 Wall Area Measurement Methods for Estimators appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

To be clear, not all these secrets are available in Standard PDF programs but are specifically designed for the AEC industry by Bluebeam, a PDF software firm which impressed me so much that I recently became an authorized reseller.

I understand that each person learns differently so you may want to download this tutorial Bluebeam Revu measurements takeoff or Watch this video (13 minutes) to see how the measurement tool in Bluebeam will give contractors the ability to perform takeoffs from PDF. This includes: Calibrate the drawing or set the scale, use measurement annotations for area, length, volume and counts, and perform further calculation with your takeoff data. The video shows the takeoff details and how to group items into sections (this could be CSI codes, tasks or areas). There’s also the ability to price and export the details to a spreadsheet. Realize this is just one secret to Bluebeam Revu and is built-in to every version Standard, CAD and eXtreme. You may also want to view a few more sample takeoffs like the one at the top.

If you can’t wait to see all the “Secrets” for the AEC Industry, you may want to watch this overview video “Which Revu is Right for You?” to to see how Bluebeam can make your team collaboration and productivity improve with large format drawings, Revit, AutoCAD, Bentley Systems BIM and more.  Download a 30 day free Revu Trial here.

The post Construction Collaboration: PDF Secrets Part 1 – Estimating Takeoff appeared first on Hagen Business Systems.

The PDF solutions Bluebeam provides to Construction Industry Professionals “are designed to improve communication, tracking, and speed. Create PDFs from any CAD or Windows file.” You can “add comments and notes directly to PDFs received from architects or consultants to eliminate extra steps or confusion and improve turnaround time.” With Bluebeam Revu, you can skip the paper process and “simply markup the PDF drawing electronically and send it off in one click from anywhere you have an Internet connection.”

Estimators will also love Bluebeam Revu. With the “built-in measurement tool, onscreen quantity takeoffs are calculated, totaled and stored in a list that can be summarized in Excel for estimates.” Bluebeam is a PDF Editor’s dream and works well for Architects and Engineers from design development through bid and construction. There are toolsets for a variety of designers including:
Landscaping Tools, Kitchen Furniture, Office Furniture, Home Furniture, Windows and Punch Symbols from Bluebeam clients along with extensive toolsets from Bluebeam

What’s missing to Bluebeam is document management which can be done in part on Sharepoint or using tools like Construction Imaging’s Content Archiver in their Enterprise Content Management (ECM) System. Content Archiver is a utility that looks at the directory structure where a document is stored, and sets the indexes or metatags of the document in the customer’s ECM system. It then sets a pointer to the document in the ECM where the original document resided. Many construction firms today are just storing documents on a hard drive where they’ve created a folder for each project. Underneath the project are more folders for RFIs, change orders, pictures, etc. What’s the benefit to doing this? You avoid accidently putting multiple copies of the same document into your ECM system and no one has to manually index the docuemnt again.

Now I hear some novices out there saying if I have PDFs then I can search through my documents and there’s no need to index them. Essentially with that scenario you index by every word in every document. While filing becomes fast, searching for specific documents can become a length chore. Do a Google search on any word and just how many results do you get? You could spend hours with the thousands of results that are returned. Substitute Content Archiver and you can find a document in 3-5 seconds.

Making it easy to capture, distribute, manage and store documents in the construction industry seems challenging, but with the right tools the job becomes a whole lot simpler. We’d encourage feedback and would love to hear from our readers. Please add your thoughts in the comment section and see if we can get a good discussion going.

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