Maximize Efficiency with Bluebeam’s Powerful Tool Chest

Maximize Efficiency with Bluebeam's Powerful Tool Chest

For any structural engineer or design professional, the process of detailing and laying out plans often involves the repetitive task of drawing similar objects. This can sometimes feel monotonous and time-consuming. However, with Bluebeam's powerful Tool Chest feature, this task can be significantly streamlined and simplified. In essence, the Tool Chest feature in Bluebeam allows users to store and organize pre-drawn objects, icons, and groups into tabs for future use. This means that rather than redrawing an object each time it is needed, you can simply store it in the Tool Chest and retrieve it with ease whenever necessary. This can greatly enhance productivity and efficiency, while also saving a considerable amount of time.

Folders and Tool Management

Accessing the Tool Chest is easy. By either clicking on the Tool Chest tab icon  or pressing alt + x, users can quickly navigate to the feature. The Tool Chest provides a set of default folders for general storage of saved objects. One of these, the "My Tools" folder, can be used for creating custom hotkeys. Users can also manage these folders to their preference. By clicking on the downward caret symbol next to Tool Chest and selecting "Manage Tool Sets", users can add, delete, re-order, modify, import, and export folders. Additionally, folders can be viewed in two ways, either as "Symbol" or "Detail", and the color and layer of objects within the folders can be modified to individual preferences.

Adding to the Tool Chest

Adding an object to the Tool Chest is a simple process. Users can simply right-click on an object and select "Add to Tool Chest", followed by selecting the necessary subfolder. If a group of objects needs to be saved, all of the objects should be selected first, then grouped together by pressing ctrl + g or right-clicking and selecting "Group".

Using saved objects

Once an object has been saved in the Tool Chest, it can be easily brought into a document by selecting it within the folder and then clicking within the document. There are also advanced features such as sequencing, quantity legend, and actions that can further enhance the utility of this feature.

Scaling objects

One of the most appreciated features within Bluebeam's Tool Chest is the ability to scale objects. This means that an object drawn to a certain scale can be saved and used in various scales, without needing to be redrawn for each different scale. The Tool Chest automatically scales the objects to match the page scale, ensuring that saved objects are always at the correct size, even in different documents with different scales.

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