Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus V3

CADalyst,  May, 2005  by Ron LaFon

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Bluebeam

Price: $249

626.296.2146

sales@bluebeam.com www.bluebeam.com

Bluebeam's latest iteration of Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus offers many options for producing PDF files. Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus v3.0 runs in Windows 2000/XP and supports AutoCAD 2000-2006 (including all AutoCAD-based vertical products). A SolidWorks version plugs into SolidWorks 2004 and 2005. The program supports all other PC programs through the Bluebeam PDF Printer. These include Microsoft Office applications, MicroStation, Pro/ENGINEER and Unigraphics.

Program price starts at $249 for a single-user license, with a variety of multiuser options available. For five users or more, annual maintenance contracts are available, as are software and maintenance bundles. The optional Bluebeam maintenance program covers minor and major upgrades, as well as phone and e-mail support for a year. Software and maintenance must be purchased at the same time.

Depending on which version is installed, Pushbutton Plus creates a four-button toolbar or a pull-down menu on the top menu bar in AutoCAD and SolidWorks. Application access in both applications is fast, through clear and easy-to-understand dialog boxes.

Bluebeam can convert DWG and Windows files to PDF, DWF, TIF, JPG, BMP, PSD, PNG, EMF, WMF and PCL formats. The Bluebeam PDF printer driver generates PDF, TIF, JPG, BMP, PSD, PNG, EMF, WMF and PCL files from any Windows or CAD application, along with HTML pages. Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus supports line merge in PDF files created from AutoCAD.

Pushbutton Plus features batch-processing capabilities and uses a default page setup, a custom PDF configuration or a global definition for all page sizes. The Bluebeam Batch Conversion Tool can convert to 11 different file formats, including PDF, DWF and TIF. With AutoCAD, batch options allow the creation of one PDF per AutoCAD drawing or all drawings combined into one batch file, with layout control included. Plot layout per PDF includes model, last active layout, all layouts, individually named layouts, or currently active layout.

Bluebeam Pushbutton is easy to install and use. It quickly creates compact, high-quality PDF files. Security features include the ability to set a password to open files and restrict the copying of text or graphics and the creating of form fields and annotations. Users can also restrict printing or designate a printing quality parameter. Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus can also limit the ability of PDF recipients to fill out form files, manipulate or render pages, create bookmarks and save default passwords. The PDF booklet maker--Bluebeam Stapler--creates a single PDF file from multiple PDFs, CAD drawings and Windows files.

As we went to print, Bluebeam updated its program to v3.1, which supports DWF and DWF batch operations. In addition, the company touts smaller PDF and TIF file outputs. It also just released a server-based solution that converts CAD and Windows documents to the 11 file formats that Bluebeam supports. By the time you read this, the company will offer an updated Blur-print printing solution as part of its partnership with the U.S. Reprographics Network.

Bluebeam Pushbutton PDF also provides options for FTP, e-mail and bookmarks as well as integration with Microsoft Office applications. The feature list is extensive, but my space here is not--Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus has far greater depth of features than I can do justice to here. A 30-day trial version (that doesn't watermark its output) is available for evaluation from the Bluebeam Web site. If users must create PDF files in the course of business, Bluebeam Pushbutton Plus is well worth investigating.--R.L.

Ron LaFon, a contributing editor for Cadalyst, is a writer, editor and computer graphics and electronic publishing specialist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a principal at 3Bear Productions in Atlanta.

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