Stephani Haynes
Bluebeam Software
One of the most exciting aspects of Bluebeam is that our software is used throughout a project, not only by architects but also by engineers, General Contractors, consultants, sub-contractors and even government plan check agencies. If you are looking to digitize your project communication, the odds are that you are already working with…
Tell us about yourself, your company, your product.
I am Stephani Haynes, Director of Worldwide Marketing at Bluebeam® Software. Bluebeam develops smart, simple PDF solutions that enable design and construction professionals to go paperless. Our leading platform technology, Bluebeam PDF Revu®, allows project teams to create digital workflows from design, to bid, through build, with our innovative PDF creation, markup, editing and collaboration technology. The software has a very intuitive interface for viewing and redlining PDF drawings and documents with industry-standard markups such as text, highlights, clouds, shapes, symbols and even measurements. What’s more, users can easily customize markups and save them in our exclusive Tool Chest™ for easy reuse, and track all comments made on a PDF through the integrated Markups list. Taking digital workflows a few steps further, Bluebeam provides an advanced searching tool called VisualSearch™ for locating symbols on!
PDFs and hyperlinking them to additional data, a drawing comparison feature that automatically clouds the differences between two revisions of a PDF drawing, real-time collaboration through Bluebeam Studio™ and tablet PC compatibility to bring digital workflows to the field. Together, these key features are used for a variety of workflows including electronic design reviews, specifications, field reports, RFIs and punchlists.
What is the role of your materials and products in the development of today’s leading architectural ideas?
One of the most exciting movements we’ve seen is the desire for architects and project teams as a whole to digitize their communication. Whether they are motivated by the desire to reduce paper usage to be more sustainable, reduce printing and shipping costs, or provide faster, digital access to information, architects are turning to Bluebeam to go paperless. Bluebeam is an excellent solution for this need, as our software mimics the way one normally uses pen and paper. This allows for a more simple transition from paper-based processes to paperless workflows ,and our clients have documented incredible paper savings of up to 85% by using Bluebeam.
What are the latest innovative developments that you are working on and what products do we have to look forward to and expect in 2011 and beyond?
2011 has already been an exciting year in terms of new Bluebeam technology. In March, we released Bluebeam PDF Revu 9 with over 30 new features including 3D PDF viewing, an exclusive VisualSearch tool for locating symbols on PDFs and instantly adding markups and hyperlinks to results, translating markups. Also added to the Revu product suite is a new edition for the PDF power user called eXtreme, which includes PDF forms creation, OCR technology, scripting and redaction. In May, we released international versions of Revu 9 in Swedish, German, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and Spanish. We also launched Studio Server™, which enables organizations to use the real-time collaboration features of Bluebeam PDF Revu in a locally-hosted environment for more control over document security and access.
Explain how your product was used in and contributed to the success of a specific project?
A recent and exciting success story was documented by DES Architects + Engineers, based in Redwood City, California. DES was working on Nokia’s new research and development headquarters in San Diego. As the project approached closeout, they needed to provide the General Contractor with punchlists on an accelerated timeline so that all deficiencies could be fixed before Nokia moved into the space. They quickly realized that the traditional pen and paper process used for punchlists would not meet their needs. Instead, they loaded their PDF drawings on a Motion Tablet PC and digitally redlined building issues using Bluebeam’s markup tools and special punch keynotes. At the end of punchwalks, they used Bluebeam’s Markups list to summarize the comments to CSV to instantly create an Excel punchlist, which was distributed to the General Contractor along with the redlined drawings for additional instructions. Using Bluebeam, DES created and distributed punchlists between 50 to 65% faster and met their deadline. You can learn more about this project and watch a video taken on the jobsite as DES used Bluebeam to punch the building here.
Have you seen your product most frequently used on a specific building type?
Our software is used on building types of all scopes and sizes including commercial, retail, hospitals, hospitality, residential homes, schools and stadiums.
Please supply any additional thoughts that would help promote and explain your product or material.
One of the most exciting aspects of Bluebeam is that our software is used throughout a project, not only by architects but also by engineers, General Contractors, consultants, sub-contractors and even government plan check agencies. If you are looking to digitize your project communication, the odds are that you are already working with project partners who are doing so with Bluebeam. By getting everyone on a project involved in digital communication processes, you can not only achieve significant time and cost savings, but provide for clearer communication throughout the project.