TAVCO AEC Technology Blog

Bluebeam users may have received communication regarding the End of Life (EOL) date of March 21, 2023, for Bluebeam Revu versions 2019 and earlier. However, Bluebeam has announced that the Bluebeam product and engineering teams have been working tirelessly to extend the support of these products, which means more time for users.

In case you have not noticed, there are some upcoming changes happening with Bluebeam Revu software. A whole new series of cloud-based solutions are on the way and a new product release is rumored. The big question is, how does this affect you? There is an impact, especially if you are a user a legacy version - 2019 or earlier. 

Many years ago, someone gave me the awesome advice of, “you have to be willing to give up who you are for who you may become.” It looks like Troy DeGroot is living by that creed with his launch of U Chapter 2 - his company dedicated to Bluebeam training – empowering people to get the most out of Bluebeam Revu.

When it comes to working with construction plan revisions, speed is certainly a factor. Given the current construction labor shortage, the expectation is for more key people to do more work, make less errors, and still finish projects on time.

So, when a speed hack is discovered, it doesn’t take long for others to jump on board. This is why Bluebeam Revu software might just be muscle that companies need to supercharge comparing construction plan revisions. 

See why Revu can be one of your most powerful weapons in your arsenal when it comes to finding changes in document revisions quickly.

It’s no secret that government (city, county, state, and federal) agencies do not run like well-oiled machines. Likewise, many people would rather take a beating than make the trip to a local government office to take care of business. But, why does this continue to be such a problem?

In pre-COVID-19 times, old school pen and paper workflow in largely to blame. This system is classically inefficient and could certainly use a refresh to simply things to get stuff done faster. Take for instance the activity of submitting building permits.

In this case, a powerful and easy to use PDF solution would be game changer. Check out how Bluebeam Revu software is improving the ways agencies handle their final plan submittals.

Bluebeam® Revu® 20 is the latest iteration of the popular PDF workflow software for AEC construction professionals. It gives you the smart tools that you need to keep your team in sync – communicating and collaborating better to get your jobs done right, on time, and on budget.

If you work in construction, you probably heard of Bluebeam® Revu®. Although it is now a construction industry standard, plenty of people don’t know what it is or what it does. Bluebeam Revu is a software application that allows users to markup, takeoff, organize, and collaborate with PDF files like never before. Here's how. 

Construction documents are full of data, today more than ever. Often contractors or other project partners need to quickly search a set of plans to identify specific, important information.

Unfortunately, manually reviewing a set of printed plans is laborious, tedious, and invites mistakes. Luckily, there is a faster and more accurate way - the Search Tool in Blubeam Revu. For those who use it, Bluebeam's Search Tool is a game-changer for working with construction plans.

When it comes to marking up and annotating PDF files, there is a wide range of options to consider. Adobe is an obvious choice, but the platform that has skyrocketed in popularity is Bluebeam Revu.

Bluebeam Revu is the go-to software for many Architects, Engineers, Government, and Construction professionals. One of the reasons for this is the incredibly easy-to-use interface.

It's incredibly intuitive, but learning a few keyboard shortcuts can help speed up your work so that you can crush that looming deadline without breaking a sweat. 

Despite the adage, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, people aren’t dogs. Humans are resilient creatures who are capable of constantly learning and changing.

This is evident today in the construction industry. It is a profession that is changing at lightning speed, but many “seasoned” professionals still make up the ranks.

Technology-wise, construction has changed more in the past few years than in the previous fifty. Given the influx of new talent, digital workflows have become both more accepted and commonplace.

Older baby boomers need to keep pace with change and embrace it. And, one of the tools that help them easily transcend paper to digital is Bluebeam Revu. Check out the three things that Baby Boomers love the most about Bluebeam software.

Before diving in to the three specific functions that older users find valuable, let’s go over what Bluebeam is exactly.

When construction projects approach completion, a Punch List is one of the final activities that must be conducted.

Essentially, this is a list of repairs and incomplete work items remaining at the end of a project that must be finished by specialty contractors to address and fix, before the project is completed, plan submittals are completed, and the project is handed over to the building owner.

According to the Business Directory, this is the definition of a Punch List:

A listing of items requiring immediate attention before finalizing a construction project. It is a document listing work that does not conform to contract specifications, usually attached to the certificate of substantial completion. The contractor must correct the punch list work before receiving payment.

The topics of a punch list can be wide-ranging. For example, door adjustments, flooring issues, electrical problems, and damaged wood trim are all potential items in a punch list.

For decades, this has happened via a manual paper/pen process that is slow, tedious, and marred with potential communication problems.

Luckily, now, software applications, like Bluebeam Revu, provide a way to quickly and easily complete a punch list and keep every stakeholder up to speed, in real time.

Lately, a recurring question has come up with my construction clients regarding the comparison of Bluebeam® Revu® and PlanGrid.

Since many companies are looking for ways to become more paperless, both of these applications have become quite popular as digital workflow choices with Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC).

But, which one is better? If a company is looking to take their wide-format workflow digital, which one should they choose?

Honestly, this question has a lot of moving parts, so the answer can be a bit dynamic. But, let’s dig in and take a look at the comparison of PlanGrid vs Bluebeam Revu. 

The PDF file format is now an industry standard for large-size floor plans. The reasons for this are pretty obvious. PDFs are commonly used, they are familiar, they can include embedded meta data, and they can be protected by robust security properties.

These dynamics have made PDF files universally used throughout the construction industry. But, when it comes to dealing with a multipage set of plans, organizing the pages to quickly get to the specific information you need, can be challenging at times.

No worries, Bluebeam Revu software is a perfect cure for your multipage PDF blues.

The following video takes you through a comprehensive overview of Bluebeam Revu software.

This recorded webinar starts with the basic navigation of the user interface. You’ll see just how intuitive the software is, even for inexperienced users.

Gain insight on how to quickly find files and “pin” your favorites for immediate retrieval and much more.