Trimble SysQue vs. Viewpoint Spectrum

For drawing plumbing where you are usually not needing any kind of taps it does really well. Once you become familiar with it, you can draw underground really quickly. Their water closet carrier families are great! Being able to draw a restroom skid with such a high level of detail is a definite plus. Also, being able to create point files easily since their hangers, floor drains, and cleanouts have the points embedded in them. For a small BIM department I think Trimble SysQue is a good option. They manage the database and you can send a request in for more content if it is needed. For larger BIM departments or people that are doing cloud spooling with Stratus or MSuite it becomes more problematic especially on the mechanical side with needing to use taps and the functionality of them being less than stellar. Larger BIM departments are usually able to have a person manage their database internally and that helps keep the content parameters consistent. Most MEP Fabrication content that I have used does very well with taps and the piping is able to be run quickly and does not need to be processed.

Incentivized

The Installation team is amazing. They provide clear guidance at the beginning of the process regarding what is expected and what needs to be done. The implementation manager follows up monthly with you to make sure you are on track and if you need additional help. They are very helpful and responsive in resolving issues.

Incentivized

• It allows Contractors to use Revit with Spooling functions.
• The database of millions of native Revit Families.
• Excellent support from Trimble.

Incentivized

• Job Costing - Viewpoint Spectrum handles job costing per project, per work order, per site, and gives us an up to date analysis of the project.
• HR - helps to keep all of the training certifications and HR incidents in a consistent and manageable order for all Managers to use.

Incentivized

• The ability to erase points that have been written to a TFL file would be a great addition.
• Fitting to fitting placement can act up from time to time.
• I think that the spooling can continue to improve.

Incentivized

• Support isn't readily available. You can submit a ticket and wait days before it's picked up. Even critical issues (system outages) can wait an hour or two before someone responds.
• Large companies will feel limited. This product wasn't designed to handle large amounts of data, and performance seems to slow when there are more than 80 concurrent users.
• The new developments are limited. HR Management is less robust than a third-party product specializing in HR Management. Viewpoint Analytics is nowhere near as robust as Power BI or Tableau.

Incentivized

The product is working for us and the cost to implement a new system does not warrant the expense.

Incentivized

There's a little bit of a learning curve, but once you've been working in the system for a while, it becomes second nature. I would say that out of all of the other software that I've personally used, Spectrum has been the easiest one to pick up and learn quickly

Incentivized

I've never seen Spectrum down

For the most part the product is very reliable. Since we are hosted we sometimes have connectivity issues but I would say that is more our ISP than Spectrum.

Incentivized

The support has recently changed. Last year, you could call in and get an immediate response. Now that doesn't seem possible unless you have an urgent situation with access to the software, payroll or payables. I have found that using chat or e-mail works nicely for the most part, but sometimes I feel it would be easier if someone from support would jump on our site and take a first-hand look rather than going back and forth

Incentivized

Our trainer was excellent and navigated the time zone differences expertly. She gave us test assignments to complete and was available for questions at any time.

Incentivized

My only insight would be to take time in your implementation and training process; ours was six weeks from start to finish.

Incentivized

Benchmark Fabrication MEP

Incentivized

I have previously used Sage Masterbuilder, another construction industry software. This has been a number of years ago. The company I am working for already had Spectrum and have been using it for as long as it has been around when it was known as Forefront. Based on conversations I've had with the personnel that were here at the time of purchase, Spectrum clicked off all the boxes they were looking for.

Incentivized

You can grant user specific access which is nice. Project managers do not need all the same modules as Accounting. But Accounting does need access to PM modules as well

• It has allowed us to produce high level detailed models
• It gives us the ability to produce point files that aid in a speedier layout process for the field.

Incentivized

• [In my opinion,] it takes at LEAST twice as long to do our jobs now.
• [I feel like] we are paranoid about something not being printed correctly because of [what I believe are] buggy text fields.
• [In my experience,] we still have to refer to a physical file cabinet with paper, even though a main point of switching was to go paperless.
• [In our experience,] screens can now be "locked", so we can't see something if our coworker is also looking at it.
• [I believe that] the financial hit our company took from this switch was astronomical. [In my opinion:] Beware!