You connect Bentley ProjectWise and Bluebeam with a CDE integration that sends drawings from ProjectWise into Bluebeam for review and brings reviewed sets back into ProjectWise with the right attributes, revision and status. CDE Sync™ links both platforms through dedicated accounts, maps document attributes between them and logs every transfer.
Why design checking crosses two platforms
ProjectWise is where many engineering consultants and owners control design files, with attributes, workflow states and folder structures that reflect their standards. Bluebeam is where many of the same drawings are checked, marked up and approved by engineers, checkers, clients and builders.
Moving drawings between the two is often manual. An engineer exports the current drawing from ProjectWise, uploads it for review, and the marked-up set is later downloaded and checked back in. When external reviewers are involved, the process repeats for each party. Missed steps mean reviewing a superseded drawing, or comments that never reach the controlled record.
What carries across between ProjectWise and Bluebeam
CDE Sync™ synchronises drawings, documents and metadata between ProjectWise and Bluebeam. Document number, revision and status are mapped between the two, so a drawing reaching a review state in ProjectWise can move to the right Bluebeam location, and the reviewed set can return correctly described. Every transfer is logged, giving a clear record of the review history.
The Bentley ProjectWise and Bluebeam integration pages describe each connector.
How to connect ProjectWise and Bluebeam, step by step
Map the review process: which ProjectWise states send drawings to review and where reviewed sets return.
Agree the folders and document types that move in each direction.
Arrange a ProjectWise service account and a dedicated Bluebeam service account.
Connect both platforms in the CDE Sync™ wizard and select source and destination locations.
Map document number, revision, status and any attributes reviewers need to see.
Set triggers and the schedule, for example when a drawing enters a check state.
Run a test review cycle on a small set and confirm attributes and revisions on both sides.
Supporting formal design checks
Many consultants run formal check and approve processes before drawings are issued, sometimes required by the client or by their own quality system. Connecting Bluebeam to ProjectWise lets those checks happen in the tool reviewers prefer, while the evidence returns to the controlled environment. Reviewed sets and their outcomes sit beside the drawing in ProjectWise, which makes quality audits much simpler.
It helps to agree how marked-up sets are stored once a check closes. Some teams keep the marked-up PDF as a related document, while others keep only the revised drawing. Our article on connecting Bluebeam to your CDE covers review cycles in more detail.
The same configuration can include other platforms. If the builder works in Procore or the client in Aconex, drawings issued after checking can flow to them as well, so one connected workflow serves design, review and issue without separate integrations for each.
A common question is who owns the connection once it is live. In most firms the document controller or BIM coordinator looks after it, because CDE Sync™ is configured through a wizard instead of code. They watch a short exceptions report, adjust mappings when standards change and add new folders as the project grows. No developer time is needed to keep reviews moving, which matters on long projects where the review process itself evolves as design stages progress.
Security for design data
Design drawings for transport, energy, water and aviation assets can be sensitive. CDE Sync™ streams files directly between ProjectWise and Bluebeam without storing them, encrypts data in transit and processes it in the Azure region you choose. Utopia Digital holds SOC 2 Type II and Cyber Essentials. See the Security Trust Portal and the global data region map.
ProjectWise, Bluebeam and the Utopiaverse™
A ProjectWise to Bluebeam connection is part of the Utopiaverse™, the connected record Utopia Digital builds across your platforms. CDE Sync™ keeps review and design control aligned, CDE Backup™ keeps an independent copy in your own Azure, CDE Migrate™ handles moves onto or off ProjectWise, and CDE Archive™ captures the record at completion. AI Insights searches drawings and design content together, with answers that cite the source files. See also How Do I Connect Bentley ProjectWise and Autodesk Forma? and How Do I Connect Oracle Aconex and ProjectWise?
See ProjectWise and Bluebeam connected in the monthly live demo, or talk to the team about your review process.
