Transcript Slide 1

®
BIM and Construction
Specifications for the 21st Century
Who is BSD?
• Building Systems Design, Inc. (BSD) is a software company
specializing in applications for the a/e/c market, founded in 1983
• Headquarters are in Atlanta
• Staff includes 35 employees, including architects, engineers, spec
writers and software programmers, plus outside consultants
• Major products are:
– BSD SpecLink®-E
– BSD LinkMan®-E
– BSD CostLink®/AE
• Company also developed and supports AGC’s DocuBuilder®
• Customers include thousands of firms and users in all 50 states
What is BSD LinkMan-E?
It’s the most innovative communications and coordination tool
available for linking BIM to construction specifications;
it provides interoperability between BSD SpecLink-E & Autodesk’s Revit.
What is BSD LinkMan-E?
The LinkMan-E
database includes
a master list of
assemblies
organized
according to
UniFormat. . .
. . . and a master
list of products
organized
according to
MasterFormat. . .
The assemblies
are each linked to
the products that
comprise them
What is BSD LinkMan-E?
By mapping the
Revit assembly
elements against
the LinkMan-E
assemblies. . .
. . . and mapping
the specification
text in SpecLink-E
against the
LinkMan-E
products. . .
the elements in a
Revit project can
be compared to
the products
specified in
SpecLink-E, using
dashboard views
in LinkMan-E
What is BSD LinkMan-E?
• LinkMan-E is essentially an interoperability manager
(LinkManager) that connects and compares information from
Revit and BSD SpecLink-E
• It’s a client-server application using SQL Server, but it can also
run alone on a single computer
• It provides “dashboard” views of a project to show status of
project data in each linked application― highlighting
discrepancies for corrective action
• To accomplish the connection, it uses a built-in database of
thousands of assemblies and building products that are prelinked to BSD SpecLink-E and Autodesk’s Revit
What is BSD LinkMan-E?
• It also allows project specifications to be automatically edited
and updated, based on data from Revit
• It permits creation of customized links between elements created
in Revit and specification text in BSD SpecLink-E – both master
text and user-generated text
• It includes a robust keynotes management system that works
closely with Revit to provide superior control of keynotes,
including automatic global replacement when changes are made
BSD LinkMan-E – An Overview
BSD LinkMan-E – An Overview
• LinkMan-E is a Client-Server Application Using SQL Server
• It Comprises Multiple Components:
– Client Software Runs on User’s Computer
– Server Software and Database Run on WAN or LAN
– All Components Can Run on a Standalone Computer
• It Uses a Revit Add-in to Communicate
• It Features SQL Server-Based Master and Projects Databases
• MS SQL Server Is Built Into BSD Server Install
• No Separate License is Required; No Database Administrator
• It’s Available as an Optional Add-On to BSD SpecLink-E
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
Each of the four
primary views is
accessible via its
own tab. Here is
the Revit Project
view, which
displays the status
of assemblies in
Revit
Data from Revit
includes quantities
and number of
instances
Ribbon Bar
shows
Applications Tab
LME imports data
about Revit
objects that are
present
and active
in a Revit project
The lighter background color
and green status box highlight
objects that are present and
active in the Revit project
Checkmark shows the
Revit object has been
linked to an assembly
object in LinkMan
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
Text shown on a light
background is the actual text
as currently selected in
SpecLink for the project –
including active choices
The SpecLink
Project view
displays the
current status of
product text in the
specifications
Applications Tab
expands or
collapses view to
show all or only
active products
The SpecLink tree
shows which
sections are
currently active in
the SpecLink-E
project
Checkmark shows the SpecLink
paragraph has been linked to a
Product object in LinkMan-E
The lighter background color
and green status box
highlight product text that is
active in the SpecLink project
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
The Assemblies
Dashboard shows
the status of
assemblies in
each of the linked
applications,
allowing the
project manager to
see correlations
and mismatches
For a given
assembly,
LME shows below
which products are
included and their
status in each
linked application
Red status box in the
SpecLink-E column indicates
one or more of the products
comprising the assembly have
been excluded in SpecLink-E
Lighter color shows assemblies
that are active in one or
more of the linked applications
Products missing from the
specifications can be
“turned on” in SpecLink-E
by clicking here, under
“Select Specs”
Yellow status box in the
SpecLink-E column indicates
only some of the products
comprising the assembly are
currently active in SpecLink-E
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
Green status box in the SpecLink-E
column indicates all products
comprising the assembly are currently
active in SpecLink-E
The Assemblies
Dashboard View
can be collapsed
to show only those
assemblies that
are active in one
or more of the
linked applications
The Show Active
Objects command
hides any
assemblies that
are not active in at
least one of the
linked applications
Gray status box in the Revit
column indicates
the assembly is not currently active
in the Revit project
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
Green status box in the SpecLink-E
column indicates all products
comprising the assembly are currently
active in SpecLink-E
The Assemblies
Dashboard View
can be collapsed
further to show
only those
assemblies that
have
discrepancies
Red status box in the SpecLink-E
column indicates one or more products
comprising the assembly have been
excluded in SpecLink-E
The Show
Discrepancies
command hides
any active
assemblies that
are not in conflict
The project manager can use this discrepancy view to
determine whether corrections must be made in Revit
and/or in SpecLink-E
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
The Products
Dashboard View
shows the status
of LinkMan–E
products in all
linked applications
-- and can be
collapsed to show
only active
products or only
those that present
conflicts
The Show All
Objects command
displays all listed
products and their
status in each
linked application
Assemblies that include the
highlighted product are shown
below, with current status of each
assembly in each application
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
“Auto Select Specs” command allows
automatic selection in SpecLink-E
of any products missing from the
specifications, based on data
from the Revit project
The Show
Discrepancies
command hides
all listed products
that are active in
BOTH the Revit
and the SpecLink
projects
If “Auto Select Specs” is not activated,
the project manager can manually “turn
on” any individual products missing
from the specifications by clicking in the
“Select Specs” column, thereby
automatically selecting appropriate
section and product text in SpecLink-E
The project manager can use this discrepancy view to
determine whether corrections must be made in Revit
and/or in SpecLink-E
How Does LinkMan-E Work?
Although many Revit
elements have been
pre-linked to
LinkMan-E, users
may create or import
their own objects
into Revit and link to
LME, then link to the
appropriate sections
and specific
products in BSD
SpecLink-E
By opening the
Revit Project and
Assemblies
Dashboard in the
same window,
users can drag and
drop elements to
create links to LME
The links created by this drag-and-drop process
persist from one project to the next, so it is a
simple matter to create an “office master” of
linked objects
What About Keynotes?
LinkMan includes a
robust keynote
management system
that works closely
with Revit
LinkMan includes
default keynotes for
all products and
assemblies in the
master database
The product
keynotes are
organized
according to
MasterFormat
What About Keynotes?
LinkMan includes a
robust keynote
management system
that works closely
with Revit
LinkMan includes
default keynotes for
all products and
assemblies in the
master database
The assemblies
keynotes are
organized
according to
UniFormat
Master keynotes cannot be altered, but
LinkMan allows the addition of user keynotes
and modification of copies of master keynotes
What About Keynotes?
On the Revit Project
tab, any keynotes
from Revit appear,
together with master
keynotes from
LinkMan
What About Keynotes?
A right click allows a
master keynote to
be copied to the
Revit keynote
column
It’s also possible to
automatically apply
default keynotes to
all blank Revit
keynote fields by
clicking “Apply
Default Keynotes”
What About Keynotes?
By opening the
Keynotes tab in the
same window, you
can drag and drop
keynotes into the
Revit keynotes
field
It’s also possible to
create or edit new
keynotes by rightclicking on a master
keynote to open an
editing dialog and
then clicking Apply
What About Keynotes?
You can import a
previously edited set
of keynotes by
clicking on the
Import icon; the
keynotes will be
merged
automatically by
keynote number
What About Keynotes?
Once you have
completed your edits
to the Revit
keynotes in
LinkMan-E, you can
import the keynotes
in Revit
You can import all keynotes, all Master and active User
keynotes, or User keynotes only
What About Keynotes?
Any active keynotes in the Revit project will automatically
be replaced with any changes you have made in LinkMan
Thank you for your interest!
We hope this brief introduction to BSD’s innovative
interoperability product has intrigued you enough
to ask for more information about LinkMan-E -- or
try a free evaluation copy of the software.
Call us toll-free at
888-BSD-SOFT
(888-273-7638)
or
visit our website at
www.bsdsoftlink.com