Newsletter

Speculations Newsletter Q4 2011 PDF





Director's Notes

David Furry, PE, CDT

As the Director of SpecText, let me welcome you to the first edition of Speculations. I hope you will find this newsletter informative and useful.

I recently joined ARCOM with almost 40 years in the engineering profession, primarily with large and small consulting firms in the water and wastewater disciplines. At SpecText, my prime responsibility is to oversee the updating of our existing specifications as well as the development of new specificiations. The first area of development will be site/civil (utilities) and water/wastewater equipment divisions. We are planning regular releases, so expect to see new as well as updated SpecText sections. Early in 2012 we will be releasing changes to some of our existing sections to comply with the latest edition of the MasterFormat (MF) numbering and titling system; we will continue to update our specifications to match future changes in MF. In addition, this update will include additional SpecText II (short form) specifications to supplement our existing library.

Our plan is to expand SpecText to provide wider coverage of the construction specifications you need. As we develop new engineering-oriented sections, SpecText will remain a resource for architectural and building-oriented specifications. In addition, our software productivity tools will continue to ease your workload by providing new and exciting features, as presented in other articles in this issue of Speculations.

As always, your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. If you have any technical questions regarding the specText specifications or how to apply then effectively, please don't hesitate to contact us. I look forward to hearing from you.





What's New with SpecText?
Tina Peek, SpecText Marketing Coordinator
with David Furry, PE, CDT

Since ARCOM acquired SpecText in March many positive changes have happened and starting very soon we've got some really exciting announcements! New enchancements like Masterworks 7.0 and SpecAgent for SpecText, a new easy-to-use website, new sections, and updates to Division 00 and 01 are just the beginning of the value coming to SpecText.

Masterworks 7.0

Masterworks 7.0 will be available this month to all licensed SpecText clients. These proven productivity tools brought to you by ARCOM for SpecText clients will be able to be used by both MasterSpec and SpecText users. Masterworks guides you through the specification production process with tools like:



  • New Project Wizard – Create folders and settings for project files systematically through folder set-up and decision-making processes.
  • New Specification Wizard – Create new sections formatted to be compatible with Masterworks.
  • New Format Template Wizard – Easily create and apply templates that coordinate and meet all your clients’ format requirements.

In addition, there are other useful tools:

  • Multi-File Tools – Apply Masterworks tools to multiple files simultaneously and simplify project specification production and management.
  • Single-File Tools – Modify documents quickly while maintaining the SpecText structure and formats.
  • Table of Contents – Automatically generate a customized Table of Contents.
  • Submittals Log – Generate reports and Submittals Logs.
  • More Note Capabilities – Create Editor’s Notes, Office Master Notes, and Project Notes to communicate more effectively and maintain ‘deep’ knowledge. All notes can be toggled on and off, printed or not printed.





SpecAgent

SpecAgent is a dynamically maintained database of manufacturers organized by product type. Offering 130% more manufacturers to choose from when specifying, SpecAgent provides context specific information related to each SpecText section. The Evaluation Shelf simplifies product research and the selection process and allows you to import your selections directly into the section text.



Division 00 and 01

SpecText Divisions 00 and 01 have recently been updated and will be released soon. Included in the updates are long-form, short-form and outline formats for all sections, as well as applicable Drawing Coordination Considerations. The primary focus of these updates includes:

  • Reorganization of topics according to MasterFormat 2011 requirements.
  • Updated coordination with AIA/EJCDC documents.
  • Expansion of documents/sections to accommodate additional requirements.




New SpecText Website

The new SpecText website will be easier to navigate and just like SpecText sections, the content is clear and streamlined. In addition, a few new pages will make finding what you need easier.






Nuts and Bolts
Susan Brown, SpecText Technical Support



Tip #1 - Using Masterworks with SpecText

To start using SpecText with Masterworks 7 you must first determine whether or not your SpecText sections have been customized for your office master or are still in their original unedited form.

Converting Unedited SpecText Sections
If your SpecText sections are in their original unedited state, you can simply replace those sections with the new SpecText sections you can download from the new SpecText website in November 2011.

Converting Customized SpecText Sections
If your SpecText sections have been customized to include information relevant to your firm’s projects for your office master, you must convert those SpecText sections to include the new styles needed for Masterworks. Use the Convert tool on the Masterworks tab in Microsoft Word to convert each section. Just open the SpecText specification section and click ‘Convert’. The section will automatically be changed to the Masterworks styles while leaving all of your custom edits and information intact.




Tip #2 – Creating a New Project Using SpecText and Masterworks 7

One of the three wizards provided in Masterworks 7 is the Project Wizard. This convenient tool walks you through the process of creating a new project using SpecText sections. Prompts along the way help you to set up your projects in a consistent, thorough, and efficient manner.

  • Set basic project preferences and formats
  • Record project team participant information
  • Set issue dates
  • Set up your project folder and subfolders
  • Set header and footer preferences
  • Set units of measure
  • Set table of contents preferences
  • Copy SpecText sections from your office master folder into your project folder
  • Run project tasks on all the sections in your project folder simultaneously
  • Create a customized project manual cover, flyleaf and table of contents

After you’ve set up your project, use Masterworks’ Single File or Multi-file tools to further edit the sections for the project manual.










Tip #3 – Using Masterworks’ Multi-file Tool for Section Formatting

Masterworks’ Multi-file tool allows you to run a suite of 18 different tools on multiple SpecText sections significantly reducing specification production time. One of the tools SpecText clients may find especially helpful is the Document Format Tool. This tool allows you to change every aspect of the section’s format by selecting the formatting option in the Document Format tool, modifying the choices provided, and then running the Multi-file tool on all or selected sections in a project folder. SpecText clients are provided with a context-sensitive help menu available from every Masterworks dialog box.













Client Spotlight

We’d love to hear about what is going on with your firm! Please tell us about a project you are working on, trends you see in your area of the world, disappointments and successes, or let us write a story about your company.

Speculations is delivered to SpecText clients as well as the AEC community!


Contact: Tina Peek
SpecText Marketing Coordinator
SpecText Support Center
608 S. Main St.
Bel Air MD 21014
tpeek@spectext.com










Thank you for taking time to read Speculations! If you have any questions or comments, please contact us:


                                                                             

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