FAQ's
Most Frequently Asked Bluebeam Questions and Answers
What is Bluebeam Revu?
Bluebeam Revu is a design and construction document management software that transforms simple PDFs into data rich documents spanning project lifecycles. As a credit to Revu’s unique and powerful tools, 94% of top US contractors, 92% of top design-build firms and 86% of top US design firms are enhancing their efficiency and boosting productivity (www.Bluebeam.com). Nearly 2 million AEC professionals have switched their default PDF viewer to Bluebeam Revu.
Is Baseline Basics class for students who have never opened Bluebeam Revu?
Yes, we will start with opening the software, learn the interface, and get into basic knowledge of markups, measurements and discuss more advanced possibilities along the way.
I already have some experience in Bluebeam, is the Baseline Basics class too basic?
No, most people with experience don’t know what they don’t know. Many Tips & Tricks will be shared to build on what you already know.
Why “Baseline” Basics?
This class is an opportunity to raise the bar of everyone to a higher baseline knowledge, setting the stage to learn more advanced topics covered in our workflow-based courses.
Can we customize the content of these classes to fit our company?
ALL courses, or a combination of several can be customized to match your company’s legacy workflows. For company specific training, this approach is highly relevant and more cost effective.
Do I need the Bluebeam Revu Extreme version for the Batch Tools course?
Yes, this course is focused on features that are only available in Revu Extreme.
What are “Batch Tools”?
Revu Standard allows you to preform many functions to individual sheets manually. Batch Tools will allow you to use those same functions, but to a large number of drawings at the same time, saving a lot of time and eliminating errors.
Is the Extreme version required for everyone in our company?
No, many companies will save money by having only selected users upgrade. We don’t sell software, but we can certainly help you make purchase decisions.
Do you have a Tips & Tricks download to reference?
I don’t have a document prepared, but I encourage you to take notes during class!
Can we have you build our estimating tools and do specialized training for our team?
Absolutely, this is best way to leverage my experience and best practices to quickly build custom toolsets and specific relevant training.
Why is the Material Takeoffs & Estimating course 4-hours instead of 2-hours like the rest?
There is a lot of content to cover in this course. With so many different materials or things being measured within the Architectural, Engineering and Construction industry, there are naturally a lot of questions and rabbit trails. This course tends to spark a lot of creativity.
What types of material takeoffs or estimates are possible in Bluebeam Revu?
Just a few custom tools we’ve built for Bluebeam Revu:
Access Control, Accessibility, Aluminum Panels, Annunciators, Appliances, Boma Calculations, CCTV, Civil Design, Compressors, Cubical Specialties, Curtain Walls, Digital Dashboards, Digital Plan Review, Division 10, Division 8, Door Frames, Door Hardware, Dry Utilities, Electronic Plan Review, Energy, Environmental Services, Fascia, Fire Alarms, Fire Prevention, Fire Sprinkler, Flooring, Foundations, Grills, Heat Exchangers, HVAC, Interior Finishes, iPad, Land Development, Landscaping, LEED Calculations, Life Safety, Lighting, Lockers, Lumber, Millwork, Municipalities, Occupancy Calculations, P&ID, Paint, Parking, Parks & Recreation, Permit Techs, Permits & Records, Pipe, Planning & Development, Precast, Projection Screen, Public Works, Pumps, Punch, Rebar, Refrigeration, Right of Way, Roofing, Scanning Scopes, Screening, Security, Siding, Site Inspection, Site Logistics, Soffit, Steel Shapes, Store Front, Switches, Telecom, Toilet Accessories, Traffic, Trees, Trim, Trusses, Turbine, Urban Development, Utilities, Valves, Vessels, Visual Display Surfaces, Walk Off Mat, Wall Finishes, Wall Panel, Wall Protection, Water, Wood Framing, Zoning
With all the permitting software out there, do you have a recommendation?
Yes! We have worked with over 30 municipalities building custom tools for permit reviews, managing permit documents, and developing permit review reports for permit applicants. Taking these specific workflows into account, we partnered with Document Locator which is heavily integrated with Bluebeam Revu for the management of Bluebeam permit review projects. We have listened to the pain points in the process and automated many of the manual steps in the permit review process. From website permit application processes to notifications when the permit reviews are complete, Document Locator’s permit review management solution tracks and reports on the permit process so you know exactly where each permit project or person is at with any given permit application.
What do you mean by “Punch Walk Workflows”?
This is simply a term used for collecting field data. Maybe for you it’s called a QA/QC Check, Site Inspection, Issue Assessment, Existing investigation, Demo Assessment, or tracking installation progress. Collecting “Field Data” can apply to many different workflows (including sales or estimating if the symbols you place contain pricing metadata).
What is a “Digital Dashboard”?
A digital dashboard is simply a visual way of organizing. You can create an environment a lot like a website with buttons sending users to content folders, or open specific documents and websites. This can be a great tool for keeping teams and communication in a central easy to use environment.
Are there any prerequisite classes or can I take whatever I want?
In my experience training thousands of students, the Baseline Basics class to the best way to make sure everyone is ready to learn the concepts of the other classes without being left behind. After Baseline Basics, you can add whatever courses fit your workflows.
Do you use actual Civil drawings in your Revu for Civil Engineers class?
It’s important to work in a relatable environment. For this call we use both plan and profile drawings to teach specific workflows related to civil design.
Can the Revu for iPad class be taught to my teams in the field?
Because we don’t have a curser on the iPad, it can be difficult to see where we’re pointing and what we’re clicking on. For this reason, it’s recommended this course be taught in person keeping all safety measures in mind.
Do I have to upgrade to have access to Studio Sessions & Projects?
No, these tools are free with every version of Bluebeam Revu. This cloud-based platform right inside the Revu interface is useful in ALL workflows, so we created a quick 1-hour course to add on to any package. This is extremely useful in a work from home environment.
What’s the difference with the classes for “Municipalities”?
Municipalities is simply a term to describe cities, counties, or a council that preform drawing review and issue construction permits. These entities have very specific workflows we have become experts at transitioning into a digital environment.
We already have Accela, can you help us integrate with Bluebeam?
Absolutely, Accela is typically the bookends on each end of the permit review process. You will use Accela to interact with the applicate at document submission and again when returning documents with comments. Bluebeam is used for the entire middle section of the process where we manage the documents, place comments, and assure all teams have access to review.
Are classes recorded?
We record classes for our own review and improvement, but recordings are not developed for distribution.
Who’s Bluebeam Revu For?
- Architects
- Engineers
- General Contractors
- Specialty Contractors
- Estimators
- Superintendents
- Owners
Bluebeam Software Overview of Benefits?
- PDF Creation
- Markup Tools
- Document & Project Storage
- Concurrent Editing
- Document Sharing
- Automatic Form Creation
- Batch Link Creation
- Batch Digital Signing
How Is Bluebeam Revu Used?
- Design Review
- Document Management
- Submittal Review
- RFI Posting
- Punch Process
- QA/QC
- Quantity Takeoff
- Project Handover
- Drawing Management
With all the permitting software out there, do you have a recommendation?
Yes! We have worked with over 30 municipalities building custom tools for permit reviews, managing permit documents, and developing permit review reports for permit applicants. Taking these specific workflows into account, we partnered with Document Locator which is heavily integrated with Bluebeam Revu for the management of Bluebeam permit review projects. We have listened to the pain points in the process and automated many of the manual steps in the permit review process. From website permit application processes to notifications when the permit reviews are complete, Document Locator’s permit review management solution tracks and reports on the permit process so you know exactly where each permit project or person is at with any given permit application.