NEWSLETTER

BSD LinkMan-E Enhanced with Keynote Management Feature

The latest release of BSD LinkMan-E has a brand new feature for managing Revit keynotes and aligning them with BSD SpecLink-E. Designed to work with all recent releases of Autodesk’s Revit® software, including Revit 2012, the new LinkMan now incorporates a tab that allows users to import, edit, and connect keynotes to Revit objects while simultaneously linking the objects to specifications in BSD SpecLink-E. A unique master keynote has been assigned to each of the thousands of products and assemblies in the LinkMan database, all of which have been linked to appropriate sections and paragraphs in BSD SpecLink-E. Objects in Revit have also been linked to the same LinkMan database, which permits LinkMan to display any discrepancies between a Revit project model and the corresponding project specifications in SpecLink – or to update the specifications automatically, based on the Revit data.

The new keynote tab in LinkMan allows users to import a file from Revit that displays all keynotes currently present in the Revit model. These keynotes are displayed adjacent to the corresponding master keynotes in LinkMan. The Revit keynotes can be edited or deleted in LinkMan, and LinkMan’s master keynotes can be copied individually to the Revit file or copied in total to any blank fields in the Revit file with a single click. The Revit user can then import this edited keynote file from LinkMan and assign it to the project. Any edited keynotes will automatically replace any that are currently in use in the Revit model, and all the additional LinkMan master keynotes will be available for subsequent use in the project.

For those design professionals who are unfamiliar with the keynote concept, it was developed by pioneering architects Jim Freehof  and Duke Guzey in the 1980’s as part of a construction document management system they called ConDoc. Keynotes are short, standardized alphanumeric descriptors that are frequently used to annotate details on construction drawings. They typically comprise a five- or six-digit number corresponding to a related specification section, with an alphanumeric suffix of two or three characters.  A legend on the drawings is then created that lists these keynotes numerically, together with their complete text descriptions. Keynotes offer three major advantages over “standard” notations:  1) They minimize the amount of text on the drawings, especially details; 2) they standardize the notes and assure consistency from detail to detail and from drawing sheet to drawing sheet;  and 3) they direct the contractor to the appropriate specification sections for further detail on the objects noted.

The new keynote management system introduced with this release of LinkMan-E allows the user to employ only the BSD master keynotes or to blend any keynotes already in use with those suggested by BSD. It is therefore uniquely positioned to assist in the development of an “office master.” Not all architectural and engineering firms currently use keynotes, in part because their proper use requires a certain amount of discipline. The new BSD LinkMan-E, however, now offers designers a software tool that makes the proper use of keywords much easier, while simultaneously helping to assure that the specifications are properly coordinated with the drawings.