Bluebeam Studio Projects: Settings & Document Management
The bi-weekly Bluebeam Studio Projects virtual event series features Brian Patty, with Vertical Arts (VA+). Known in some circles as a Studio Project guru, Brian has been using Bluebeam Studio for about six years and characterizes it as “the most advantageous environment for staying organized with other offices.” Bluebeam Studio Projects helps the staff find the most up-to-date and correct information at all times.
Although Bluebeam Studio Sessions and Bluebeam Studio Projects are both cloud-source tools for building teams, Brian’s summary of their main difference is that Sessions is for PDFs only. Thus, Sessions is better suited to internal collaboration, while Projects is best for external teams.
Settings
Under preferences, there are several settings that may be useful to you. One that Brian considers unusual but helpful is “Show Full Crosshairs,” which can be used for alignment or doing takeoffs.
Under Interface, there are now SharePoint integrations for use when working remotely.
Functionality settings you may want to investigate inside Markups include Zoom and Layers.
One option under Tools is the Autosize Text Boxes setting
Under Preferences, “Open and Save Files to Studio from Toolbar Only” causes file saving to default to the local computer. Unselect this option in order to save documents into your active project.
If you start to have interface issues, Brian suggested you may need to change settings under Tablet or Presentation setup Window.
Brian demonstrated Studio Projects Settings on an actual project. Settings included adding team members using their email addresses; changing restriction levels; sending invitations; setting permissions; adding groups and allocating members to those groups. Be aware that a certain level of permission can enable someone to delete your project. The default setting is for all permissions to be denied except “Read.” The settings can be adjusted for any level of folders, and folders can even be hidden from certain groups. Brian described the process of settings as getting “into the minutiae” of permissions.
Learn more about Bluebeam Studio Projects by participating in the virtual event series, every other Wednesday at 2:30 pm ET.
Project Organization and Document Management
Brian explained that VA+ simply copies the file structure from a previous project into a new project in order to be consistent across jobs. The details of the files are kept track of in columns, which can enable sorting of files by particular criteria, for instance “date modified.”
Multiple page PDFs are easier to handle if they’re divided into individual sheets with page labels applied. The page labels can be used to name the files. Brian reminded that keeping the pages separate allows for maximum accountability and auditability.
The sheets can be updated in the project. When they change, you can check them out, replace the old files with the new ones, then check them back in. Comments can be added to the revision history. Sheets can be changed individually or checked out and changed as a group.
Using document sets allows you to turn multiple PDFs into a cohesive unit. There are options to customize these sets as much as you want. When sheets are formatted in the same way, it makes the automated process of applying tags using optical character recognition (OCR) quicker. Brian explained that he typically uses document sets as a temporary tool, choosing to recreate sets as needed rather than manage them. A document set makes it easier to use the “Batch Slip Sheets” function.
Revision history will show when documents are added, whether the document has been updated, plus time stamps for check in and checkout.
You can try Bluebeam Studio Projects for yourself with a full working version on a 30-day free trial. Take the opportunity to see firsthand how Bluebeam enables increased collaboration and will help you get more done in less time. When it’s time to convert that 30-day trial to a subscription or perpetual license, contact Applied Software and talk to a Bluebeam expert about your firm’s specific needs.
Invest in your employees’ success with Bluebeam products by choosing training with Applied Software LiveLab Learning. Effective now through October 31, 2020, buy one LiveLab Learning course and get 50% off the purchase of another course – no limit. Help employees develop skills that will reward your company with better efficiency and productivity.
