How to Create Bluebeam Quantity Links in Excel (Live Markup Totals)

Bluebeam Quantity Linking is a remarkable feature in Revu that enables you to bring your calculations directly into Excel with ease. 

Copying and pasting takeoff numbers from Revu into Excel is slow and prone to errors. Totals go stale when markups change. This is where Bluebeam Quantity Linking comes in handy. Revu’s Quantity Link feature is used to connect Excel cells to Revu markups. Excel then pulls live totals from your Markups List and updates automatically.

This detailed, step-by-step guide will help you discover how to perform Bluebeam Quantity Linking in Excel.

*We are writing this guide using Area measurement to link Area quantities from Revu to Excel, but you can do the same with other measurements like volume, length, count, etc.

Before you start, ensure you have:

• Bluebeam Revu 21 desktop app is installed on your Windows or Mac.
• Microsoft Excel is installed on your Windows or Mac.
• A PDF construction plan with area markups (or create and segment Areas in the Tool Chest if you have not).
• Consistent Subject names for each area type (e.g., “Area A”, “Area B”).

*In Excel, if Bluebeam is installed on your desktop, the Bluebeam Quantity Link menu appears when you right-click a cell.

Workflow Overview

In this guide, you will learn how to:

1. Segment your areas in Revu and save them as custom tools (A, B, C, D).
2. Prepare an Excel sheet with matching labels.
3. Configure Quantity Link preferences.
4. Create links in Excel that total Revu markups by Subject.
5. Watch Excel updates as you update (add, delete, or change) measurements in Revu.

Step-by-step Guide to Quantity Linking in Bluebeam Revu

 

[Bluebeam Quantity Linking - Watch the video tutorial of this guide to see the feature in Action]

Below is a step-by-step guide to perform quantity linking and fetch live, updated values from Revu to Excel, which you can use to scale your calculations for estimations and take-offs.

Step 01: Open your PDF file in Revu

• Open Revu 21 desktop application → Go to the File menu → Click Open → select your PDF plan.
• Open your Excel workbook where you will fetch totals.

Step 02: Prepare Area Markups in Revu

• In Revu, open the Measurements panel.
• Select an Area measurement.
• Click and drag to select the area on the plan.
• Right-click each area measurement → click “Add to Tool Chest” to save as custom tools in your desired toolsets.
• In Too Chest, set a clear Subject for your area (e.g., “Area A”, “Area B”, “Area C”).
• Create separate areas with distinct labels for flooring, carpeting, and other materials.
• Open the Markups List to see the Subject and Area columns.

*Use distinct fill and text colours per Subject.

Step 03: Mirror Labels in Excel Columns

• In Excel, create rows for each area label (e.g., “Area A”, “Area B”, “Area C”).
• Designate a column where the total Area will appear. Optionally designate a column for markup count.

Step 04: Set Quantity Link Preferences (Excel)

• Right-click an empty cell in Excel.
• Go to “Quantity Linking” → “Preferences.”
• Tick options to include units and markup quantity (optional but recommended).
• Click OK.

Step 05: Link Excel to your PDF

• Right-click the target cell → “Quantity Linking” → “Create.”
• In "Select Files Linked to Workbook," click "Add" and choose the same PDF that is currently open in Revu. Click OK.
• In the Create Link dialog box:
  • Total = Area (since we’re importing areas).
  • Filter by = Subject (you can also filter by Colour or Author if you prefer).

• To create the first Quantity Link, choose Area A.
• Click OK.

• The cell now displays the total area (with units) and, if enabled, the number of markups with the subject “Area A”.

Step 06: Validate the Result

• Confirm the value matches the sum of “Area A” entries in Revu’s Markups List.
• If you included markup quantity, confirm the count is correct.

Step 07: See Live Updates from Revu to Excel

• In Revu, select the Area A tool from your Tool Chest.
• Draw another “Area A” for any region on the plan.
• Check the Markups List and note the new total.
• Switch to Excel. The linked cell should update to the new total area and markup count automatically.

Step 08: Add a New Area Category (Repeat the same for Area B, C, and so on.)

• In Revu → Measurements panel → Area.
• Draw the new area (e.g., for tiling).
• Adjust text colour and fill colour as needed.
• Right-click the markup → Add to Tool Chest.
• In Tool Chest, rename the tool’s Subject to “Area B”.
• Save the PDF in Revu. (As we have already created a Quantity Link in Excel with this PDF, the new area will not be available to fetch quantities unless you save the changes in Revu after creating a new Area segment.)

*Repeat the same for multiple area segments for different purposes.

Step 09: Link “Area D” in Excel

• In Excel, right-click the target cell → Quantity Linking → Create.
• If Excel still displays a default or outdated subject list, click Source Files (under the Create menu) and reselect the updated PDF, then return to the Create menu.
• Total = Area → Filter by Subject = Area B → OK.
• The cell now pulls the live total for Area B from Revu.

Step 10: Save and Refresh

• You have now successfully created Bluebeam Quantity Links in Excel.
• Save the PDF and Excel file.

Best practices

To make your workflow more efficient and smooth, ensure the following to avoid errors or rework:

• Name consistently: Keep Subjects short and meaningful (e.g., Area A for Flooring, Area B for Carpeting).
• One Subject = one purpose: Avoid mixing purposes under a single Subject.
• Colour code: Match Subject colours with your trade or material for quick visual checks.
• Stable file paths: Don’t move or rename the linked PDF after creating links; if you do, update Source Files in Excel.
• Markup hygiene: Ensure each markup’s Subject is correct; Quantity Link relies on it.
• Units & counts: Enable both in Preferences if you need units and the number of markups for QA.
• Version control: Save versions of both the PDF and workbook at key milestones.

Troubleshooting Errors

If your Quantity Linking is not working correctly or Excel fails to update the data as you make changes to the PDF in Bluebeam, check for the following:

• No Quantity Link option in Excel: Enable the Bluebeam add-in or ensure Revu is installed.
• Wrong totals: Check the markup, Subject values, and filters (Subject vs Colour vs Author).
• Default/old Subject list: Use Source Files to point to the latest PDF and save in Revu.
• #N/A or blank cells: Confirm the correct PDF is linked and that matching markups exist (with correct subject or other attributes you are filtering Totals for).

With Quantity Link, your Excel schedules stay synchronised with Revu markups. Segment by clear Subjects, link once, and let Excel keep totals up to date, speeding up take-offs and reducing costly errors.

For more Revu tips, stay connected with Brighter Graphics, your go-to partner for all things Bluebeam, digitising construction since 2003.