BSD Winter 2011-12 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

LinkLine: Winter 2011-12

Check out the stories below to read the latest news about BSD and its customers, products, and services.

BSD SoftLink® Winter Release

Both BSD SpecLink®-E and BSD LinkMan®-E have had numerous improvements and enhancements since the fall release. Read on to learn more about some of the more significant changes in the Winter release...(more)

What Are Keynotes, and Why Does BSD LinkMan-E Include Them?

Not everyone in architecture and engineering uses keynotes, and for good reasons: 1) employing them effectively requires training the drafting staff and applying strict discipline; 2) there are no standards, so frequently the keynotes vary from project to project (as well as from office to office); and 3) managing keynotes without the use of specialized software is difficult or impossible....(more)

Networked Controls for Lighting and Shading Systems

BSD's two new Sections 26 0943 - Network Lighting Controls - Lutron and 12 2400 - Window Shades, featuring basis of design products from Lutron Electronics Company, Inc., may be used to specify lighting and shading control solutions for a variety of project types, from simple standalone systems to more complex whole building systems with centralized PC control and monitoring. Consider the following control strategies when specifying a networked lighting/shading control system.....(more)

About the New and Revised Sections

This winter's release of SpecLink contains three new sections and several heavily revised sections. Read on to learn about both the new sections and the revisions.... (more)

Earn One Hour of CES Credit

Do you need additional Learning Units before the end of the calendar year? Here is an opportunity to earn one hour of AIA CES credit by reading an article sponsored by BSD in the November issue of Architectural Record and completing a short on-line quiz..(more).

About Your Updates

More than a third of all the sections in SpecLink have been updated this quarter. To see complete statistics about this update, just
click the link...(more)

BSD Customer Case Study: SpecLink Brings Enhanced Synchronization of Processes to James Goodman, Architecture

JG, A James Goodman, Architecture is located in San Juan Capistrano, California. The firm was founded in 1989 to offer highly personalized professional services for clients with special and unique requirements.

Project types include custom residences, residential and commercial renovations, golf, recreational, and hospitality facilities. They also offer forensic and litigation support services, as well as work for industrial and commercial projects. They work primarily in California, but also have completed a number of projects in Texas, as well as overseas. They approach each project as a new and unique design problem and look for practical, but distinctive solutions to each one. They strive to offer the most complete and comprehensive service possible, where all aspects and criteria of a project are considered equally....(more)

Project Specs by BSD SpecLink Subscribers

	2011 – YTD
Mfr Name Listings in Specs	2,268,726
Total Spec Sections Written	1,341,943
Projects in Progress	26,098
Ave. No. Sections Per Project	~51

Featured Manufacturers

BSD gives building product manufacturers the opportunity to explain to SpecLink users the advantages of their products. In the
Winter 2011-12 update, SpecLink includes 7 new featured manufacturers...(See the full list.)

BSD Products Q&A

Quarterly Q&A designed to ask and answer your most common questions on all of BSD's products. This quarter we feature questions about SpecLink-E, LinkMan-E, CostLink/AE, and the BSD website... (more)

Training Schedule

The BSD SpecLink-E Workshop
The BSD SpecLink-E two-day workshop is held every other month or so in Atlanta and at many other locations around the US. The first day is devoted to learning the basics of SpecLink-E, including how to navigate within the software, start a new project, edit sections, understand how the links and choices work, and how to format, print and export the final document. The second day covers how to create and maintain your own office master... (more)

The LinkMan-E Workshop
BSD launched its new LinkMan-E training workshop in September 2010. This full-day BIM interoperability class teaches current and potential software users how to automatically connect and coordinate Revit projects with their corresponding specifications in BSD SpecLink-E. For additional information and a training schedule just click the link...(more).