Three Construction Applications You Can Only Get on the iPad

July 5, 2022 - Anyone that really knows me may be surprised by the title of this article, since I am a diehard Android fan. No, nothing has changed. I am not about to jump ship and get an iPhone, and this is not meant to be a referendum on which is better (Android). However, there are three really important apps that are only available on the Apple platform, and for these applications it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon.

One of these three applications has had an iPad version for years, but has never published an Android version. The other two applications are limited to the iPhone and iPad due to hardware issues, which will also probably not change any time to soon (if ever).

Bluebeam for the iPad

I created a course to teach people how to use Bluebeam on the iPad back in 2018. There have actually been very few major updates to the application since then, which is a testament to the application's stability and usefulness right out of the gate. If you use Bluebeam Revu on your desktop or laptop and you have an iPad, you should really consider spending the $10 (US) on this app. As I have spoken about many times in the past, one of the big limitations of Bluebeam Revu is the fact that it uses a licensing methodology that ties it to a particular machine, rather than a specific user. This means that even if you have something like a Microsoft Surface Tablet that you can bring to the field, you will have to purchase a second license (at a cost of $349-$599) if you already have Revu installed on another device.

Bluebeam Revu for the iPad is the answer. You get a full featured, tablet friendly, and inexpensive version of Revu that you can load and update directly from the app store. It works great, retains Revu’s markup list feature, lets you scale and markup drawings, and you can even access Bluebeam Studio to sync from Studio Projects or participate in a Studio Session. Yes, there are a few tricks to using the application, and few things that are a little different than the desktop version, but they are easy to pick up and the application is very field friendly. I talked about craft workers using the iPad version in the field to eliminate paper drawings in my Construction Management: Technology on the Jobsite course, and you can learn Bluebeam for the iPad in my course on LinkedIn Learning.

NIOSH Sound App

I have an acute awareness of the dangers of excessive noise in the workplace due to a constant ringing in my ears that developed decades ago during my time running a jack hammer. Back in those days there was little awareness or discussion about safety and health on the job site. I was not issued any PPE, no one did a hazard assessment, and the equipment to measure noise levels would have been expensive and certainly not readily available. That is no longer the case.

Using this free application, developed by NIOSH and available in the app store, you can turn your Apple device into a full featured sound meter that rivals even the most expensive professional devices. The reason it is not available on Android devices is that there are too many different hardware configurations. Since the hardware and operating system (microphones and sound processors) are controlled by a single entity (Apple), NIOSH was able to tune this application so that the results are consistent and accurate enough to rely on in the field.

Using this application and a little bit of training, it becomes very easy to measure sound levels in your work environment to determine when hearing protection or other preventative measures are needed to protect your hearing. I am told the ringing in my ears will never go away. There is no real treatment. Don’t let this happen to you, or others in your workplace, when a free app can evaluate the noise levels and recommend effective corrective action. Also, don’t forget that the damage caused by noise is cumulative, so its not just the noise level, it’s the length of exposure to that noise, and this app takes that into consideration.

Canvas - Scan to 2D CAD or 3D BIM

This one is a commercial application, and it does cost money depending on the features you need. The quick description of this application is that it uses the LIDAR hardware now being included on the Pro versions of the iPhone and the iPad to enable the user to quickly scan a room and output a measurable plan of that room that is almost comparable to the results of a laser scan that requires a significant investment in hardware and training.

There are some caveats here. First, I said its “almost” comparable. Currently, you are not going to achieve the same millimeter accuracy of a laser scanner that costs thousands of dollars. The developer describes the accuracy as being within 1-2% of what's verified manually with a tape measure, which is incredible for a free app that installs on a device you might already be carrying around anyway.

Think about the implications here. If you carry around an iPhone anyway, and you go out into the field as an AEC professional, put this on your phone! It gives you the ability to immediately stand in the middle of a room, snap a few shots, and you end up with a scalable 360 degree image of the room! Had to reroute some of the electrical and need to capture the information for redlines? Scan the room and you have everything you need. Need to capture as built conditions before the drywall covers everything up? This is even better than 360 degree images. Its actually a 360 degree image, but its scalable anytime because it is actually generating the same type of point cloud as a full fledged laser scan. And you can do it yourself, or you can upgrade to submit your scan for output in 2D or 3D.

Be aware that the level of output is dependent on how much you pay. Just need an image that can be scaled? That’s free. Want it converted to .pdf, .dwg, .rvt, or .ifc? Click a button to send it to Canvas and they will send the completed output back to you (for a fee). You can read more about the details and the fees here.

Also, be aware that Apple has recently rolled out a new developer tool called RoomPlan that makes it even easier for developers to create scanning apps.

So, Will I Get an iPad?

As much as it pains me to say it, I might. With some of these very professional, high-end applications available only on Apple devices its getting harder and harder to stay out of that ecosystem. Will I abandon my Android phone – no. Will I add an iPad to my tech arsenal? We will see. With exclusive applications that can have an immediate positive impact on safety, quality, and productivity there are some definite justifications. For those that already have an iPad Pro and are in #Architecture, #Engineering, #Construction, Facilities Management, Warehousing, or even #Manufacturing, consider installing these apps now.

Do you have any other applications that have a positive impact on the industry? Let me know in the comments below. Know others that would be interested? Please share this newsletter with them.

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