Author: David Medeiros

This story was originally published by Chris Graham on the Bluebeam Blog.

Several features allow users to use color to make plan documents more efficient to work with

Bluebeam offers a lot of ways to modify the colors of various objects. The markup and text colors are the simplest to modify. But what escapes many users are the advanced color manipulation features available for images of all kinds.

Snapshots

As an engineer, I often must overlay two images over one another to compare them. Whether it’s structural drawings over architectural drawings, or new over existing, or revisions over original scope, you’re sure to benefit from overlays. I’ve watched senior engineers print documents to scale and then use transparent paper to painstakingly sketch out objects of interest that they then awkwardly try to transfer to the other paper.

Bluebeam simplifies this process and provides high-fidelity options for overlays. First, you need a snapshot to modify. Use the “g” hotkey to take a snapshot of a PDF document that you want to use as the overlay image. Then use “ctrl + v” to paste it on the other image. You can drag the snapshot around to align it exactly where it needs to go.

As every engineer knows, this can be much harder than it sounds, especially if both images are the same color or if the snapshot turned out opaque. You can click the snapshot and adjust the opacity so you can more easily see what’s behind it. If it has a white background, you can click the snapshot and click the “Change Colors…” button (or right click the snapshot and select “Change Colors…” from the drop-down menu) and then change white to transparent (the box with the red slash through it). This is through the “Modify Colors” Process Type—see image below.

Changing black to red, removing white from an image

My personal favorite way to do snapshot overlays is to use the “Colorize” option and change the overlay image to light purple and 70% opacity. The image below shows an example of overlaying mechanical drawings onto the structural backgrounds to locate the mechanical units.

Sometimes I need more than two things overlaid and I can use different colors for each image to keep it all organized in my mind and on the screen. You can place markups on the screen and trace things as needed and then delete the overlay when you’re done.

Purple mechanical overlay on structural background

Photos, Scans

Right click a photo file, select “Open with,” and then select Bluebeam. Similarly to the snapshot section, you can click the “Document” menu in the toolbar and then select “Color Processing…” to access the same color modification features except that they apply to the document itself (not just markups or snapshot objects). Sometimes I will set a photo from a site visit to grayscale and lighten it up and then markup solutions on top of it for a contractor. Watermarks or similar can also be added to documents in this way. It’s a nice touch to flatten it once it’s in position.

Another incredibly useful way to use this feature is to make scanned documents (including as-builts) more legible. Look at the difference in legibility between the original blueprint image (left) and the colorized white-to-black version (right). The left image has literally had an acid trip in a basin to create that eyesore, and the right image looks clean.

Once you have the colors the way you want them, you can also use the “Mask Images” Process Type to then hide the gray artifacts that are residual from the smearing and scanning. What you’re left with is a fresh and clean-looking black-and-white image without all the noise. Then to complete the ouroboros, you can snapshot the image and then adjust its color and opacity as a snapshot overlay.

Colorizing as-built blueprints

Color Magic

There are straightforward color modification features available for standard markups, but Bluebeam isn’t constrained to modifying these objects; it can also modify snapshots, photos and scans in robust ways. Creating overlays is a staple for an engineering office. Fixing up a dark photo or grainy scan is something we can all relate to. I use these features multiple times a day to stay efficient, and you are certain to find relevant applications in your work and daily life, too.

This story was originally published by FRANK KALMAN on the Bluebeam Blog.

Discover how Compare Documents and Overlay Pages by Bluebeam transforms managing documents with precision and visual clarity.

In the world of digital document management in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, precision and efficiency are paramount. Professionals across the industry rely on tools that streamline their workflows and enhance collaboration.

Bluebeam offers two powerful features—Compare Documents and Overlay Pages—each designed to serve specific purposes. In this article, we’ll delve into the intricacies of these tools to help users make informed decisions on which to use, and when.

Compare Documents: A Closer Look

Bluebeam’s Compare Documents feature is a robust tool designed to highlight the differences between two versions of a document. This can be especially invaluable in scenarios where document revisions are frequent.

When a user initiates the Compare Documents function, Bluebeam Revu meticulously analyzes the content of the selected documents and generates a comprehensive report highlighting any discrepancies. This includes additions, deletions and modifications made between the two versions. The software employs a color-coded system, making it easy for users to identify changes at a glance. Typically, additions are highlighted in green, deletions in red and modifications in blue; for Compare Documents, cloud markups are added around the differences.

The utility of Compare Documents extends beyond textual content. It can also identify changes in graphical elements, providing a holistic overview of alterations in the document. This feature not only accelerates the review process but also minimizes the risk of oversight.

Overlay Pages: Unveiling the Integration

Overlay Pages is another powerful feature within Bluebeam’s arsenal, designed to facilitate precise document comparisons and analysis. Unlike Compare Documents, Overlay Pages allows users to superimpose two versions of a document on top of each other, providing a visual representation of their differences.

This feature is particularly beneficial when dealing with architectural plans or any document where graphical elements are of utmost importance. By overlaying the pages, users can visually assess discrepancies in the placement of elements, ensuring that the design conforms to specifications. This method of visual inspection can be more intuitive for certain types of documents, providing a complementary approach to the text-centric Compare Documents feature.

Integration for Comprehensive Analysis

While Compare Documents and Overlay Pages serve distinct purposes, their integration can offer a comprehensive solution for users seeking an exhaustive analysis of document revisions.

By first employing Compare Documents to identify textual changes, users can then turn to Overlay Pages to visually inspect the graphical alterations. This combined approach ensures a thorough examination of both textual and visual elements, leaving no room for oversight. The seamless integration of these features in Bluebeam empowers users to achieve meticulous precision in their document review processes.

Auto Align Makes Compare Documents and Overlay Pages Even Better

Released in April 2024, Revu 21.1 gives Compare Documents and Overlay Pages an overhaul. Not only has the user interface been greatly improved for easier navigation and previews of the results, but Bluebeam has also added AI. Auto Align is an AI-enabled capability allowing for documents and pages to align automatically.

Auto Align reduces the tedious, error-prone steps of manually aligning three points on each drawing revision, so users can understand the differences between them faster. Bluebeam customers currently use the Overlay and Compare features more than 5 million times a year. With the Auto Align option, users can now understand the differences in their documents and pages up to 80% faster.

This story was originally published by FRANK KALMAN on the Bluebeam Blog.

Bluebeam has many capabilities that are ideal for the steel industry to get bids done faster and more efficiently.

Steel is an essential building material. The people who work to procure and supply steel for construction projects spend a lot of time in the pre-construction phase tabulating the amount of the material the project will require based off plan documents, along with the estimated cost.

Historically, steel professionals were left to do this work the old-fashioned way—off paper plans, with highlighters, pen and a host of other analog tools to calculate a project’s needed supply and estimated costs. Thanks to the advent of digital tools, that is no longer the case.

Tools like Bluebeam now allow steel professionals the opportunity to reduce the time it takes to complete project bids with analog workflows from weeks down to a matter of days, giving them a tremendous competitive advantage.

“The biggest advantage of using Bluebeam for steel is in the pre-construction phase of a project,” said Charles Todd, a Bluebeam industry consultant who previously spent several years working in steel fabrication. “Doing it the old, paper-based way is like doing twice the work.”

Here are six features in Bluebeam that make it essential for the steel industry: 

Markup List

The Markup List adopts a table format, where each row corresponds to a markup added to an active PDF, and each column displays specific information about the markup.

Selecting a row prompts the PDF view in the workspace to jump to the associated markup location, facilitating navigation through markups using the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys.

For steel professionals, this tool is paramount for organizing markups for quick and easy reference, especially for pre-construction estimations that go a long way toward winning bids. The list can also be exported in various document types, allowing for quick record-keeping and information sharing among colleagues.

Measure

The Measure tool facilitates the creation of measurements in various modes. These measurements can either persist as markups, helping in processing and summarization through the Markup List, particularly valuable for estimation and takeoffs. Alternatively, they can be temporary, providing a swift means to measure without generating a visual record on the PDF.

Measuring and creating cost estimates for steel beams are critical in the pre-construction estimation process. Not only can steel professionals find massive time savings in using the measurement tool, but customization capability also allows users to associate accurate weights for steel quantities. This can help steel workers calculate accurate materials costs with the click of a button.

Count

The Count tool generates a markup with every mouse click, linking a cumulative count with each placed markup. It resembles Sequences in the Tool Chest, differing in that it introduces a preconfigured (typically less conspicuous) or personalized symbol onto the PDF. Moreover, the Count tool maintains an ongoing tally, either per page or Space, for each item counted. In contrast, Sequences count on the PDF without maintaining a continuous tally, treating each markup independently and refraining from grouping them in the Markup List.

For drawings that need to identify and count the specific number of steel beams, for instance, this tool can be incredibly helpful. Simply clicking each beam or other building element in a digital plan document allows the tool to automatically tally a total number.

Tool Sets

Tool Sets in Bluebeam can be generated and exchanged seamlessly among various users. These sets are versatile, allowing for local saving, network sharing or exportation to other users. Sharing Tool Sets proves invaluable for establishing consistent markups tailored to diverse projects, job roles, clients and beyond. Effectively managing these Tool Sets is a crucial aspect of maximizing the utility of Bluebeam.

Steel fabricators can establish Custom Tool Sets specific for their needs during the pre-construction estimation process, allowing for a cleaner and more efficient workflow for creating job-winning bids faster.

Profiles

Profiles offer a convenient method to save preferred toolbars, menus and display settings, ensuring that the most essential tools are easily accessible every time Bluebeam opens.

What’s more, as with Tool Sets, Profiles can be customized for steel workers’ specific needs. Doing so allows workers maximum levels of efficiency for all specific steel-industry uses of the software, such that workers don’t have to toggle between unfamiliar or unnecessary tools to get the job done.

Integration with External Digital Tools

Finally, many of these tools in Bluebeam can be integrated with other essential steel industry digital tools. For example, exporting the Markup List to a Microsoft Excel file is one way to then upload that information into another piece of complementary software. Such seamless integration allows steel workers to complete complex estimation tasks in a fraction of the time that it would take with old, analog processes. What’s more, calculations are more likely to be accurate, leading to fewer errors or costly and time-consuming rework.

Bluebeam is an essential tool for anyone in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, but it is especially useful for those working in steel.