Portland, Maine (November 18, 2020) – Syska Hennessy Group, Inc., a leading global engineering firm with more than 500 professionals across 18 offices, has selected VisiSpecs, The Visual Specification System, as their enterprise-wide platform for specification writing. Syska Hennessy specializes in full-service MEP, information and communication technology, architectural lighting, vertical transportation, and commissioning.

Syska Hennessy did a thorough evaluation of competing specification writing solutions and chose VisiSpecs by Chalkline.  With their variety of clients and projects, Syska Hennessy needed a specification system that could easily import not only their company master and project specs, but also client-provided specifications for some projects.  VisiSpecs provided a central solution for all specifications and projects using a familiar user interface simplifying the deployment, project access, and application management.

Syska Hennessy quickly realized the familiar user interface in Microsoft Word would be easy to learn and use even for the occasional user.  The additional functionality including status flags, related files linked to specs, customizable project tree, reporting, and publishing features will encourage high user adoption building on a program staff already use.  A major reason VisiSpecs was selected was the ease of importing, formatting, and publishing specifications, which is important as the project format requirements changed from project to project.  These spec formatting abilities alone are expected to provide significant savings in staff time as well as increase consistency of project delivery when delivering multiple projects with the same architect.

VisiSpecs will also enable Syska Hennessy to integrate and coordinate their BIM models and keynoting process, which will be implemented in a future phase of the rollout.  The flexibility of the VisiSpecs Project Tree and document management will be evaluated for integrating their proposal process with time-saving checklists, editing, and publishing.  “The ability for our staff to use one program for several types of document editing and achieve time savings is a big advantage over purchasing standalone individual solutions as it will lead to higher familiarity and adoption,” stated Matthew Brady, Senior Associate at Syska Hennessy.

“We are very proud to be selected by leading industry firms including Syska Hennessy.  In a very short time customers can recognize the value they can achieve not only for their spec writing needs, but a future path for integrating other processes with the flexibility we have developed in VisiSpecs,” stated Seamus McGrady, COO of Chalkline, Inc.

Visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to learn more about the VisiSpecs applications, request a free trial, register for live webinars, see customer testimonials, and download product information.

About Chalkline, Inc.

Chalkline is the developer of VisiSpecs^®, a next-generation suite of applications to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs is a hybrid cloud solution, meaning its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. VisiSpecs is built on familiar applications already in use, resulting in minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications, and without a lengthy integration process. And for those that do use the model applications, VisiSpecs provides direct, integrated access to the project specifications and documentation. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.

Portland, Maine (September 16, 2020) – Chalkline has released a major upgrade to VisiSpecs, The Visual Specification System, in multiple areas of the products and user management.

Keynote Management and Assignment have been very popular with customers needing to improve efficiencies and identify coordination issues easier. VisiSpecs v20.2 updates the Keynote Management with a new Keynote File Manager giving customers the ability to track keynote files with user and version information, new user access restrictions, and streamlined new project setup.  The VisiSpecs Keynote Manager includes customer-requested features such as Approval status for management overseeing keynote selection and verbiage, easier new keynote creation, and multiple new user interface improvements.

In addition to the management of keynotes and keynote files, the VisiSpecs v20.2 applications include assignment and verification tools enabling customers to streamline their processes even further.   Selection of keynotes for assignment, approval of keynotes, and user roles for managing versus assigning keynotes facilitates improved product design and delivery. With keynote management in Autodesk Revit as well as Microsoft Word, managers can now review a selection of keynotes and their drawing assignment and placement improving design quality. VisiSpecs’ new Zoom to keynote feature makes it fast and easy to review and correct keynote assignment, placement, and missing keynotes enabling easier verification and access to data.

Document Parameters have been added which enable customers to better manage and report on criteria such as document volume, reviewer, issue dates, discipline, and user-defined parameters with easy assignment, viewing, selection, and reporting on parameters.  Additional user-requested features such as new user roles, user management, simplified project access, Split Face linking to specs for finishes, the ability to restore deleted projects, document filter automation improvements, BIM 360 doc management support, and improved Newforma Submittal integration.

All customers under subscription have been updated with v20.2 VisiSpecs. Visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to learn more about the VisiSpecs applications, request a free trial, register for live webinars, read customer testimonials, and download product information.

About Chalkline, Inc.

Chalkline is the developer of VisiSpecs^®, a next-generation suite of applications to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs is a hybrid cloud solution, meaning its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. VisiSpecs is built on familiar applications already in use, resulting in minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications, and without a lengthy integration process. And for those that do use the model applications, VisiSpecs provides direct, integrated access to the project specifications and documentation. 

Autodesk^®, the Autodesk logo and Revit^® are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.

Portland, Maine (February 26, 2020) – Chalkline, Inc. has released a major update to the VisiSpecs Keynote Manager responding to the demand for spec integration and coordination and keynotes. Working closely with users providing valuable input into the functionality, the update is available to all users in both VisiWord and VisiRevit applications.

Project Architects and Engineers have been manually typing text drawing notes which wasted a lot of time and did not provide any consistency in naming conventions. Further delays and issues were found in assigning keynotes to model elements and materials without basic features like search, comments, and the ability to edit keynotes on the fly.

Additionally, the lack of coordination with the design specifications required manual and error-prone coordination checking to determine which keynotes to provide the detailers. Otherwise, detailers were easily selecting the wrong keynotes from the master list resulting in further errors and omissions. Without automatic coordination with the project specifications, keynotes were a separate island of data to maintain with inevitable coordination errors introduced.

Designers wanted a consistent set of approved annotations integrated with the project specs ensuring repeatable high-quality product delivered to Owners. 

Chalkline released the first available keynoting solution providing integration with the specifications, easy assignment to model elements and materials, and verification of placed keynotes on the drawings. The VisiSpecs Keynote Manager is directly in Autodesk Revit or Microsoft Word which users already have installed and use rather than learning a new tool set. Automatic filtering of master keynote files based on the project specifications provides huge time savings over manual processes. Keynote comments assist management and detailers in tracking when and where certain keynotes should be used. As the project specs and modeling phases continue, the VisiSpecs Keynote Management provides fast and easy coordination checks tracking which keynotes have been assigned and which have been placed on the drawings.

All customers under subscription have access to the Keynote Management functionality which is integrated into all VisiSpecs licenses.

Those interested in learning more should visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to request the free trial, register for live webinars, read customer testimonials, and download product information.

About Chalkline, Inc.

Chalkline is the developer of VisiSpecs^®, a next-generation suite of applications to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs is a hybrid cloud solution, meaning its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. VisiSpecs is built on familiar applications already in use, resulting in minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications, and without a lengthy integration process. And for those that do use the model applications, VisiSpecs provides direct, integrated access to the project specifications and documentation. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.

Portland, Maine (January 22, 2019) – Chalkline has released a major update to VisiSpecs, The Visual Specification System. New publication, doc formatting, and additional BIM integration and collaboration tools lead the new functionality list. Chalkline is working closely with VisiSpecs users to improve efficiencies while adding new value add features.  Customers requesting product improvements or reporting issues are seeing a rapid turnaround with Chalkline’s rolling release schedule.

Chalkline has increased its market-leading BIM integration functionality in VisiSpecs v19 enabling Microsoft Word users to access Autodesk® Revit® BIM model data for integration, collaboration, and verification purposes.  VisiRevit includes a VisiSpecs Cloud Server sync of the model data including elements, materials, sheets, views, and type properties.  VisiWord users can then view and markup the sheets and views collaborating with the rest of the team and easily see a list of what has been added, removed, or changed in the BIM model since the last sync.  Non-Revit users can link the model elements and materials to the required specs directly in VisiWord, automatically insert the required specs, and verify the coordination of the production set of drawings and specs prior to submission reducing RFIs, addendums, and change orders.

Publication of the project manual includes new functionality with v19 such as new Table of Contents (TOC) templates and processing, automatic application of Page Layouts to all project docs, and easier management of PDF files imported into the project.  The new TOC templates are based on customer requests including issued and revised dates, project and document merge fields, page counts for all project files, and more control over the style format of the TOC doc.  The new TOC integration with Microsoft Word enables advanced style and formatting control in a familiar user application reducing the learning curve.

Users with large deployments across their enterprise will also see the requested project search capability and administrative control over external users and shared projects.  All users will appreciate a new local user settings storage container maintaining preferences and settings after a Windows, Word, or VisiWord software update.  VisiSpecs V19.0 also includes more help messages built into the applications reducing new user learning curve, better local file management, and improvements on the new user experience.  Customer input and priority assignment continue to be critical to Chalkline’s product development process.

Visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to learn more about VisiSpecs solutions, request a free trial, register for live webinars, read customer testimonials, and download product information.

About Chalkline, Inc.

Chalkline is the developer of VisiSpecs^®, a next-generation suite of applications to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs is a hybrid cloud solution, meaning its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. VisiSpecs is built on familiar applications already in use, resulting in minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications, and without a lengthy integration process. And for those that do use the model applications, VisiSpecs provides direct, integrated access to the project specifications and documentation. 

Autodesk^®, the Autodesk logo and Revit^® are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.

Portland, Maine (August 28, 2018) – Architectural Nexus, a full-service architectural firm, has selected VisiSpecs, The Visual Specification System, as its specification solution for its multiple studios and regional offices.

Architectural Nexus is a multi-disciplinary, people-driven design firm practicing throughout the western United States. By focusing on people rather than buildings, Arch Nexus designs projects and creates places that not only work well, but also help people be healthy, happy, and productive. Through purposeful design, people are inspired to achieve greatness and be more active stewards of the built and natural environments.

Architectural Nexus trialed VisiSpecs on a fast-track project to determine how easy it was to use and the time savings was significant over their current spec applications. The first project had such great success they immediately decided to follow up on a second project. Aaron Arbuckle, Principal at Architectural Nexus who oversees standards, confirmed the choice to rollout VisiSpecs stating, “After editing just two sections I found VisiSpecs was not only very easy to learn and use but also saved us hours of time in the editing and publishing process.”

Seamus McGrady, COO of Chalkline added, “our focus has always been on delivering easy-to-install, learn-and-use applications that have a fast return on investment. We are happy Architectural Nexus decided to give VisiSpecs a try and look forward to hearing more about their implementation and feedback on improving our applications and processes.”

The VisiSpecs Free 30-Day Trial allows ample time for clients to import their specification documents, learn to use the functionality and process, and even integrated with their BIM models. As VisiWord is a Microsoft Word Add-In, users are on a familiar application and simply learn to use the project management, doc editing, reporting, and publishing features.  VisiSpecs doesn’t require customers to change their BIM model or processes so linking the required specs to the model elements and materials is immediate. Customers can quickly understand the benefits and time-saving features using their documents and models making their decision to deploy an easy one.

Those interested in learning more should visit www.chalklineinc.com or email info@chalklineinc.com to request the free trial, register for live webinars, read customer testimonials, and download product information.

About Chalkline, Inc.

Chalkline is the developer of VisiSpecs^®, a next-generation suite of applications to visually document, coordinate, and verify BIM models and project specifications. VisiSpecs is a hybrid cloud solution, meaning its desktop and mobile applications store and access the model and specification data on the company's cloud servers for easy access and collaboration among distributed team members. VisiSpecs is built on familiar applications already in use, resulting in minimal training and setup time. Users can easily integrate their own masters and project documents with the project models to accomplish true BIM integration without learning to use complicated model applications, and without a lengthy integration process. And for those that do use the model applications, VisiSpecs provides direct, integrated access to the project specifications and documentation. 

Autodesk^®, the Autodesk logo and Revit^® are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. For more information, visit www.chalklineinc.com.