|
Duty of the CAD Manager
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA
— When facing tough deadlines, it's often
the CAD manager who takes responsibility for getting a project
completed on time. CAD managers have been known to go to great
lengths — from extensive MicroStation training for users
to pulling all-nighters — to avoid costly project delays.
Always in the forward-thinking CAD manager's corner, MicroStation
Productivity Toolkit offers a multitude of software programs
to boost everyday user productivity, as well as tools to automate
time-draining modifications that need to be performed in bulk.
This article highlights some of the MicroStation Productivity
Toolkit components that can increase the quality of work
of any MicroStation-using design team, and thus increase the
peace of mind of the CAD manager.
RefWriter
RefWriter offers MicroStation users the unique ability
to instantly modify any reference file they wish with a single
mouse-click. When using RefWriter, a MicroStation user
can double-click on any element in a reference file and make
that reference file active. RefWriter makes the master
file a reference file and reattaches all the reference files
so that all the same elements are displayed as before switching
into the reference file. RefWriter utilizes the master
files' view, reference, level and tool settings when the reference
file is made active. That way, the portion of the reference
file that the user needs to edit is readily available and
the user eliminates the need to modify the view with fit,
zoom in or zoom out in order to find the elements that need
to be modified. The view looks exactly as it did before, only
now the reference file is the active file. The user can now
update or modify the reference file and use one mouse click
to return to the master file, again with no change in how
the view looks.
Microsoft Office Importer
For users who import Excel spreadsheets or Word documents
into their design files, Microsoft Office Importer
is an invaluable program. Microsoft Office Importer
enables MicroStation users to import and link nearly unlimited
quantities of spreadsheet and word processing data into MicroStation
with ease, precision formatting and reliability. On one test,
Microsoft Office Importer had no problem pasting a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing 14 columns and 700
rows of data with a single paste.
 |
| Always have your imported spreadsheet
data synchronized with the source Excel file. Microsoft
Office Importer can automatically update your pased
information when you open the design file. |
Microsoft Office Importer
allows the linked data in the MicroStation file to be
updated automatically each time it is opened or on command
from the user. Also, Microsoft Office Importer provides total
formatting control of the elements it creates in MicroStation.
Elements like grid lines, text size, italics, bolding, underline,
line spacing and other visual aspects of the spreadsheet or
word processing file being placed are retained upon importing
and are maintained after updates.
SpecChecker
The purpose of SpecChecker is to ensure design file
consistency by detecting, reporting and automatically correcting
elements that do not comply with project, client or company
CAD standards. SpecChecker will save you hundreds or
thousands of hours of tedious proofreading and improve the
quality of your design files.
The user simply tells SpecChecker to automatically
generate a "rule file" (file SpecChecker uses
to determine on-standard element criteria) from a design file
that already meets the CAD standards. Then, using the rule
file, SpecChecker checks any number of design files
and shows the user all the elements that do not comply with
the rules. Better yet, SpecChecker will automatically
correct the errors it finds.
Carefully proofing a single large design file can take a human
proofreader hours or days. SpecChecker can do the same
job in seconds catching every violation with no mistakes.
SpellCheckerPlus
SpellCheckerPlus can check and correct all text elements in
the active design file, in all cells and in all reference-file
elements. In addition, SpellCheckerPlus uses an advanced
file-locking system that lets MicroStation users share a project
dictionary over the network. Users can add any word to their
own personal dictionary or to a shared project dictionary.
This feature eliminates the wasted time of having to re-enter
words already entered by another project member. SpellCheckerPlus
is delivered with robust English and Spanish dictionaries.
SpellCheckerPlus automatically zooms in on each potential
misspelling it finds so users can see the full visual context
of each suspected error. SpellCheckerPlus automatically handles
view rotation and dialog box placement so that your view of
the text being checked is never obscured.
RefManager
Using RefManager is the fastest way to manipulate,
debug, organize and control your MicroStation reference file
attachments. RefManager specializes in the manipulation
of reference file levels. RefManager has the ability
to control and standardize the display of levels in project
reference file attachments for one or all project master files
and the ability to change level symbology for all attachments
in all project master files in one processing run.
In addition, RefManager's reports provide an overview
of vector and raster reference file attachments in any number
of design files. Having these reports allows anyone to quickly
determine the exact status of an entire project's attachments
or figure out how the hundreds of project files are interrelated.
|
| RefManager's Cross-Reference
Report lets users know which design files are refernced
to which master files. |
Ever forget to include a
reference file along with a project submission? Is allocating
time for staff to manually verify that all reference files
are included in a submission to a client part of the routine?
Instead of hoping all references are included in a submission,
RefManager's Missing Attachments report can immediately
identify missing attachments in one or all master design files
long before the drafting team is seeing "red" (missing
attachments) in MicroStation's References dialog.
Empower Yourself!
Every MicroStation CAD manager or team leader should be familiar
with all the solutions available to increase the quality and
quantity of output of his design team.
By learning about Axiom's MicroStation Productivity Toolkit,
the CAD manager will empower himself with the information
needed to solve almost any MicroStation problem or emergency
that may arise to threaten project submittal.
Call now!
To schedule a one-on-one online demonstration
about how MicroStation
Productivity Toolkit can help your site increase their
productivity and save time while working in MicroStation,
contact an Axiom MicroStation Consultant today! Call 727-442-7774
extension 9511, e-mail 9511@AxiomInt.com.
« Back
|
