- Why implement CAD Standards?
With the ever-increasing costs associated with
engineering, design and construction, many organizations
are looking for ways to reduce expenses and streamline
production workflows in order to complete projects
in a more timely and cost-effective manner. Millions
of dollars are spent every year to make corrections
to non-standard drawings, train new personnel in
the approved techniques for creating construction
drawings, coordinate the efforts of subcontractors
and remote teams, and to solve problems related
to plotting and drawing reproduction. For many organizations,
these routine, yet significant production impediments
continue to plague profits. As a result, the development
and implementation of CAD standards is increasingly
viewed as one of the most effective ways to reduce
operating costs and manage production.
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- What is NetSPEX, and how will it
help my organization?
NetSPEX is a CAD standards management software
product that works with AutoCAD and MicroStation,
developed by ProSoft. It provides a comprehensive
solution to the challenge of developing, managing,
and deploying CAD standards across an enterprise
with multiple sites, standards, and compliance checking
requirements. Using NetSPEX can improve drawing
production, quality, and control, while reducing
the demands on CAD administration and support.
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- What is the cost of NetSPEX?
A typical NetSPEX installation consists of one
copy of NetSPEX Central Server plus multiple
copies of NetSPEX Designer, based on the
maximum number of concurrent users. If the implementation
involves multiple sites, then NetSPEX Mirror
Server might also be installed on one or more
remote servers. NetSPEX Designer sells for $300
or less per license, based on quantity. NetSPEX
Central Server and Mirror Server will vary in cost
depending on the configuration. Two or three days
of installation, configuration, and training are
usually recommended.
NetSPEX can be purchased or leased, and
is also offered under a unique licensing option
known as deliverable workspaces,
designed for subconsultants and off-line users who
do not require CAD standards editing capabilities.
For purchasing information, please contact
us.
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- What is the advantage of storing
CAD standards in a database?
NetSPEX stores all standards information in a single
standards database - centralizing development, management,
documentation, and deployment.
Removing standards information from the CAD software
and placing it in a central repository where it
can be readily accessed and easily maintained eliminates
several administrative issues and costs.
- Standards are instantly available to AutoCAD
and MicroStation
- Standards are developed and managed in a secure
central location
- The same standards apply during production
and compliance checking
- Updates are deployed and synchronized enterprise-wide
automatically
- CAD standards documentation can be produced
and updated automatically
- CAD standards are stored in a flexible, non-proprietary
data format
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- What is the cost to purchase Microsoft
SQL Server?
There are several
SQL Server Purchasing Options listed on the
Microsoft web site. If you are looking at a minimum
requirement and don't anticipate using SQL Server
for anything other than NetSPEX, then you should
probably purchase SQL Server Standard Edition. Three
Standard Edition options are available:
Processor License - This option
allows you to install SQL Server on a single computer
and grant any number of devices or users unlimited
access rights.
Server Plus Device CALs - This
option requires a license for the computer running
SQL Server, as well as a client access license (CAL)
for each device that will access the server. This
option is ideal for 25 or fewer devices.
Server Plus User CALs - This option
requires a license for the computer running SQL
Server, as well as a client access license (CAL)
for each user that will access the server. This
option is ideal for 25 or fewer users.
Please refer to the
Microsoft SQL Server Licensing FAQ for more
information.
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- Will each NetSPEX user need access
to the SQL Server database?
No. NetSPEX Server uses a single user name and
password to connect to the SQL Server database.
However, Microsoft SQL Server licensing is based
on the number of users of the database, regardless
of how they are connected. Please refer to the Microsoft
SQL Server Licensing FAQ for more information.
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- How large is the NetSPEX standards
database?
The NetSPEX standards database generally consists
of custom standards created by you, your clients,
or adopted from commercially available standards.
The size of the database depends on the number of
standards being maintained and the number of disciplines,
drawing types, and components in each standard.
The complete
A/E/C CADD Standard, which is bundled with NetSPEX,
is approximately 32 MB, not including approximately
115 MB of templates, seed files, blocks, cells,
and other CAD resources for AutoCAD and MicroStation.
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- What is the A/E/C CADD Standard?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CADD/GIS Technology
Center developed the
A/E/C CADD Standard in order to reduce redundant
CAD standardization efforts among its federal partners.
The Standard is part of an initiative to consolidate
existing CAD drafting standards into a format generic
enough to operate under various CAD software packages
such as MicroStation and AutoCAD, and to incorporate
existing industry and national standards.
The A/E/C CADD Standard includes 14 disciplines
and 120 drawing types, plus hundreds of pre-defined
layer names and CAD resource files for both AutoCAD
and MicroStation. The A/E/C CADD Standard is available
at no cost from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
CADD/GIS Technology
Center.
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- Can I modify the A/E/C CADD Standard
in NetSPEX?
Yes. However, we would recommend that instead of
editing the A/E/C CADD Standard directly,
you create a dependent standard of your
own, based on the A/E/C CADD Standard. This way,
whenever you load an update to the A/E/C CADD Standard,
your dependent standard will synchronize
automatically.
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- Can I define my own CAD standards
in NetSPEX?
Absolutely. NetSPEX allows you to create and modify
multiple standards within a single
NetSPEX CAD standards database. With the click of
one button, these standards can be made available
for both AutoCAD and MicroStation users.
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- Do NetSPEX mirror servers require
a database installation?
No. A snapshot of the NetSPEX CAD standards database
is automatically synchronized from the Central Server
to the Mirror Server using XML data.
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- Can I use AutoCAD profiles with
NetSPEX?
Yes. Using an AutoCAD profile may be the best way
to activate NetSPEX with AutoCAD. By defining specific
configuration variables in your profiles, you can
define both the NetSPEX standard and the location
of its CAD resources.
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