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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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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Bluebeam Revu allows you to split views and work across multiple monitors which helps professional estimators take-off more efficiently. So did you know there’s actually a Profile for multiple monitors?

The Multiple Monitors Profile moves the tabs from the left, right and bottom Revu docks into a second independent window so you can move the tabs onto the second monitor and use the entire main Revu window to display the PDF file.

The Multiple Monitor profile works well with monitors that are different sizes or when using a second monitor with a laptop display. You can keep Revu in the larger monitor and move the independent window into the smaller one.

For example, a 22″ widescreen and 19″ (4:3 aspect ratio) display or 24″ and 20″ displays will often match vertically, because the larger is a widescreen version of the smaller.

If the multiple monitor profile is not listed in your Profile drop down choices, simply go to the Bluebeam Support Extensions page http://bluebeam.com/us/support/extensions-profiles.asp and follow the instructions. If you are the IT Administrator, you may want to store this on a network drive and make it accessible to all your users.

Bluebeam Revu makes Estimating Take-off easier and faster with the Multiple Monitors Profile. Once you have it, estimators may want to add their custom tool sets used for take-off to this profile using the Manage Tool Sets option (click on the Gear Symbol in the Tool Chest Pane).

Of course Multiple Monitors also works for your contract administrator, legal team, marketing department and your project managers. Research shows that workers performing text editing are 44 percent more productive with dual screens.

If you skipped the Anthony DelNunzio of CaddPlans video above, you may not realize you can also drag one single PDF pane across multiple screens. With large format drawings this might just be the best of both worlds.

If you have two screens or more, please let us know in the comments and share experience of how you’re working smarter not harder.

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In the sample below I’ve opted to measure square yards for area as I am taking off the flooring and cubic yards for the stairwell concrete slab while leaving the length a foot and inches measurement as usual (double click for a larger image). You can change between metric measurements and English in the same takeoff with ease should you need to. Let Bluebeam Revu do the conversion for you!

If you have a previous version of Revu (11 or earlier) you may need to renew your annual maintenance to upgrade to Revu 12. Please check with your systems administrator or email me your Revu Serial number and I’ll check it for you.

If your annual maintenance is up to date, please refer to our previous blog post, How to upgrade Bluebeam Revu 11 to Revu 12 which includes hardware/software considerations before upgrading to Revu 12.

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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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Whether you have a clean vector drawing or plans scanned to PDF you can use Bluebeam Revu’s compare documents to cloud the differences and get a side-by-side comparison, or overlay the plan sheets. This video will show you what Bluebeam does, and how to do it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igqtqzk0RKU

There are many benefits for a specialty contractor to use Bluebeam Revu. Document comparison is just one way to save time and reduce risk. As a Bluebeam reseller we are here to answer questions and get you started. Try a 30 day free trial now. Already own Bluebeam and need some training? Give me a call 602-570-7289

More Bluebeam articles you might be interested in:

Tip to combine Compare Documents and Overlay Pages

Construction estimating manual counting ends with visual search

Construction Project Team Collaboration Innovation

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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.

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