This article will overview how to use Dynamic Fill to take measurements in Bluebeam Revu. The following examples are from Bluebeam Revu 20 eXtreme edition. For Bluebeam Revu 20 and below, Dynamic Fill is available in all program versions. For Revu 21 and above, the tool is only available with the Complete license type.

To access Dynamic Fill, select Tools > Measure > Dynamic Fill. The tool is also accessible via the Measure toolbar, Measurement panel, or keyboard shortcut (J). Like all measurement tools, you must set a scale for the PDF before using Dynamic Fill.

Using the Fill Tool

Dynamic Fill works by allowing you to “fill” enclosed spaces to make a selection. The tool will detect the underlying PDF content and work with it. The fill will not go beyond boundary lines already on the page – making it especially easy to measure irregularly shaped rooms.

When you select the Dynamic Fill tool, a toolbar will open with it. This toolbar allows you to adjust the settings of the tool and the measurements created with it.

The easiest way to use Dynamic Fill is within an enclosed space on the PDF. With an enclosed space, all you need to do is select Fill from the toolbar. Click and hold the mouse within the space. Much like a Paint tool, the space will fill in with color. The fill will automatically stop at the boundaries of the shape, giving you a precise selection.

It’s important to note that this fill color is temporary. You are not coloring the page, you are simply making a selection. This fill color is only here to show what section of the drawing you’re measuring. Once you take a measurement using Dynamic Fill, this color will disappear.

Adding Boundaries

You can use Dynamic Fill on non-enclosed regions as well by adding a temporary boundary. A temporary boundary will place a line on the PDF that the fillwill abide by. If your needed space has any openings, the temporary boundary will close it for the fill.

To add a temporary boundary, select Add Boundary from the toolbar. Select points on the PDF to create a boundary. This tool will work like Polyline, allowing you to add several line segments if needed. Once you’ve added the needed lines, double click to finalize the boundary.

The boundary will display as a colored line on the PDF. Now, you can select the Fill tool and fill in the selection. Along with the PDF boundaries, the fill will stop at the temporary boundary as well.

Much like the fill color, this boundary is temporary – it will disappear once you take a measurement.

Taking Measurements

With the area filled, you can take measurements using the Dynamic Fill toolbar. From the toolbar, several measurement options will display. There are options here to create a Space, place a Polygon markup, or apply a Polylength, Perimeter, or Volume measurement. Select the desired option in the toolbar – you can even select multiple options at once. Once selected, click Apply to place the measurement.

The chosen measurements and markups will appear within the selected area. With it, the fill color and the temporary boundaries will disappear. You can now use both the Fill and Add Boundary tool to take additional measurements if needed. 

Clearing Dynamic Fill

There may be times that you need to clear a fill or boundary if it doesn’t work for your selection. To delete a fill or boundary, select the Clear Dynamic Fill option from the toolbar. The dropdown menu will allow you to clear the fill, the boundaries, or both at once.

Dynamic Fill Settings

The Dynamic Fill toolbar also gives you options to adjust the tool’s settings. Any changes you make to the settings are temporary. If you close the toolbar and reopen it, the settings will reset to the default options. It’s generally a good idea to adjust the settings before using Dynamic Fill. To do this, select the Settings icon within the toolbar.

You can adjust the following settings:

• Boundary Size: This determines the size of the cursor when adding boundary lines. It’s generally a good idea to decrease the boundary size for more precision.

   

• Boundary Color: This adjusts the color of the temporary boundary lines. This option doesn’t matter too much, as the boundary lines will disappear once you apply a measurement.
  

• Fill Size: This determines the cursor size when filling a shape. Just like with Boundary Size, you may want to decrease this to make things easier.
  
  
• Fill Color: This adjusts the color of the fill when making a selection. Again, this doesn’t matter, as the color is temporary.

   

• Fill Speed: This determines the speed at which the fill spreads. If you’re measuring larger sections of the page, you may want to increase this for efficiency.

   

• Edge Sensitivity: This determines the sensitivity when detecting lines on the PDF. If the fill continues to spread outside of enclosed spaces, you may want to increase this. Increasing Edge Sensitivity can help the tool more accurately detect boundaries.

Once adjusted, you can close the window by selecting the Settings icon once again.

Summary

Bluebeam Revu’s Dynamic Fill tool allows you to quickly take any measurement. Unlike other tools, you do not have to manually select points to define a shape. Instead, the tool works by filling in enclosed shapes and measuring the fill. Dynamic Fill will identify the content layer of the PDF, and the fill won’t go beyond lines on the document. If you need to measure a non-enclosed space, you can even add temporary boundaries. With Dynamic Fill, you can take multiple measurements of irregular shapes with just a few clicks. By utilizing Dynamic Fill, you can perform quantity takeoff and estimation more efficiently.

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Lauren Hecker is a Bluebeam Certified Instructor and teaches onsite and virtual Bluebeam Revu training courses. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!