Bluebeam XCON 2022—Future Directions and Transformation at Scale

Nemetschek Group company Bluebeam Software will be hosting its upcoming Bluebeam XCON 22 live again in San Diego, California, later this month, welcoming thought leaders from top US and global design and construction firms and a global audience of AEC professionals.

XCON explores change and transformation impacting the construction industry in the United States and worldwide. It enables attendees to learn, train, network, and explore new technologies.

XCON 22

“XCON provides an incredible opportunity for building professionals to come together to listen, learn, and share solutions about some of the toughest problems the industry faces,” said Kristine Plemmons, Bluebeam global vice president, marketing. “The real value in XCON lies beyond the trainings and case-studies and keynotes. Attendees tell us they find the most value in the connections they make with other professionals who deeply understand the same specific issues and challenges they face, and in the solutions they uncover together here at the conference. With representatives from Bluebeam’s product, engineering, and executive teams joining in those same discussions, real problems get solved in real-time at XCON. And that’s how we build better together.”

The Bluebeam XCON 22 conference runs 23 – 24 August 2022 in San Diego, California.

Bluebeam will offer an Interactive Zone at the conference demonstrating how integration and interoperability amplify the power of Bluebeam across building phases. This sits in addition to the four tracks of training seminars. Exhibitors at the Platinum sponsorship level include:

• Reconstruct
• Dropbox
• ATG
• Holobuilder
• US CAD
• Newforma
• Raken
• OpenSpace
• Volanti
• SDS2
• Kelar Pacific
• Construction Progress Coalition

XCON 22 will also feature exciting keynotes (see Analysis below) from Bluebeam executives focused on business transformation and the company’s roadmap.

“XCON is about more than just the sessions and workshops and the deep-dives,” continued Fred Mills, founder and host of The B1M, the world’s largest and most subscribed-to video channel for construction, architecture, and engineering. “It’s where you get a chance to meet and talk with people from around the world who are solving the same problems you are and discuss what they have found actually works. I am so pleased that XCON is happening in-person again this year — the best part of the event is the community it brings together, and it’s a good one.”

“It’s really helped me keep in tune with what industry leaders are doing because they’re here at this conference,” said Greg Martin, The Weitz Company. “Our industry is about building buildings, but it really comes down to the relationships, and Bluebeam has really fostered that.”

XCON 22 will fully include:

• 55 learning sessions
• 23 customer-led presentations
• 21 Bluebeam-led workshops
• 11 Bluebeam-certified reseller and sponsor-led sessions
• Three Case-study presentations from AECOM, Medxcel, and the City of Seattle
• Four tracks of Bluebeam-led educational sessions, including Business Transformation, Industry Trends, Bluebeam Fundamentals, and In-Depth Training
• The Bluebeam Extreme Awards luncheon hosted by Fred Mills of The B1M, honoring award finalists in twelve categories, including Best Academic Partnership, Bluebeam Impact Award, Innovator of the Year, and Project of the Year

XCON is taking place August 23-24 at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego, California. For registration and conference information, visit bluebeamextreme.com.

Architosh Analysis and Commentary

We know from prior statements and public information that Bluebeam will be making significant product announcements and roadmap strategy statements—key items but perhaps not all items or details at XCON 22. We believe that some of this will truly be material to that segment of the Architosh audience that was disappointed by Bluebeam’s termination of the native macOS version of Bluebeam Revu. (see: Architosh, “Exclusive: Bluebeam Dropping Mac Platform—Pushing Cloud Ecosystem Instead,” 4 March 2019.) 

Part of the company’s efforts to move to a cloud app offering was Project Rover, which became Bluebeam Cloud. There was a note on Reddit that Bluebeam Cloud was ending in terms of access on 5 July 2022, but we have heard from Bluebeam directly, and that is untrue. 

[Editor’s note: update 15 Aug 2022]. – Readers are advised that we have heard from Bluebeam, and indeed, Project Rover did convert to Bluebeam Cloud and that the company is devoting tons of resources to building out Bluebeam Cloud as I write this. At the upcoming XCON event later this month, the company will announce more news about Bluebeam Cloud, and what that may mean for Mac users, in particular, will be something Architosh will be sure to detail for readers. 

What follows below the line is our original analysis. Disregard notes about the dates and the ending of Bluebeam Cloud because it appears that name is staying attached to the company’s cloud-based SaaS offering. ]

Here on the Bluebeam Cloud FAQ, the Pasadena, California-based company says it is “a suite of cloud-based solutions custom built for the AECO industry.” Users of Project Rover and the renamed Bluebeam Cloud could comment and collaborate on project documents and manage punch, RFI, and submittal workflows. It sounds like putting much of what Revu does in the cloud, which ultimately would be a big answer to the company’s lack of a native macOS version. 

And speaking of that. While the latest macOS version of Bluebeam Revu (2.x) fails to load under the latest Mac operating systems, currently, this author has macOS Monterey working respectfully with Revu for Mac 1.9. I thought I would throw that out there for readers who may possess these combinations. 

So when will Bluebeam Revu itself fully get supplanted by a native cloud version, if that is even the end goal? Bluebeam itself says Project Rover was part of the company’s efforts to invest in new infrastructure and technology directed at a new fully cloud and data-centric portfolio. A Reddit article here notes that while Bluebeam Cloud can run longer if users write in to ask for an extension, the true end date would be 31 Oct 2022. This date may be the announcement date of Bluebeam’s first fully cloud-native offering meant to set the future course of the company. At that point, the company says Bluebeam Cloud will be part of a “new packaged offering.”

Whatever happens, we know those using Apple macOS computers are urgently looking for a solution. As it stands right now, the best laptops with the most power and battery life combination are Apple’s alone (thanks to the M chip), and Bluebeam isn’t on them natively.