ATLANTA, July 24, 2012 — Building Systems Design, Inc. (BSD) today announced a major software release of its flagship BSD SpecLink-E product for automated production of construction specifications. The new version of the product includes major software modifications but no data updates. The biggest change is quite significant — all data edits in a project are saved immediately to the projects database on the server instead of being saved initially to a temporary file in the client software for batch uploading at a later time. This approach results in much faster operation of many functions (such as section check-in and closing), greater stability in the software, and significantly enhanced data management and control.
Another important and eagerly anticipated change is a new printing option to produce specifications numbered and titled according to the Construction Specifications Institute's MasterFormat™ 95, which CSI replaced in 2004. Many users have delayed switching to BSD SpecLink-E from an earlier generation product because of a need to generate specifications for some clients in the obsolete format. This new printing option in SpecLink-E automatically converts the SpecLink master specifications to the correct titles and 5-digit numbers for the old 16-division format and allows users to convert any user-added sections. Unedited master text paragraphs that reference section numbers and titles are also converted automatically. However, document display and editing continue to be available only in the updated MasterFormat 2004 format, which employs 6-digit section numbers in 50 divisions.
It has always been possible to attach a project note to any paragraph in BSD SpecLink-E. These context-sensitive notes appear adjacent to the text in a separate panel that can be detached and moved to any convenient on-screen location. That capability has been enhanced in the new release with the addition of an editing window that allows insertion of images and hyperlinks in the project notes, plus modification of fonts — capabilities that had previously been restricted to the document text.
In addition to these major software improvements, many other refinements have been added. For example, closing a section with the "X" in the upper right corner now automatically checks in the section. Users who want to keep sections checked out when closing can still use a Close and Lock command on the Documents tab. Further information on the changes made in this new version of the software can be found in the release notes that can be downloaded from the BSD website, at http://www.bsdsoftlink.com/downloadcenter/userspage.htm.
The new SpecLink-E release is also totally compatible with BSD LinkMan®-E, an add-on product that allows automated coordination of the specifications with Autodesk's Revit® software, for improved Building Information Modeling (BIM).
About BSD: Building Systems Design has offered innovative software tools for the architecture, architectural engineering, and construction markets since 1983. The company creates and supports advanced cost estimating, specification writing, and interoperability products that are used for over thirty thousand commercial, institutional, and industrial projects annually. www.bsdsoftlink.com
Contact:
Robert Epstein
Building Systems Design, Inc.
888-273-7638
www.bsdsoftlink.com
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