Bluebeam Cloud is Bluebeam’s newest offering, included for free with all Bluebeam Revu 21 licenses. Bluebeam Cloud is a web/app solution for collaborating on drawings and completing project workflows on-the-go. Using Bluebeam Cloud, you’ll be able to comment and collaborate on project documents, in addition to managing your punch, RFI, and submittal workflows. 

In addition to the ability to upload and host new documents, Bluebeam Cloud can be connected directly to Bluebeam Studio Projects and other document management systems, such as SharePoint, Dropbox, and Google Drive. PDF documents uploaded to any of these programs can be imported seamlessly into Bluebeam Cloud.

Bluebeam Cloud is available on any web browser or any Apple device by installing a free iOS app. All Bluebeam Revu 21 subscription tiers (Basics, Core, and Complete) offer accessibility to Bluebeam Cloud for free.

To start with Bluebeam Cloud, you will need to first have a Bluebeam ID. This can be created for free in Revu 21 by selecting the Sign In button in the upper right hand corner. If you don’t already have an account, use the Create Account tab to enter in your desired credentials.

Once your account is created and validated, you can log in using those credentials on the Bluebeam Cloud homepage.

My Workspace

When you first log in to Bluebeam Cloud, you’ll be taken to the My Workspace page. This page acts as a personal workstation where you can upload, host, and markup PDFs. This is useful for personal PDFs that don’t need to be hosted and shared within a specific project. To upload PDFs to the workspace, you can either drag and drop them onto the page or select the Browse button. 

Similar to Bluebeam Revu, only PDFs can be uploaded onto this page. With a PDF uploaded, you can select it to open it and mark it up using the Markup Editor. You can also rename or delete PDFs from the workspace by right clicking on the document and selecting either Rename or Remove. You can also download these files by right clicking and selecting Download.

All Bluebeam Revu subscription types – Basics, Core, and Complete – allow users to freely upload, edit, and delete PDFs from My Workspace.

Projects

For collaboration, Bluebeam Cloud also features the Projects page. Users can both host their own collaborative projects and join projects created by other users. Under Projects, you’ll see a list of projects you’ve created and been invited to. Select an existing project to access it, or create new projects by selecting New Project.

With a project open, you’ll be taken to the project Dashboard. Here, you’ll see details about the Project, such as the location, project team, drawings, punch items, and RFIs. You can add data to the project from this page, or using the tabs on the left side of the screen.

Inviting Users

With a project created, users can be invited to allow for team collaboration. To invite users to the project, select Team in the upper right hand corner. ​

Select Invite User, enter in their email address and select a Permission Level to invite the user to the project.

Permission levels allow you to determine what users are able to do within a project. Users can be added as either an Admin, a Member, or a Viewer. Users added as an Admin have full control within the project – they will be able to invite additional users, upload and edit drawings, RFIs, and submittals, and export project data. Users added as a Member will be able to download project data, generate reports, and edit drawings – but they will not be able to invite users or upload drawings to the project. Users added as a Viewer will be able to view drawings and respond to punch items as needed.

For Bluebeam Cloud projects, you can invite up to 25 users to a project – but these users can be removed if other users need to access the project.

Integrations

With a project created, you can then upload documents and drawings to the project. A quick way to do this is by setting up integrations between Bluebeam Cloud and other document management systems. This allows you to automatically import PDFs from these systems to Bluebeam Cloud for use.

To set up integrations, select Settings > Integrations. 

Here, you can sign in to SharePoint, OneDrive, Box, DropBox, Google Drive, or Egnyte to automatically import files. Once you have connected and logged in to the integration, you will be able to search through the selected system and choose PDFs to share with the project.

Any PDFs uploaded will then be accessible from either the Drawings page or the Documents page.

Drawings & Documents

The Drawings and Documents sections within a Bluebeam Cloud project allow you to upload, markup, and share PDFs with the entire project team. 

Under Drawings, administrators (users who created the project or have been assigned admin privileges) can upload PDF drawings to the project. You can also import PDFs into the project from either Bluebeam Studio Projects or any connected integrations.

After uploading a drawing, you’ll be taken to the Uploads tab as the drawing is being uploaded. Once completed, you can select Ready for Review.

Here, you can review the pages from the uploaded document, adjust the page number, title, discipline and issued date. You can also add specific revision comments for each page. Once ready, you can select Publish to allow you and other project team members to markup the document.

The Documents page will work similarly, and is specifically catered toward text based PDFs – such as spec sheets or submittals. On this page you can upload individual PDFs, upload folders full of PDFs, or create new blank folders for organization.

Once a drawing or document has been uploaded, it can be marked up and edited using the Markup Editor.

Markup Editor

If you select an uploaded PDF in either the Documents or Drawings section, you’ll automatically be taken to the Markup Editor page. In the Markup Editor, you can markup the document using common markup tools, tools from your Tool Chest in Revu, punch items, and RFIs.

These markups will work the same as they would in Bluebeam Revu. Select the desired markup from the toolbar on the left, and click and drag on the PDF to place it on the page. Once placed, the visual properties of the markup, such as its color and line width, can be adjusted using the toolbar at the top of the screen. Markups can also be resized and moved using their control points.

From the Tool Chest icon in the upper left hand corner, you’ll have access to the tool sets available within Revu. You can also create additional tool sets or upload tool sets by pressing the Add button. The Markup Editor doesn’t support all markup types, and any markup not supported within the Tool Chest will be noted by a question mark icon that cannot be selected.

At the bottom of the left toolbar, you will also have access to RFIs and punchkeys. Selecting RFI will allow you to choose an RFI from Bluebeam Cloud to attach to the document.

The Punch button allows you to place a punch key on the PDF and enter in punch details, such as the location, description, priority, due date, assignee, and discipline. You can also attach photos to the punchkey as well.

In the upper right hand corner of the Markup Editor is the Comments and Shapes list, which acts as a minimized version of the markups list. Under Comments, you’ll be able to view any text based markups placed on the PDF. Here, you can assign statuses to the markup and reply to the markup as needed. This can be useful for collaboration, allowing users to discuss PDF edits as they are placed. 

Under Shapes, you’ll be able to view all non-text markups on the page and associated details about them.

Any markups placed in the Markup Editor will automatically be saved to the PDF and can be viewed by any other users in the project.

Punch

Once a punch item has been added and saved to the PDF in the Markup Editor, it can be viewed and managed using the Punch page. 

On this page, all punch items added to any document in the project will be listed. Selecting a punch item on the list will provide the details entered when the punch was created – such as the Location, Description, and Due Date. These fields can subsequently be edited in this window as well. 

Under Comments, users can add additional comments about the punch item, allowing for open dialogue among collaborators.

Additional punch items can be created on this page by selecting New Item.

If you have a Core or Complete license type, you can also export the punch items to either a PDF or CSV punch report by selecting Generate Report. The CSV punch report will simply list all of the punch items and their associated details within a spreadsheet. The PDF punch report will display the punch items, their associated details, and thumbnails within a PDF list.

Additional punch items can be created on this page by selecting New Item.

If you have a Core or Complete license type, you can also export the punch items to either a PDF or CSV punch report by selecting Generate Report. The CSV punch report will simply list all of the punch items and their associated details within a spreadsheet. The PDF punch report will display the punch items, their associated details, and thumbnails within a PDF list.

Collaborators can also respond to the RFI using the Discussion tab within the RFI Details. Project Administrators can additionally respond to the RFIs to close them by entering in an Official Response. With a response added, the RFI will have a status of Closed and can then be attached to PDFs within the Markup Editor.

Similarly to the Punch page, the RFIs page allows Core and Complete license holders to export the RFI list to a spreadsheet log using the Export button. This log will list all RFIs and their associated details.

Submittals

The Submittals page in Bluebeam Cloud allows you to create, track, approve, and export submittals. This allows all project collaborators to easily access important project information when needed.

Core and Complete license users can create submittals on this page two different ways – either manually, or through a submittal log template. To add a submittal manually, select Add Submittal and enter in the associated details, such as the Spec Number, Submittal Category, Description, Responsible Company, and Due Dates.

Submittals can also be uploaded by using the Bluebeam Cloud Submittals Log Template, a downloadable spreadsheet template that allows you to fill in the needed information within Excel. This template will provide cells for all submittal information – with the mandatory fields set to dark gray. 

Once this information has been entered and the spreadsheet has been saved, it can be uploaded on this page by selecting Upload. A submittal will be added with the entered details.

Once added, the submittal can be edited or assigned to users by selecting it and using the Edit or Assign buttons.

Assigned users will automatically be sent an email alerting them of the submittal assignment. The assigned user can then choose to respond to the submittal to approve the submittal or alert the submitter to revise and resubmit the submittal. 

Once approved, the submittal will be listed in the Approved tab of the Submittals page.

Just like the Punch and RFI pages, the Submittals list can be exported to a spreadsheet log by Core and Complete license holders.

Map View

Bluebeam Cloud allows users to use both satellite and street maps to add context to drawings using the Map View. To start with Map View, select the Map View button, choose a location to position the map, and press OK.

After selecting a location, you can then place drawings on the map by first pressing Create Layer and selecting a drawing from the project.

Next, set a scale for the drawing. You’ll also be prompted to crop the drawing if needed. 

Once completed, you will be able to place the cropped image on the map view – allowing you to place it in space using either a street or satellite view. Once saved, you’ll be able to view a list of drawings and their associated locations on the map, jumping from location to location as needed.

Summary

Bluebeam Cloud is a web and app based collaboration solution that is offered for free to Bluebeam Revu 21 subscription holders. In Bluebeam Cloud, users can collaborate, comment, and markup PDFs from anywhere using either a web browser or the iOS application. Not only does Bluebeam Cloud allow you to upload and markup documents, but it also allows you to import documents directly from Studio Projects, Google Drive, Sharepoint, and other document management systems. Revu users are no longer limited to marking up documents solely within the Revu application – now they can markup, download, comment, and share PDFs with other team members on-the-go.

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!