Mouse-over buttons above for more information.

CMS AutoCAD

Benefits

The AutoCAD interface allows you to import or export CMS Bill of Material (BOM) data to or from an AutoCAD drawing. Productivity and accuracy are increased because duplication of data entry are limited. The interface supports releases up to AutoCAD2000.

Product Summary

This product provides a two-way interface between the BOM and the Inventory part master data stored in CMS and similar data contained within AutoCAD drawings.

Data can flow from CMS to an AutoCAD drawing (Export), or from an AutoCAD drawing to CMS (Import). The data flow is restricted to a specific BOM structure provided by CMS which is created within an AutoCAD drawing.

If the Assembly Part Number being imported into CMS does not exist in the CMS Part Master file, you are asked to set an "Acts Like Part Number" from a part that does exist in the CMS Part Master file. Part information from the "Acts Like Part Number" is copied to the new part. The CMS BOM is then generated from BOM information on the drawing.

Major Functionality

Exporting to AutoCAD

If you are creating a new part, or updating an existing part, exporting from CMS to a drawing ensures accurate CMS BOM information in your drawing. A two-step process is used to extract BOM and Part data from the CMS files and export that data into an AutoCAD drawing. The two steps are:

• Write the CMS data to an interim Attribute File (ASCII) that can be accessed from an AutoCAD drawing session.
• From within a drawing session, using the provided AutoLISP program, read the BOM/Part data from the interim Attribute File and create a BOM structure which contains that data as visible and non-visible attributes.

Importing from AutoCAD

A three-step process is used to extract BOM and Part data from an AutoCAD drawing file and import that data into the CMS system. The three steps are:

• Select and export the BOM structure to a first stage 'data' file (ASCII).
• Read the appropriate data file and write its contents to the Attribute File, which can be accessed by the CMS system to create BOM and Part data.
• Using the Attribute file, create the new BOM/Part in the CMS BOM Master and Part Master files.

The system writes an audit file report when data differ or change from expectations.

Other Functionality

Cross-reference files are provided to track which AutoCAD drawings contain specific Part/BOM data.

Also provided is a file of default BOM and Part information. It is used when incomplete data are being imported from a drawing's BOM structure.

Return to CMS Main Page