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BlueBeam Plan Review Take 2

jar546

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I would like to create another thread and ask if anyone has any experience with BlueBeam?

I have access to it at work but zero training. I really can't use it unless I am at the main office so no time to even mess around with it but I hear great things about it.

thoughts?
 
Excellent program. We recently started to do electronic plan review and are using BlueBeam.

Will do way more than what we need it for. Key functions - stamps, area and length measurements, cloud and arrow annotations, text via note boxes, etc.

Do you have any specific questions regarding the program?
 
I use BB for plan review, agree with Ty, way more there than the tools I use. I am pretty new with it though and some bugs are popping up, but they may be less BB than our own systems. We use the Studio, which allows multiple reviewers and remote access. I think a lot of the bugs are more about how the plans are submitted but God forbid we place too many restrictions on the permit applicants.....but I digress.
 
The State of California's DSA and OSHPD have converted all PC's to Bluebeam, no paper!
Talk about a game changer for us "old" folks (learning curve, yes). We are using multiple screens on electronic adjustable height tables.
Back checks are presently done in-house with the architect there next to us.
Imagine doing sets with hundreds of sheets?
Important that all details and sheets are hyperlinked or the process can really be slowed down.
All PC comments are listed at the bottom of sheets (can run into hundreds) and are replied to be architect for verification.
Eventually they won't even have to come in as reviews can be handled remotely.
Takes lots of computer speed and storage.
Welcome to a brave new world gang.
 
Once you get used to electronic review, you will never want to wrestle a large set of plans around again! At least you got to start with good equipment and software. Last year when we started into it, it was, and still is Adobe Pro, with upgraded monitors on existing CPU's.

Good luck!
 
We use 60 inch TV's for plan review monitor and regular size monitor for word documents as the 60 inch will not be as crisp when reading the word documents.
Fatboy
Bluebeam will do more than Adobe Pro even on your word documents and it cost less. You can get a 30 day free trial and try it out. You will never use Adobe Pro again.
 
BlueBeam will also convert PDF's to other formats when you save them.
PDF PDF/A TEXT TIFF JPEG PNG GIF BITMAP WORD DOCUMENT HTML EXCEL WORKBOOK POWER POINT and RICH TEXT FORMAT
 
We use 60 inch TV's for plan review monitor and regular size monitor for word documents as the 60 inch will not be as crisp when reading the word documents.
Fatboy
Bluebeam will do more than Adobe Pro even on your word documents and it cost less. You can get a 30 day free trial and try it out. You will never use Adobe Pro again.

Trust me, I would love to move to Bluebeam, I have seen demos of it, I know the capabilities. And, it integrates with our TRAKiT software seamlessly. It is the higher ups that have not funded the move........yet. ;)
 
Only a matter of time, our excuse; think of all the trees we save (smiling). Small subs and consultants are being forced to computerise in ways they never imagined.
 
One of the benefits is being able to lock down your edits/comments, something Adobe Pro does not do for us. The measuring tools are amazing.
 
My understanding is that these systems do not allow the submitting engineer or architect to wet sign the documents. This would potentially cause conflicts with state licensing laws. More importantly because the submitted documents cannot be encrypted there is no proof that the individual submitting the documents is the individual whos seal is on the documents. This would allow a non-licensed individual to impersonate a licensed engineer or architect. This has been known to occur.

Another problem, while not common but has been known to occur, is when the plan checker makes changes to the documents without the approval of the design professional. While the plan checker may be well intentioned this can create problems. This is made harder to detect when the design professional does not wet sign the submitted documents or is unable to encrypt the submitted documents.
 
My understanding is that these systems do not allow the submitting engineer or architect to wet sign the documents. This would potentially cause conflicts with state licensing laws. More importantly because the submitted documents cannot be encrypted there is no proof that the individual submitting the documents is the individual whos seal is on the documents. This would allow a non-licensed individual to impersonate a licensed engineer or architect. This has been known to occur.

Another problem, while not common but has been known to occur, is when the plan checker makes changes to the documents without the approval of the design professional. While the plan checker may be well intentioned this can create problems. This is made harder to detect when the design professional does not wet sign the submitted documents or is unable to encrypt the submitted documents.

I may need to be educated a bit more on the workflow you are talking about. It is my understanding that the RDP submits sealed PDF files which are then reviewed by the building department who marks them up in BlueBeam which then, in return, creates a list. The only changes to a set of drawings are done in the CAD program after the changes are made and a new set of sealed PDFs are then resubmitted by the RDP. Is that not correct? That is how we do it.
 
Jar you are correct with the workflow
Bluebeam revu will not allow you to change a drawing. You can do many things with the revue program but changing a drawing created by someone else is not one of them.

Bluebeam revu has the ability through their "studio" link for you and anybody you invite to look at the drawing at the same time and the RDP can then make real time changes to his original drawing if needed.
 
I may need to be educated a bit more on the workflow you are talking about. It is my understanding that the RDP submits sealed PDF files which are then reviewed by the building department who marks them up in BlueBeam which then, in return, creates a list. The only changes to a set of drawings are done in the CAD program after the changes are made and a new set of sealed PDFs are then resubmitted by the RDP. Is that not correct? That is how we do it.
We have the RDP electronically sign the plans (full seal w/signature still present) and submit.

Red-lines are not changes, but are annotations that provide additional information. If you are altering the design, then you should be rejecting the plans instead.


We enforce the following (specific to WA):

What are the requirements for design professional signatures on electronic documents?
Permit submittals, which require the signature of a licensed design professional, may be submitted electronically, provided the signed document is submitted as a “flattened” PDF such that all layers of text, graphics, and content are merged into a single graphic entity. See security settings below for more information.

Guidelines for Electronic Documents on the DOL website. Refer to RCW 18.43, RCW 18.210, WAC 196-23 and WAC 196-33 for more information.

A digital identification that is an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with an electronic document. The digital identification may include a scanned or digitized signature. The digital identification must be:
(a) Unique to the licensee using it;
(b) Capable of independent verification;
(c) Under the exclusive control of the licensee using it; and
(d) Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital identification is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.

formatting.jpg
 
Because these programs process digital files the traditional wet signatures are not possible. An electronic signature can consist of a scanned image of a signature. These scanned signatures can and have beer known to be usurped by a non licensed individual thus the signature provides no security that the engineer whose signature is being used actually intended to sign the documents. Everything looks pretty but it means nothing.

The requirement that the signature be "Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital identification is invalidated if any data in the document is changed" requires some form of encryption but my understanding that Bluebeam cannot be used with these encrypted files. Building departments want to apply comments to these files and at the end of the review apply their approval stamp to these files. My understanding is that this cannot be done with an encrypted file.

If I am wrong please let me know how the design professional can submit and encrypted file.
 
Because these programs process digital files the traditional wet signatures are not possible. An electronic signature can consist of a scanned image of a signature. These scanned signatures can and have beer known to be usurped by a non licensed individual thus the signature provides no security that the engineer whose signature is being used actually intended to sign the documents. Everything looks pretty but it means nothing.

The requirement that the signature be "Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital identification is invalidated if any data in the document is changed" requires some form of encryption but my understanding that Bluebeam cannot be used with these encrypted files. Building departments want to apply comments to these files and at the end of the review apply their approval stamp to these files. My understanding is that this cannot be done with an encrypted file.

If I am wrong please let me know how the design professional can submit and encrypted file.

I would contact BlueBeam. They have a BlueBeam Revu Studio that has a lot more control over the files with permissions.
 
Because these programs process digital files the traditional wet signatures are not possible. An electronic signature can consist of a scanned image of a signature. These scanned signatures can and have beer known to be usurped by a non licensed individual thus the signature provides no security that the engineer whose signature is being used actually intended to sign the documents. Everything looks pretty but it means nothing.

The requirement that the signature be "Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital identification is invalidated if any data in the document is changed" requires some form of encryption but my understanding that Bluebeam cannot be used with these encrypted files. Building departments want to apply comments to these files and at the end of the review apply their approval stamp to these files. My understanding is that this cannot be done with an encrypted file.

If I am wrong please let me know how the design professional can submit and encrypted file.

If you take a look at my previous post, some of that is explained. In the image from that post, you can see some of the settings that can be adjusted. In the image, the design professional had restricted the markup security setting. If the security settings are set as shown in this field (with the exception of allowing markups), the required security is met. Stamps/signatures can be scanned images that are placed as a stamp that is associated with an electronic digital signature. That digital signature is encrypted and will be automatically removed if the security settings are altered or removed.
formatting-jpg.5825

We have the RDP electronically sign the plans (full seal w/signature still present) and submit.

Red-lines are not changes, but are annotations that provide additional information. If you are altering the design, then you should be rejecting the plans instead.


We enforce the following (specific to WA):

What are the requirements for design professional signatures on electronic documents?
Permit submittals, which require the signature of a licensed design professional, may be submitted electronically, provided the signed document is submitted as a “flattened” PDF such that all layers of text, graphics, and content are merged into a single graphic entity. See security settings below for more information.

Guidelines for Electronic Documents on the DOL website. Refer to RCW 18.43, RCW 18.210, WAC 196-23 and WAC 196-33 for more information.

A digital identification that is an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with an electronic document. The digital identification may include a scanned or digitized signature. The digital identification must be:
(a) Unique to the licensee using it;
(b) Capable of independent verification;
(c) Under the exclusive control of the licensee using it; and
(d) Linked to a document in such a manner that the digital identification is invalidated if any data in the document is changed.

View attachment 5825
 
As you can see Mark, this is a brave new world we are stepping into and as has been previously stated, Bluebeam has/allows many, many "tools" both standard and custom you can use. Proficiency requires time and prior CAD experience to understand its logic.

Jumping back and forth between plan review, addendums, RFI's, submittals, excel files, time tracking, etc. when learning can intially be frustrating for "old" guys.

Worse yet is it allows for using metrics to track "each and every" keystroke which can be used to measure time spent vs fees charged. Fees based on permit value do not always equal time required based on the complexity of the project. $1 mil single building new construction project is not the same as a $1mil multi-bldg. remodel. Can have a big effect on annual department budgets.

As to hardware, eye strain is not yet fully understood and "tutch" screens should be considered.

Be wary of "saving" documents, "save vs save to" can sometimes be confusing depending on which file you are to save to.
 
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