The Definitive Guide to Bluebeam

Bluebeam offers a free 30-day trial version of Revu, so you can try it for yourself.

Revu is a Superb tool for:

Collaboration

Revu allows real-time collaboration among team members. Using mobile Revu technology, they can even track progress while in the field, easily sorting drawings by date to see what changes have been made daily.

Bluebeam has a Quick Start Guide and short overview videos that can get you going quickly with self-guided learning.

Innovation

The Bridging the Gap episode “Bluebeam Trends” with Christopher Riddell takes a look at the way Bluebeam Studio benefits collaboration.

The process of creating highly detailed digital 3D models of construction projects is a process that’s relatively new – likely less than seven years old. By importing photographs and laser scans into reality capture software, a firm can preserve current conditions of every feature of a jobsite, whether it is new construction or a remodel.

There are trends shaping up in the design and construct world that can make our jobs easier – if we let them. And Bluebeam is part of that process.

More efficient design reviews

Know what your software can do, and use it to the fullest extent. From keyboard shortcuts to hyperlinking in batches to the search feature, Revu can reduce the time required to perform tasks from hours to mere minutes.

Revu has a fairly robust set of keyboard shortcuts that come with the software. With a little trial and error, we created a set of Bluebeam keyboard shortcuts to make your day a little easier.

With Revu eXtreme, you can use a PDF form to create a fillable form. The video, by Christopher Riddell, demonstrates how easy it is to improve the digital workflow for your entire team.

Using Revu eXtreme can improve your productivity and cut down on the amount of time you might otherwise have to spend on time-consuming tasks. Features include batch options, OCR, links, and form creation.

What kinds of stamps do you add to your company’s project drawings? With Revu, you can create an interactive stamp on a drawing or on a hundred drawings.

Bluebeam partnered with Microsoft to integrate the surface dial into the Revu digital workflow.

Revu speeds up design reviews by elevating paperless workflows to a new level. Create 2D and 3D PDFs, organize commonly used markups in a tool chest, compare drawings and keep track of revisions with color coding, and collaborate in real-time.

The Revu Compare Documents function clouds the differences between files. The Overlay Pages function shows the different pages in different colors. The good news is, you can even use them in combination.

The quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) process is critical to ensuring that a project is executed properly and meets the standards of both the owner and the contractor. Bluebeam Revu allows quick, accurate, thorough reviews so you can avoid costly design defects.

Seems like the worst possible things that can happen with project drawings will happen just hours (or minutes!) before a deadline. Revu helps avoid last-minute emergencies, rework and unhappy customers.

Quantity takeoffs

One of the best kept secrets in Revu is the way it benefits quantity takeoffs. Using calibration, markup standards, custom formulas, and PDF searches, Revu makes takeoffs easier and more precise.

Revu features are designed to increase productivity, improve measurement accuracy and streamline deployment company wide. Benefit from fast pan and zoom, rendering speed and refresh rates. Collaborate with teams in the cloud. Save money with accurate bids and QTOs.

Dashboards

Digital dashboards are PDF-based document management tools that can be used across the entire construction project – from client presentations to closeout. With pictures, icons, hyperlinks, and underlying data, Revu enables clean reporting, document sharing and easy post-project handoffs.

Handover at the end of the project

There are a couple of methods for project closeout that general contractors have access to these days. One is “the way we’ve always done it” – rolls of drawings and large notebooks containing warranties, instruction manuals, spec sheets, coffee-stained pages, and sticky notes. Another method is a clean, concise, text-searchable digital handover.

Gathering and analyzing data are new ways to keep a finger on the pulse of creating buildings that are smarter, safer and more efficient. Enabling the collection and use of that data to the owner of the building is a perfect way to promote long-term building efficiency while setting the builder apart as a leader in the industry.

Data protection

As we become more dependent on technology, all of our electronic devices become increasingly connected, allowing information to flow from one device to another. Therefore, cyber security has become a prominent concern globally. Companies need to have a plan, be smart about data backups and educate employees about online threats.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

When using Revu with typical office documents:

Display: 1024 x 768

• A display driver supporting OpenGL® 3.0 or above is required to display 360° photos.
• A display driver supporting either OpenGL® 3.2 (or above) or OpenGL® ES 3.0 (or above) is required.

Processor

• Desktops and laptops: 1 GHz processor or equivalent (recommended, see below)
• Tablets: Intel® i3 processor or equivalent
• Revu currently does not support ARM processors, like those found in the Surface Pro X.

RAM

• 4 GB (32-bit Windows)
• 8 GB (64-bit Windows)

Hard Disk

• At least 5 GB of available space may be required.

When working with large drawing sets

(for example, construction project bid sets) in which the PDFs may contain hundreds of large format drawings, it is recommended that workstations have adequate memory and processor resources.

Display: 1024 x 768 or better

• A display driver supporting OpenGL® 3.0 or above is required to display 360° photos.
• A display driver supporting either OpenGL® 3.2 (or above) or OpenGL® ES 3.0 (or above) is required.

Processor

• Desktops and laptops: Intel i5 Dual Core or better processor
• Tablets: Intel® i3 processor or better
• Revu currently does not support ARM processors, like those found in the Surface Pro X.

RAM

• 8 GB (64-bit Windows)

Hard Disk

• At least 5 GB of available space may be required

Using Revu for OCR

OCR is included with the 64-bit version of Revu eXtreme. OCR will not work in 32-bit Revu.

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