Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD

Bringing Drawings into Archibus Projects

You may already have facility information in CAD drawings that you produced with other packages, such as AutoCAD, Visio, or Actrix. You can use these CAD drawings with the Archibus Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD, as long as the drawings are in .DWG format.

For example, you might have received from your builder or landlord a CAD drawing that outlines a floor's walls, structural columns, and gross area outline. Using this drawing's information as a starting point, you can now add your Archibus facilities data.

Note: If you are working with Archibus on a SaaS deployment, see CAD and BIM on SaaS Deployments

Note: You can set or change the information for a drawing at any time by selecting its entry from the Drawing List and clicking Properties to access the Drawing Properties form.

To bring a non-project drawing into Archibus

  1. Move the DWG-format drawing to your project directory, such as \Users\Public\Archibus\projects\HQ-Sybase\drawings. This drawings directory for a project is specified by the drawingsFolderForSmartClient option in afm-projects.xml.
  2. Sign in to the Archibus Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD, which opens the Archibus project specified in the sign-in form.
  3. In the Explorer pane in the left, select the Drawings tab.
  4. On the Drawing List, click Add. The program presents the Drawing Properties dialog box.  Complete the options as follows:
    5. Option Description
    File Name Browse for the drawing you want to add to the project
    Title Enter a descriptive name. The program uses this name in the Drawing List dialog box and on reports
    Building Code This option specifies the building in which the content of this drawing resides. Click on the ellipses button to access a list of defined buildings. If you have not yet defined your buildings, you can choose the Add New button to define one now
    Floor Code

    This option specifies the floor that this drawing represents. Click on the ellipses button to access a list of floors defined for the building selected above. If you have not yet defined your floors, you can click the Add New button to define a floor for the selected building now.

    The Building Code and Floor Code options form the drawing's default space hierarchy values. For information, see Using Default Space Hierarchy Values.
    Units

    Enter whether the drawing's units are Metric or imperial.

    • If the drawing is Imperial, the units are shown as Inches.
    • If the drawing is metric, the units are shown as Meters, Centimeters, or Millimeters. If you choose Metric, select the measurement unit (meters, millimeters, or centimeters) for one drawing unit.
    Height and Width Enter the height and width used for reporting for both letter and tabloid sizing.
  5. Click OK and the program adds the drawing to the project's Drawing List. You can then click Open from the Drawing List to display this drawing in the Archibus Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD.

See also

CAD and BIM on SaaS Deployments

Prepare Drawings for Archibus video (8:06)

Start from a Scanned Drawing video (13:54)