How to use layers to organize information

Applies to:

  • Revu 21
  • Revu 20
  • Revu 2019
  • Revu 2018

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Use layers to organize markups

You can create layers in a PDF to help differentiate team members, disciplines (structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.), revisions, or any other method that helps you organize information via separate layers. The two most common uses for layers are:

  • To separate and organize information for different disciplines.
  • To use layers like a slip sheet, in which revisions are saved as layers on the same page instead of creating new files for each revision.

Create a layer

  1. Open the Layers panel.
  2. Select Add New Layer and choose Add Before, Add After, or Add Child from the dropdown to determine where the new layer will be placed in relation to the existing layer(s). 
    Add Child creates a new layer under a selected layer. This allows you to group layers together, which is helpful both for organizing and editing in bulk (e.g. turning the visibility of a group of layers on or off).
  3. Enter a name for the new layer and select OK.

A layer can be set as the current Markup Layer, so all markups are automatically assigned to that layer as they’re created.

Set the Markup Layer

  1. Open the Layers panel.
  2. Right-click an existing layer and select Markup Layer.
  3. If the Markup Layer dialog appears, select OK.

Create a version history with layers

You can also create a version history with layers by using only the revised region of a PDF instead of the entire sheet. Revu allows you to select an area of the document as a new layer and to apply a background color when a new layer is created from an existing PDF page. Using only a region and adding a background color makes it easy to see revisions.

Add a layer from an existing page and add a background color:

  1. Open a PDF in Revu and go to the Layers panel.
  2. Select Add Layer from Page and choose Add Before, Add After, or Add Child from the dropdown to determine where the new layer will be placed in relation to the existing layer(s).
  3. In the Open dialog, select the revised PDF and click Open.
  4. In the Add Layer dialog, select Create New and enter a name for the revised layer.
  5. Select Background and choose a color.
  6. Click Select Region.
  7. Click and drag a rectangle around the area you’d like in the revised layer.
  8. Select OK. Then click OK again.

How-To

Revu 21

Revu 20

Revu 2019

PDF Management

Other versions of this article

Revu 2017 and older

Revu 10 added the ability to create and edit PDF Layers. Revu has supported layers for some time, but the ability to create and manipulate layers opens new possibilities for organizing and coordinating information in PDF files.Layers can be quickly displayed or hidden, which allows you to filter the amount of information you are seeing on the page to help you focus on your current task.There are two ways we have found Bluebeam users are using layers. One is to separate and organize information for different disciplines, and the other is to use layers as a slip-sheet method in which revisions are saved as layers on the same page instead of creating new files for each revision.

Using layers to organize markups

You can create layers in a PDF to help differentiate team members, disciplines (structural, mechanical, electrical, etc.), revisions, or any other method that helps you organize the information using layered markups.

To create a layer:

  1. Open the Layers layers tab (press Alt+Y).
  2. Click the Add New Layer layers-create button and type the name.

A layer can be set as the current Markup Layer so that all markups are automatically assigned to that layer as they’re created.

To set the Markup Layer:

  1. Open the Layers layers tab.
  2. Right-click on the layer name and click Markup Layer.
  3. Repeat to disable or select a different Markup Layer.

The image below shows the Layers tab with layers created for different disciplines and the Mechanical set as the Markup Layer .

Create a version history with layers

One way to use layers is to create a version history by using only the revised region of the new PDF instead of using the entire sheet. Revu allows you to select an area of the document to be added as a layer, as well as a background color when a new layer is created from an existing PDF page. Using only the region and adding the background color makes it very easy to see where on the sheet the change is located.

To add a layer from an existing page and add a background color:

  1. Open the existing PDF.
  2. Click Add Layer from Page layers-add.
  3. If needed, click the Add button.
  4. Select the new PDF and click Open.
  5. Click Create New and then type “Revision 1” as the new layer name.
  6. Click the Background color button, and click yellow.
  7. Click the Select Region button.
  8. Draw a rectangle of the area that you want to be included in the new layer.
  9. Click OK and then click OK again.

The image below shows how a new revision to the kitchen has been added as Revision 1 with a yellow background color defined.

These two examples are only the start. There are many ways you can use Layers to help your workflow. Get creative and discover the different ways that Layers can help you use Revu to get your work done faster.

 

 

How-To

Revu 2017 & Below

PDF Management

Learn how to use layers in Revu to organize information according to discipline(s) or create a revision history for your drawings.

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