Data Access, Review & Markup

Part of the CAD Broker™ family of applications, Drafting Apprentice is based on new technology that allows direct access to and manipulation of CAD data in its native database format.

Enterprise Data Distribution

Enterprise wide access of engineering information is becoming more critical every day. Shortened time to market, increased competitive pressures, supplier process integration, and dozens of other issues all require increased access to CAD data across the extended enterprise. With increasingly complex databases pushing the limits of file size and user knowledge, more and more companies are turning to Drafting Apprentice™ for distributing 2D drawing data generated in their CAD software.

Direct Data Access

Drafting Apprentice provides an efficient, intuitive method of providing native access to drawing files generated in engineering design systems. No drawing conversion is required and access to native drawing data insures efficient distribution and maintenance of data integrity.

Drafting Apprentice was designed with both the technical and nontechnical user in mind. The intuitive user interface provides easy access for the novice; yet, the depth of the application provides functionality useful to even the most sophisticated CAD veteran.

Integrated View and Markup

The drawing review and approval process can be greatly simplified using the integrated markup feature of Drafting Apprentice.  Drawing review and change notations can easily be added using standard text and markup capabilities, allowing users to make reference to specific portions of the drawing needing change or revision. Simple geometric features provide the ability to easily add graphic notations, highlight areas of concern, and markup the drawing. Graphic primitives such as lines, arrows, circles, and boxes, are all easily accessible through the standard Microsoft Windows interface.

Multi-user, multi-layer red lining is also supported and includes the use of colors, names, and layers, which are defined by each user. During the review process, users have the ability to review the various notations of others, examining both information on the drawing and additional information provided through the non-graphic attributes of the layers. Non-Graphic markup features include information on the reviewer, review date, as well as additional comments.

Intuitive Drawing Manipulation

Developed using standard Windows menuing practices provides users with an interface that is and natural easy to use. Drawing manipulation is intuitive and uses standard nomenclature for pans, zooms and view orientation. Users immediately feel comfortable and familiar with the application, making it appealing to more people, shortening the learning curve, and reducing training.

In addition to drawing manipulation, users also have access to all of the entity and attribute information on the drawing, allowing them to access and directly obtain detailed information from the drawing files.  An advanced verification feature provides access to detailed information about each of the entities on the drawing. Review features include entity information, the ability to measure entity attributes (angles, lines, radii, and diameters), information on layering, and entity visualization settings such as color.

Interactive measurement is provided and supports the following capabilities:

• Length of entity or curve

• Point to point measurements

• Entity to entity measurements

• Point to entity measurements

In addition, an extensive entity filter is provided which allows for precise selection by end points, center points, arbitrary points on entities, and in spatial locations.

Legacy Data Access

As in every engineering environment, native access to CAD data is only a small element of the data distribution problem. Access to data from archives of hand drawings stored in TIFF format, or legacy CAD data archived in HPGL often times represent a significant challenge to successful data distribution.

Drafting Apprentice supports TIFF, HPGL, and other generic formats, so incorporating legacy design data is as easy as viewing your present-day CAD information.

Standards Based

CAD Centric's applications, such as Drafting Apprentice, are well thought out and completely integrated with the Windows environment. They are based on industry standards in order that they may evolve and grow as technology advances. Because of this approach, future growth and flexibility are built in, insuring that new application features can be added quickly and easily.

The result is an application with broad data accessibility; that's user friendly and easy to use; and can grow with technology and user needs.

Drafting Apprentice provides an ideal method of sharing information with suppliers integrated product solution.