We're looking to invest in some estimating software and was just wondering whether Bluebeam is capable of doing what Planswift does
I use Bluebeam because I can easily manipulate drawings, customise markups to clearly detail what has been measured, add custom columns so my markups can be allocated to sections of work, etc.. I looked at several other packages but none of them offered me the flexibility that I needed to create different workflows for different trades.
@Peter Jury, I had a similar question on comparisons because PlanSwift is much more intuitive but the things required by Bluebeam to do takeoffs are hidden in tabs and tables where in PlanSwift I could make folders to store all my QTO takeoffs and the legends were much easier to customize.
What did you end up learning?
I don't use it for estimates but if that's a focus of your workflow, I would think you could make a custom profile where the tools you need are set to be easier to find. From custom Tool Sets to custom toolbars.
I have different profiles for measuring different trades - I even have several profiles just for measuring groundworks including foundations, external works, retaining walls, drainage, etc..
This is because not only do I only need certain tools for each workflow but I also have custom columns which collect specific information which I need in order to complete my tenders.
My tools are easily accessible but also many of them automatically generate the information for custom columns e.g. a sewer run from an internal SVP (foul drainage) will self populate with the fact that it starts with an SVP, it will be 100mm diameter pipe and in UPVC and the trench will have as dug back fill. For this item all I will need to do is enter the details of where it ends such as a manhole or joining onto another drainage run.
That sounds impressive @vfrench maybe you should make a how-to video.
Hi @Luke Shiras
This is a link to a video where I demonstrate the drainage workflow. You'll see as I am marking up much of the information required in the custom columns is prepopulated leaving the absolute minimum of manual input where there are 'variables'.
There are also a few 'bonus' bits in here such as exporting to Excel, copying markups from one scale to another, using the lasoo tool, etc..
Very nice, @vfrench!
Most of that went over my head but I could see how useful it was, @vfrench. Thanks for sharing.
Hello - Looking to find an expert who understands scripting and what scripts work best with Bluebeam. Any suggestions?
We have AGTEK users that provide us with material takeoffs, dirt work quantities etc. Is anyone here importing AGTEK material takeoff markups into Bluebeam? Thank you! Here is what google AI thinks the process is…
Heya, How does one define which textbox gets taken over when you define a sequence on a tool? I created 3 groups and created the textboxes in alphabetical order and in different placements. However, the sequencing chose a random textbox to replace the text with "1" on every one. How do I define which of the 3 textboxes…
How can i take-off materials quicker using blue beam. I normally see autocad PDF's. Ive tried exporting the comments but i would need to build a formula. Very time consuming.
how do I filter out only my mark-ups to transfer to another PDF as when I window in the whole document alot of other stuff is highlighted?…. I just want this stuff….
Text shown in screenshot below is a non-standard font (some monospace thing) and is embedded in the page. Would either of these factors prevent AutoMark from correctly identifying contents?
Hi all, my company is in the midst of converting from Adobe Acrobat to Revu, and I wanted to be able to sign documents using the same Digital ID I have used. It seems that Acrobat can only export certificates to FDF or PKCS#7 (pk7) files, and Bluebeam can only import PKCS#12 (pfx) files. Is there a feature within Bluebeam…
I am very new to BlueBeam, I have managed to insert my Professional engineer stamp, I need to insert the date and signature on the stamp, meaning to layover the date and signature on the stamp in a certain area, and all should be visible.
Hi all. I am a relatively new user to Revu(CORE). I am able to edit .pdf's with lines, shapes, lengths, etc. However, I've found out that a pdf (multiple times) that has text that I want to edit in Revu won't allow me to do that. Why can I edit lines, but not text? I'm a little flummoxed because I want to get of Adobe…
It would be awesome if there was a vba add in so that we could use vba macros to combine pdfs, without needing to save, open bluebeam and then combine files there.