Protecting your Professional Seal in a Revit Project

[lee.imbimbo]

So I have a Construction Document Sheet Family.  I have a Professional Seal Family.  So the separate families aren't an issue.  what I'm trying to resolve is the correct way to insert my seal into a project without just making it available for mass publications everytime my project gets distributed to all the different consultants and contractors.

In AutoCAD this was easy.  I just made the seal an XREF and never sent out the seal block with my sheets.  So if I printed in house on my server than the seal would be there, but if the documents were shared between consultants or with the Owner it wouldn't be distributed.

But in Revit I don't see a direct correlation to this.  If I use an image than the image is in the project and goes with the project.  If I use a Family, than the family is in the project.  Either way the seal isn't protected from distribution, and now my professional seal (which I'm charged with protecting) is available for mass publication and easily distributed when I put out a project.

Is there any way to have a seal in a project, without it being in a project unless that family is sent with it?

[David_Knight]

There is nothing you can do to protect it, at least that I am aware of.

Our office doesn't worry about it because anyone can go get a family with a state seal in it, and just change the license and name information and use it if they wanted to.

[ToanDN · Accepted solution]

When you need to send the model out, edit the titleblock family and delete the seal and reload it.  When done, go back to the family, undo to restore the seal and reload it.

Would I do it for our models?  No.  1st - anyone (stupid enough) can fabricate anyone else's stamp if they really want to ; 2nd - it is not the middle-age anymore, a stamp alone has a little value come proving who is the actual author.

[SteveKStafford · Accepted solution]

Some firms add the seal via their plotter, those that have the technical option.

[RobDraw]

Agreed. Put the stamp on the output, not in the model.

[dgorsman]

As noted, someone could likely find a template of the stamp and put your name/number on it anyways.

Update your contract details and internal process documentation to specify what is considered a "document of record" (who knows, maybe it's already there).  Just having the stamp shape should not be considered an official document; instead, only a file (hard copy or scanned PDF) with a wet-ink signature should be considered "stamped".  If you don't like hand cramps then specify a requirement for digitally signed files (typically PDF).  Also ensure the contract specifies what constitutes hand-over of official documents, and that the client acknowledges the hand-over.  That way if anything changes later it cuts down on arguments as to what is "official".

[SteveKStafford]

I meant to add earlier that Bluebeam can place a stamp too? That way if you print to PDF via Bluebeam and then send PDF's to a plotter or service the stamp is never really part of the model environment.

[andybrack]

Both Steve and Toan's solutions are good ones. Never allowing the seal to become part of the model for the long term is the best practice.  Production staff at my firm have expressed displeasure with having to delete the seal from the titleblock family, then reload it again at a later date as they feel it is duplicated effort. So, electronic stamping in Bluebeam is a good way to maintain control of the seal and only stamp what you need.  Fundamentally, the seal should only be provided on documents being submitted to review agencies and for contractual modifications.

Recently my firm had a project in a jurisdiction that has gone to full electronic submissions (no more paper copies or signatures).  However, the downside was that the jurisdiction also required an electronic seal & signature that is certified by a 3rd party using PKI authentication. We had to hire a vendor that could provide the digital certificate and issue the confirmed key in order to stamp / seal the documents so affixing the seal had to be done after we printed the PDFs from Revit.  Has anybody else experienced this?

Andy

[ToanDN]

Yon can Digitally signed a PDF with a stamp and a hand signature graphic in Bluebeam or Adobe Acrobat or most of the pro PDF software. Most of the agencies we work with do not require wet sign anymore.

[lee.imbimbo]

I regularly use Acrobat Pro for my signature, I guess I honestly hadn't thought about just uploading the seal as a signature item.  But I think I like the idea.

To be fair, as someone else said above, faking a digital seal these days is extremely easy, I mean I guess it only took me an hour to make mine for insert into Revit, so maybe I'm just being more paranoid than I need to be.

[Anonymous]

new to this new state new seal

here we are in digital world

now we have to be real careful who get ahold of what -seal

process in multi software versions

not to mentions fast - needs of clients

how did we get here

we are architects and engineers

yet no one cares why we do what we do

the reasons

IT has forgotten us and forsaken us the user which has to be  have clean to work

all back round checks 

all yet we seem to be at bottom of list or endeavors

let us get this done soon 

[Anonymous]

new to this new state new seal

here we are in digital world

now we have to be real careful who get ahold of what -seal

process in multi software versions

not to mentions fast - needs of clients

how did we get here

we are architects and engineers

yet no one cares why we do what we do

the reasons

IT has forgotten us and forsaken us the user which has to be  have clean to work

all back round checks 

all yet we seem to be at bottom of list or endeavors

let us get this done soon 

[Anonymous]

amazing they let me post this wow

working on it will let you know today

[RobDraw]

What's concerning is that you posted it. This thread has two viable solutions for you to choose from.