March 25, 2008 - Santa Ana, CA – CADnection announced the availability of extended reference file management capabilities. The CADnection product forms a seamless integration between Autodesk’s AutoCAD and Microsoft SharePoint - a suite of server-based capabilities for data sharing, content management, and business process acceleration.The new capabilities combine the power of SharePoint’s content management platform with an extended data structure specifically designed for treating AutoCAD reference files. This added integration enables users to ensure the data integrity of AutoCAD drawings and reference file relationships coupled with visibility into these relationships both in and out of the AutoCAD application.
“Making changes to reference files has been an age-old problem, since it may produce unforeseen consequences in other project files,” says Richard Bourke, Principal Consultant, Bourke Consulting Associates. “CADnection leverages the power of SharePoint and allows users to quickly understand where a file is used as well as what a file is composed of at multiple indented levels. This becomes a huge time saver and productivity too.”As users check-in drawings into SharePoint, CADnection automatically establishes or updates drawing and reference file relationships accordingly.
The new integration feature now shows the “where-used” and “composed-of” relationships for any given drawing through multiple levels.In addition to managing the reference file relationships, CADnection ensures complete file integrity during the check-out and check-in processes. During the check-out process, users have the option to copy reference files out with the primary file and set lock or unlock flags. During the check-in process, CADnection analyzes the drawing and updates the reference file relationships. The information is immediately visible to other users in SharePoint.
“Companies have been telling us that managing reference files are one of their primary concerns,” David Wolfe, CMO of CADnection says, “As users work on drawings day in and day out, invariably someone returns a drawing to the wrong folder, misspells, or renames a file that ultimately breaks links. With CADnection, organizations are able to extend their SharePoint environment to AutoCAD and ensure the integrity of drawings and relationships with reference files.”Application of CADnection’s reference file management and visibility capabilities also benefits non-CAD users. In combination with SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities, organizations can establish change-management processes that permit users to assess the impact of change without direct access to AutoCAD.
About CADnection
CADnection was founded in early 2007 with the express mission of delivering a high quality, feature-rich AutoCAD / SharePoint integration that would be easy to implement at low cost. It operates as a business unit of the vdR Group, Inc. The people behind the solution have more than 15 years of experience integrating Autodesk products as well as other engineering data and content management-oriented applications.The features and functionality of CADnection are reflected in the solution's ease of use, configurability, and native application technology. CADnection focuses on getting the best out of AutoCAD and SharePoint, with non-disruptive implementations, quick deployments and improved productivity.
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