Updated BSD LinkMan-E Automatically Connects Applied Revit Materials to Specifications

ATLANTA, June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Building Systems Design, Inc. (BSD) today announced the release of a Revit 2013 Materials Library that is pre-linked to BSD SpecLink�-E, BSD's automated construction specifications software, through the latest version of its BSD LinkMan�-E add-on. The 1,600 materials in the library, when applied to Revit elements such as walls or floor assemblies, will automatically connect the Revit elements to the corresponding specifications in BSD SpecLink-E.

BSD LinkMan-E is an interoperability tool that presents data from Revit and SpecLink to allow review and coordination by a project manager. Dashboard views that compare the data from the two applications can be collapsed to show discrepancies, and any missing information in the specifications can be automatically activated from within the LinkMan program. The current release of LinkMan-E looks different from earlier versions, with color-coded tabs for data related to the various linked applications. It also includes several new icons on the Tools menu that automatically set up the screen to perform specific functions, such as linking Revit elements to the LinkMan database, adding products to an assembly, or adding keynotes to Revit elements.

BSD has pre-linked many Revit elements to SpecLink-E, but users typically create their own Revit libraries of objects (such as wall and door types), which require the creation of links within LinkMan-E to connect them to the specifications. Creating these links is a relatively simple process of dragging and dropping a Revit element name onto the appropriate LinkMan assembly or product name. Now, however, BSD's release of the new Materials Library means that Revit users can simply apply the pre-linked materials to their customized building elements within the Revit software, without any need to open the LinkMan program at all. When the current version of LinkMan-E is installed, any Revit objects that have had these materials applied will appear in LinkMan-E already connected to SpecLink-E.

The LinkMan-E product has been on the market since early 2010 and has been expanded and improved on a quarterly basis ever since its introduction. Robert Paul Dean, president of BSD, says "LinkMan-E's new materials capability will be extended even further with the next release, when a large catalog of pre-linked Revit objects will be offered." According to Dean, hundreds of wall types will be included in the catalog, in addition to floor, roof, door, and window objects. Each of these will have the pre-linked materials already applied, so Revit users will not be required to do anything except use the objects in their Building Information Models (BIM) to coordinate them with the specifications in BSD SpecLink-E.

About BSD: Building Systems Design has offered innovative software tools for the architecture, architectural engineering, and construction markets since 1983. The company creates and supports advanced cost estimating, specification writing, and interoperability products that are used for over thirty thousand commercial, institutional, and industrial projects annually. www.bsdsoftlink.com .