Bluebeam Revu features a powerful tool called the Markups List that automatically tracks all of the markups placed on a PDF, as well as the information associated with them. Using the Markups List, you can leverage this information to perform a variety of different workflows.Â
One helpful way to use the Markups List is by setting statuses for markups. These statuses allow you to track the progress of repairs or design changes on a PDF, helping to streamline communication throughout the project life cycle.Â
This article will outline the steps for setting a status and creating a custom status in Bluebeam Revu 2019.
The following examples are taken from the 64x Bluebeam Revu 2019 eXtreme edition, but the functionality can be performed in all versions of Revu.
To set a status for a markup, open up the Markups List using the panel access tool in the lower left hand corner.
You can set a status using the Status column. If the Status column is not currently displaying in the Markups List, you can enable it by selecting Markups List > Columns > Status.
You can set a status for by double clicking in the markup’s row underneath the Status column.
Revu features several built in status models: Review, Migration, and HED Statuses. The statuses under Review are particularly useful for quickly conveying the current state of the markup, allowing you to choose from Accepted, Rejected, Cancelled and Completed.
By selecting Accepted, the markup row will fill in with the current status, along with the person who set the status and the exact date and time it was set.
Bluebeam Revu also supports the creation of custom columns, allowing you to select specific states to suit any workflow. To create a custom status, select the Settings icon next to the Status column header.
The Manage Status dialogue box is split into two sections: Models and States.
- Models are status categories, such as the default Review, Migration, and HED Statuses.
- States are the individual statuses within the category, such as Accepted and Rejected for the Review model.
I want to create a custom status to let my team know the current progress of markups by percent complete. I’ll create a status model called Progress by selecting the Add button underneath the Models section.
Now, I can create the specific statuses for the model. I’ll create 4 statuses: 10% Complete, 50% Complete, 90% Complete, and 100% Complete. I can do this using the Add button underneath the States section.
In the State Properties dialogue box, I can set a Name, Text, and Color for each status. In the Name field, I’ll type in the name of my first status, 10% Complete.
Text and Color are optional settings that will affect the markup visibly once a status is set.
- By adding Text to a status, any Text Box, Callout, or Cloud+ markup’s text field will change to status text. I’ll leave the Text field blank.
- To associate a color with the status, check Color and choose one by clicking the corresponding color box. Whenever a markup is set to this status, it will automatically change to this color. I’ll color code my statuses so each markup set is immediately recognizable from the drawing.
Once I’ve entered in all of the statuses for the model, I’ll select OK. Now, as I go through the status column for each markup, I can select a status from the Progress drop down. By setting these statuses, I can let my team know how close each markup is to completion from the Markups List. As I set a Color for my statuses, each markup will change to a specific color depending on the status set.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please use the comment section on the bottom of this page, and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to get more Bluebeam tips & tricks directly in your inbox!
Lauren Hecker is a Bluebeam Certified Instructor and teaches Onsite Bluebeam Certified Courses, virtual Bluebeam Basics and Advanced courses, and custom onsite or virtual courses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our calendar. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!
Is there a way to migrate the custom status from one PDF to another? We would like to create a standard that works with our workflow, but do not want to redo it on every PDF.
Hi Jason, I just sent you an email with instructions of how to save a custom status to be used on other PDFs.
Can you send me the same instructions?
Hi Brad, I published a blog post on how to save a custom status for reuse on other PDFs. You can find that post here:
https://www.taradigm.com/2021/04/28/how-to-save-custom-statuses-in-bluebeam-revu-20/
Could I please receive this information as well?
Thanks!
(Email typo on the last comment).
Hi Ezra, I just published a new blog post on how to save a custom status for reuse on other PDFs. You can find that post here:
https://www.taradigm.com/2021/04/28/how-to-save-custom-statuses-in-bluebeam-revu-20/
Lauren does the workflow above work in a Bluebeam session? I’m trying to add this option in a Bluebeam session with other users, but my “manage status” button is grayed out. Can someone with Bluebeam Session Admin privileges enable this workflow?
Hi Justin,
While in a Studio Session you can not create new statuses or custom columns. To get around this, create all of the custom statuses you need for the PDF before adding it to the session – those statuses will be available to you in the session going forward, you just can’t create new ones.
You can refer to this article for more information:
https://support.bluebeam.com/articles/cant-make-custom-columns-or-statuses-in-session/
Is there a way to make a keyboard shortcut to set the status of a markup? Clicking through submenus is time consuming when there are many markups to review.
Hi Elizabeth, there is not a way to set a keyboard shortcut to status a markup. The quickest way to status markups in Revu is tol select all of the markups in the Markups List that will be using the same status (using either the CTRL key to select multiple markups out of sequence or the SHIFT key to select multiple markups in sequence), right clicking on any of the markups, and selecting Status from the dropdown menu. That way, you can set the status for multiple markups simultaenously.
Hi Lauren. My team has created the custom states but it is not transferring from user to user. Can you tell me what we are doing wrong?
Hi Rachel. When you go into the Manage Status menu, you should see a button in the lower left hand corner that says Save to Profile. Select the Status Model that you want to share and select Save to Profile.
You would then share the profile you saved the status to by selecting Revu > Profiles > Manage Profiles. Select the profile to be shared and select Export. You can then send that file to anyone who needs it and it should give them access to the custom status.
Hi!
Is it possible to have different default settings to different tool chest?
Hi Joanna,
Any tool you save to the Tool Chest will save the properties of that markup with it. If you set a markup to have a specific status, that status should save to the markup in the Tool Chest.
If this didn’t answer your question, please feel free to let me know and I’m happy to help further!
Hi! What does the setting “default” do for both Models and States (at the bottom of the Manage Status window)?
Hi Christen,
The “Default” field only works for custom status models. This allows you to set all markups to be assigned a default status without needing to manually set them – but you can then adjust the status per markup.
For example, I could create a status Model named “Progress”. Now, let’s say I create two states: In Progress and Completed. If I set the default state as In Progress, all markups would be set to In Progress automatically. I could then adjust the status for each markup to set them as Completed, as needed.
Lauren,
When you set a default status, it seems to function differently from manually setting the status. For example, it does not include “set by USER on DATE at TIME”. Consequently, when another user sets the status to something else, the default status disappears. Is there a way to get the default status to function the same as a manually set status?
Hi Tim,
Hmm – that is very odd. My default and custom statuses work the same as the manual statuses – including the listed User, Date, and Time. My recommendation would be to try and reset Revu to its default settings and see if that solves the issue. You can see how to do that here: https://support.bluebeam.com/articles/revu-21-revu-backup-reset-and-restore-revu-settings/
can you set this up *after* you have already published a pdf file onto the studio session? or would it have to be set up beforehand only?
Hi Marcelo,
Custom statuses and custom columns can not be created for a document while in a Studio Session. You will want to set up any of those custom fields PRIOR to uploading the docunment to the session, and they will be available for use.
Is there a way to create custom status then have bluebeam automatically ask you to set the status after the markup has been completed
Hi Sean,
This may be possible using Javascript for Forms/Batch tools within Revu. Here’s a good resource for Javascript help and tools within Bluebeam: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51818834/javascript-library-with-bluebeam