PDFs and Original Drawings syncup process

Raja Nagendra Kumar

With PDF mock-up changes in collaboration, it is certain that original drawings to become obsolete, how to handle such a situation?

Does BB have any established/recommended manual and automated approach to two-way syncup?

I am open to understanding if such sync-up issues are solved even privately (i.e may not be a public standard yet) by any large firm that saw this as a huge compliance issue and was able to solve it internally (at scale)

Luke Shiras

I'm not sure what you're asking for but it sounds like you want to merge your original pdf with a modified pdf. Is that correct? Are you trying to compare the marked up original with the revised version?

Raja Nagendra Kumar

Luke, pdf are generated from the original AutoCAD or other drafting software, once this pdf drawing file is stored in Bluebeam, lot of mockups can happen, while the original Autocad drawing would now become stale if the final version of the mockuped pdf version is not reversed synced..

I am looking for how to reverse sync up to AutoCAD .dwg version.. any recommended process here..

Jes Stafford

In our workflows, any mark ups (assuming what you mean by "mockups" in this context) are intended to be manually input back into the production software, like AutoCAD or Revit. So the PDF is a record of markups that directs those changes and corrections to be performed.

No automation on that exercise that I am aware of… just a CAD or BIM Operator to work it back into the production software and bring the "stale" info up to date.

Raja Nagendra Kumar

Is it possible to log all the mockup changes using AI or by tracing each pdf mockup action so that at least an email can be sent to the entire team for engineers so that they are aware of changes that are happening in mockups on daily basis, I really want filed changes be communicated/reviewed as early as possible by original *.dwg team too..

Jes Stafford

The best way to track all the markups is the "Markups List". Click the little icon at the bottom left that looks like a mini bullet list of three lines. See the pic below. Once you open that, hit the share icon (highlighted) and export the list to share. Before exporting, you can sort by date to make the updates easy to track if you send them periodically.

…not sure about AI options for accomplishing all that.

Glynis D.

@Raja Nagendra Kumar you may also be interested in using a report from a studio session or the revision history in studio projects. Anytime a document is checked back into a project a revision is created and you can restore or view any previous revisions as needed. I will link some information on how to do so.

Revision History

Raja Nagendra Kumar

> Before exporting, you can sort by date to make the updates easy to track if you send them periodically.

Thank You. Do you mind any sample log of changes file as part of this thread..as a ready reference of a typical export file that site engineers would understand?

e.g if the distance between two walls changed from say 14 ft to 16 ft etc.. wish to see BB export capture record it as proper text..without field and office people have to interpret it manually.

>AI options

AI would do wonders if it understands mockup meaning quite well, as humans can easily identify the changes (but they also fail when there are massive changes at one go). Wish BB to deploy AI here to ease the communication between the field and the office and to increase reliability and speed.

i.e. taking collaboration to next level of near real-time communcation too.