5 Best Redline Drawing and As-Built Software

Reviews: As-Built & Redline Drawing Software

Revu | Bluebeam

PDF markup powerhouse

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Image source: Bluebeam

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Bluebeam Revu is a go-to PDF creation and plan markup software in the construction industry, thanks primarily to its robust, easy-to-use redlining tools.

Users can upload and convert CAD drawings, Microsoft Office files, and scanned images into 2D or 3D PDFs, and then use the customizable markup tools to indicate changes and record as-built conditions. Annotations from the days of redlining paper plans can be easily replicated here – you can draw lines, shapes, clouds, and arrows, and add text to drawings. Plus, adding photo, video, and comment markups is simple. 

With Bluebeam, users can communicate on drawings in a couple of ways.

First is to add comments to plans and then share the revised drawings via export and email. The second option is to leverage Studio, the cloud component of Revu. Users can use Studio Projects to store plans and documents where they are accessible by stakeholders at any time, and leverage Studio Sessions to set periods of time for team members to collaborate on a document in real time.

All three editions of Revu are Windows based. Bluebeam offers a mobile app – Revu for iPad – but reviews for it are mixed.

Highlights

• PDFs are searchable by text and drawing elements
• Markups List tracks all drawing markups in a filterable table
• Ability to compare drawing versions with split screen or overlay
• 30-day free trial

Pricing

• Basics: $240 per user
• Core: $300 per user
• Complete: $400 per user

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OnePlace | Unearth

Geolocated as-builts & mobile redlining

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OnePlace is map-based cloud software that’s built for the field and enables you to geo-reference your construction project.

OnePlace operates under the simple premise that geolocating project data on a digital map is a more intuitive way to organize drawings, photos, and documents – moving valuable data out of endless spreadsheets and file folders so it can be easily seen and used.

So how does it work?

Stake drawings to a map of your project’s real-world location, then add data captured with your smartphone or tablet – photos, video, and digital forms will automatically geolocate on your map. Use custom tools in the easy-to-use interface to draw as-built information onto your project map. You can also power real-time collaboration by commenting and tagging team members on your drawings.

Map views can be filtered to give you snapshots of your project at different points in time – ideal for gauging progress and reporting it to the owner at any stage of construction. At project close, easily export as-built documentation that not only gives a complete history of the asset but provides crucial location data that owners will appreciate during ongoing operations and maintenance.

Highlights

• Custom, mobile-friendly tools that add multiple dimensions to your data
• Real-time collaboration on geolocated drawings
• Simple import and export of file types (PDF, CSV, XLS, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and KML)
• Integrations with Procore, Bentley, and Trimble
• Offline mode
• Available on Android, iOS, and web
• 30-day free trial

Pricing

• $79 user / month for OnePlace (after 30-day free trial)

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Fieldwire

Field-friendly drawing management

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Image source: Fieldwire

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As the name suggests, Fieldwire is a field-forward solution for construction project management. As such, it includes features and tools designed to make it easy to view the most up-to-date plans and to redline drawings to accurately depict as-built conditions, all from the jobsite.

A link tool lets you connect other drawings, photos, videos, and forms to specific locations on your plan via hyperlinks. The task tool lets you pin tasks to specific locations on your plans to explain and assign issues that need attention. Markup layers can be toggled on and off to customize your view of a drawing. And offline mode ensures that, even if internet connection is spotty, your information will sync when you have connectivity again.

When new sheets are uploaded, Fieldwire software reads sheet names and descriptions, and automatically inserts sheets in the correct place in a plan set. Markups, assigned tasks, and linked files from previous versions are carried over to maintain the accuracy of your as-builts.

The platform saves all plan versions, not only documenting a full history of the project but enabling users to compare different drawing versions to see changes. At project close, as-built drawings can be easily exported as layered PDFs.

Highlights

• Markup tools including freeform lines, highlighters, arrows, clouds, and comments
• Integrations with Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive
• Unlimited sheets with all paid plans
• Unlimited data storage
• Available on Android, iOS, and web

Pricing (billed annually)

• Basic: Free with limit of 5 users
• Pro: $39 per user per month 
• Business: $59 per user per month
• Premier: $99 per user per month

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PlanGrid Build | Autodesk

A pioneering paperless blueprint app – and now much more

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Image source: Autodesk

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PlanGrid started out as a cloud-based iPad app to replace paper blueprints. The software made it possible to view substantial plan sets in the field on a device – no more lugging around cumbersome printed plans or wasting time flipping through hundreds of sheets to find specific information.

Designed for workers on site, PlanGrid emphasized version control while providing simple markup tools for redlining plans. With PlanGrid on their devices, team members could be sure they were looking at the most up-to-date information and could easily navigate among sheets and revise drawings as necessary right from the jobsite.

Today, PlanGrid has retained its mobile plan viewing and redlining functionality – but offers much more. Autodesk acquired PlanGrid in 2018, and PlanGrid Build, as it’s currently known, is the free construction mobile app that comes with Autodesk Build.

PlanGrid users have the tools of a full construction management software at their disposal, including Autodesk Build’s convenient As-Built Export feature. With just a few clicks, you can select your desired configuration of sheets, submittals, RFIs, issues, and files, and the software will compile the as-built (a downloadable ZIP file of PDFs) according to your set parameters.  

Highlights

• Robust version control
• Hyperlinking to connect related sheets
• 30-day free trial
• Available on Android, iOS, and web

Pricing

• $41/month with a limit of 550 sheets
• $73/month with a limit of 5,000 sheets
• $135/month with unlimited sheets
• Custom enterprise pricing

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Procore

Robust construction project management – with extensive integrations

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Image source: Procore

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Procore is a project management platform built specifically for the construction industry. So, as you would expect, it has the tools necessary to manage drawings, redline, and update drawings in real-time with data captured in the field. In short, Procore records everything, so you have a tidy as-built by the end of the project.

Like Autodesk, Procore offers the convenience of having significant functionality in one place – enabling users to streamline their tech stacks. But for all its strength as a solution to manage construction projects from start to finish, it is more of a generalist than a specialist.

To meet more particular needs, Procore boasts integrations with many other software offerings – Unearth’s mapping app, OnePlace, among them.

Highlights

• Impressive range of features and software integrations
• Unlimited users, data, and support with every subscription
• Available on Android, iOS, and web

Pricing

• Variable pricing based on product selection and project volume