Alchemy CAD2

The Project Data Management Solution
for the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Market.

From bidding on a project to completing the project to your customer's satisfaction, you generate and rely on a large amount of data in your day-to-day business. The data lives on PCs and in filing cabinets. Your project data is your key to being more competitive. But, how accessible is all of your data that lives in proposals, RFIs, drawings, and blueprints? Without a way to easily manage and access all the different types of information, how are you going to increase your staff's efficiency and decrease the amount of fragmentation within your business? The answer is Alchemy CAD2, an optional add-in module to Alchemy Gold/ Alchemy Premium, for capturing, indexing, searching, and viewing AutoCAD and MicroStation files.

Unfortunately, even in highly computerized environments, it's still difficult to quickly find all the information you need. With CAD documents, you may be able to find documents based on file name or date created, if you know it, but can you easily search for information contained within the actual drawings? With a complete Alchemy solution, you can.

Alchemy CAD2 captures, indexes and stores detailed information contained in AutoCAD and MicroStation files. Once this information is in an Alchemy Repository, you can easily search and find the information you need quickly. Alchemy CAD2 indexes the text, attributes, layers and blocks in AutoCAD and MicroStation files, and provides a runtime application for viewing and red-lining documents. All these details become elements that you can search on, increasing efficiency as you and your staff stop hunting for information in filing cabinets and on numerous PCs.

You can also use CAD2 and Alchemy to create CAD project repositories and distribute CAD files on CD to your vendors, partners and customers. The complete Alchemy solution can replace expensive, unreliable or inefficient storage and distribution methods such as paper, vellum, floppies, magnetic tape or filing cabinets/drawers.

CAD2 extends Alchemy's fast search and retrieval to AutoCAD and MicroStation files. You can find and view old drawings or revisions in seconds and search for data buried in a source file without running the original applications or complicated document managers. With Alchemy, you find answers fast and spend less time looking for information.

See Your Documents Your Way
When working with complex documents such as AutoCAD drawings and blueprints, CAD2's navigation and display tools help you find the information you need quickly.

Text Searches Even within Drawings
Locate drawings based on text strings in virtually any file-including CAD drawings, plot files, and office documents.

Zoom, Scale, & Rotate Images for Improved Viewing
Zoom to a defined area using the pointer. Set images to Fit to the window, 1:1 view, or Actual Size. Magnify and reduce the image. Rotate the view of your document.



Reference Window
Get a bird's-eye view of the active document with the floating Reference window. Move the crossed box to change the displayed area-excellent for navigating CAD drawings and large-format scanned images.

Easily Navigate Multipage Documents
CAD2 contains the standard page navigation commands, such as Next Page and Previous Page, so you can easily view multipage documents.

View Model & Paper Space Layouts
View the two primary spaces AutoCAD objects reside in, paper space---the area used to create a finished layout for printing or plotting---and model space---the area where most drafting and design space is completed. You can also view multi-layout drawings.

Make Revisions and Communicate Them Concisely, Easily, & Quickly
Communicate document revisions using CAD2's customizable markup tools. Commonly referred to as red-lining, revisions are often used to indicate engineering change orders (ECO), to record comments, or to highlight specific data.

Markup Tools
CAD2's markup tools make it easy for project members to work together by allowing them to add notes and view each other's notes. CAD2's markup tools range from standard geometric shapes to custom symbols. Set default colors, line widths, fills, and fonts for each layer, or for each markup tool.

Output and Route Documents Any Way You Want
Share and distribute your documents easily with CAD2 via fax, e-mail or printout to any Windows-supported printer.

Printing
With CAD2 you can print accurate designs to any device that has a Windows print driver, including large format plotters. CAD2 supports typical print options, such as number of copies and page range. CAD2 also incorporates a true Pen Mapping architecture.



e-Mailing
Through Alchemy, CAD2 can connect with any MAPI compliant e-mail program, such as Microsoft Mail, Exchange, Messaging, or Outlook. You can e-mail documents as an attachment internally or via the Internet.

Benefits

• Improve internal efficiencies by reducing the time employees spend looking for information contained in CAD drawings as well as information in supporting documentation
• Make better business decisions by considering all of the data regarding a particular topic because Alchemy and CAD2 make all of the data readily accessible
• Realize the benefits of CAD2 quickly. CAD2 works with the AutoCAD and MicroStation files stored on your systems, so you don't have to modify the files to benefit from an Alchemy and CAD2 solution
• Improve the service you provide to your partners and customers by shortening delays associated with locating and reproducing documents that are otherwise stored in filing cabinets. With Alchemy, you can e-mail or print any document, so you can address inquires immediately
  

Features Overview

• Supports files created with AutoCAD 2000 and earlier and MicroStation, including creating and saving redlines
• Indexes the data in the file automatically including text, attributes, tags, values, layers and blocks
• Resolves Xref links to insure that all print files and objects are included with the drawing file
• Lets you turn layers off and on and view print or model space
• Displays AutoCAD layouts
• Prints to Windows-supported printers