Bluebeam Tips + Tricks

Check out these simple and quick-to-learn tips below that will help you make the most of Bluebeam® Revu®.

Press F8 (2018-19) on the keyboard to show the status bar options. Show grid, snap to grid, snap to content, snap to markup, re-use, synchronise views.

Double click on a tool from the toolbar. The tools button will display blue to indicate that it is active.

Creating circles in Revu can be tricky. Use the ellipse tool and hold the shift key to make a circle. If you want to make a circle from the centre out, hold the ALT key while using the ellipse tool.

When you do the Snapshot task, instead of making the snapshot 40% transparency, when you paste it - change the blend mode to overlay.

We hate looking for things, especially when we need it often. Use Revu's file access and pin PDF files for quick access, like reports, drawing or event Revu Sets.

Working on any project can result in a complex folder structure that can be difficult to navigate. Easy file access is crucial, not only in the design and build phases of a project, but during handover and facilities management as well. Whichever phase your project is currently in, digital dashboards can improve project efficiency for your team.

What is a Digital Dashboard?

A digital dashboard is a PDF that is interactive and includes links to project documents to make access easy. They include a home page with top-level links and a number of sub-pages with links that are more focused, boosting productivity.

This is an example of a dashboard’s home page. It contains links created in Revu that connect to project documents. Since dashboards are built by Revu users, they can be designed for an owner, design team, facilities manager, or whoever might need access to project files. This particular dashboard has links to project drawings, manuals, schedules, submittals and other relevant information.

How to make a Digital Dashboard

To build your digital dashboard, it’s a good idea to think who the target audience is and what information they would require. Ask yourself, who will be using the digital dashboard most? If the answer is the owner, an all-encompassing dashboard might be best. If the answer is the facilities manager, then links to warranty information and maintenance manuals might be more relevant.

I prefer to make my Bluebeam dashboards in Powerpoint, taking advantage of the icon art and Smartart features. You then need to export the file as a PDF and open it in Revu or even as an image to insert into your PDF. Other graphic design programs can be used to give you the perfect custom look for your dashboard.

Once inside Revu you can start to add your hyperlinks:

1. Under the tools tab, select hyperlink (Shift+H),

2. With the cross-hair cursor click and drag a box around the area that you would like your users to click on (this will be the button). The Action dialog will appear when you release.

3. Inside the Action dialogue box you can then choose to link to either:

- Another location in your document

- A website

- A locally stored, or a Bluebeam studio session or Projects file.

4. Repeat as you require for all hyperlinks.

5. Test and make sure all work as required and appear correctly.

If you are linking to a Studio File or Session ensure you have set the appropriate access permissions for users.

Top Tips for Digital Dashboards

While the main goal of a digital dashboard is to facilitate file access, you can follow these tips to maximise usability and make your dashboard more user-friendly.

Make it fun, But clear

Make your digital dashboard easy to use with visually appealing buttons, intuitive icons, and clear fonts. The dashboard examples pictured above display their branded colour palettes, images, and icons for an intuitive experience.

Add a home icon

If your dashboard has multiple pages, you should place a home link on each page. This allows for quick navigation to the start page in case the user needs to backtrack. An information icon can be valuable as well.

Have a plan and be consistent

Whilst making a digital dashboard, it’s a good idea to add links that move from overall and general to more specific items. Also, remember to keep a consistent folder structure and naming convention for your files.

Make sure to avoid broken links

Since digital dashboards can be used for years, it’s a good idea to double-check your links. Are your project files constantly being updated or replaced with the latest versions? Create links to a folder that contains the files, rather than to the files themselves, to ensure the links always work. Also, avoid linking to local files on your computer, since users won’t be able to open them.

Don’t be shy

And remember you can link to images, folders, specifications, 3D models, OH&S bulletins, websites, there really is no limit. This allows you to provide clients, end users, internal staff, and subcontractors with all the information they need on a very intuitive and user friendly dashboard easily accessible by all.

One of the underutilised features in Bluebeam is Batch Slip Sheet (note this feature is only available in Bluebeam eXtreme)

This is a great way to deal with revised drawings from a client or contractor when you have already applied markups to the previous revision. Markups can be transferred automatically to a matched page and the previous revision is kept in the combined document.

Pages can be matched by folders and or selected files and matched by filenames, page Labels or Page regions.

A detailed hyperlinked report can be created that will show the matched pages and provide detail.

In the video below, we also show you how to easily combine a set of PDFs and how to easily and quickly organise the order and apply page labels.

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