When working with large-scale projects involving thousands of CAD details, it can be easy to lose track of these details without a designated management system in place. Oftentimes, working without a management system can result in wasted resources and time across multiple teams. Aiming to solve this problem once and for all, Mill Creek Systems recently launched the third generation of its CAD Detail Explorer detail management toolbox for architects, engineers and project managers.
The Windows desktop program, which can be used with or without a desktop CAD editor, is built with user-friendliness in mind and makes managing search, preview, insert and the opening of CAD details a streamlined process. Users can search through hundreds or thousands of files with keyword searches, while previewing is made possible by creating a searchable text index and Autodesk DWF preview files of each CAD detail. For those working on limited screen real estate, the dialog window and search panes are resizable for optimizing screen space.
Notable features of CAD Detail Explorer include:
- Full text search of all details with simple or complex queries and ranked search results
- Drill-down search through existing detail directory structure
- High-resolution vector preview of CAD details with full pan and zoom
- Interactive placement in CAD editor of standard CAD details
- Print CAD detail
“We were looking for a solution to be able to quickly find CADD details for projects,” explained architect and project manager Jonathan Clark of California-based SDG Architects, Inc. “The problem was we couldn’t find details quickly enough, even if we knew they existed, and therefore we would end up drawing details over because it was quicker than spending all of the time searching for them.”
“With CAD Detail Explorer, we now have the ability to quickly text search all of our (several thousand) indexed details and view/print them independently of CADD software,” Clark continued.
The first generation of the CAD Detail Explorer management solution was released by Mill Creek Systems in 2005. The software supports both AutoCAD and MicroStation CAD editors. Those interested can find out more about system specifications and pricing by heading over to the Mill Creek Systems website.