AEC TECH NEWS: BSD releases cloud version of BIM linking product

Atlanta — Building Systems Design, Inc. (BSD) announced the release of the latest version of BSD LinkMan-E, a BIM linking product that has now been configured to permit cloud access. BSD LinkMan-E, or LME, is a software tool that connects any architectural model developed in Autodesk's Revit to specifications for the same project in BSD SpecLink-E.

LME is a coordination tool with dashboards that permit a project manager to compare the modeled information in Revit to the specifications data in SpecLink. Conflicting information is highlighted, allowing the manager to make necessary corrections in the model or the specifications. It is also possible to take the Revit data and automatically generate matching specifications in SpecLink by using a synchronizing function in BSD LinkMan-E.

The new release of the LME software operates much faster than previous versions, greatly increasing the speed of data transfer between applications. The cloud version of the software requires a subscription to the cloud version of BSD SpecLink-E, which was released earlier this year. In the cloud configuration, the Revit software is installed on the user's server, and a small software client and Revit plugin are installed on the user's local machine. All other software is installed remotely, on servers maintained by BSD. Cloud users can access their project information from any location by using any device with Internet access, including iPads and iPhones.

There are no known firewall issues with the new LME Cloud release. An annual subscription to LME Cloud includes the cost of all server and software maintenance and updating, plus unlimited telephone support and unlimited data storage. In addition to the LME software, BSD provides a library of over 1,700 building materials that allow Revit users to quickly link to SpecLink any objects they have already created. There is also a catalog of over 600 BSD "intelligent" objects, such as walls, windows, doors, and plumbing fixtures, which have already been linked to SpecLink and require no further operations to achieve interoperability. Any of these objects used in a Revit project will be automatically connected to the appropriate specifications in SpecLink through the BSD LinkMan-E connection.

According to BSD's president, Robert Paul Dean, FAIA, FCSI, "We believe very strongly that the future of architectural practice will be aligned with building information modeling, or BIM. BSD's products are already configured to benefit design professionals who have adopted the BIM movement, and our future product development will move us ever more firmly into that brave new world."

Find more information at www.bsdsoftlink.com.