Multiple users one drawing

[MPI-crusher]

Hi,

 

Using full AutoCAD 2004 and I would like to find out if it's possible for multiple users to share one drawing, without xrefs, and then both save and have AutoCAD update new geometry from each user into the one file. The whole xref thing looks like a nightmare, and my boss is adamant about not using them. I was just wondering if AutoCAD (or some other package out there??) could do this. One of our drawings might contain 20 widgets in model space, and each widget might have a few layout paperspace tabs (up to a few dozen total). One person could modify widget #5, say, while I modify widget #10. Ideally, when we both save AutoCAD would add geometry from both of us to the original drawing. Couldn't find anything like this "out there" or in the forums here, and I'm probably chasing a ghost. Oh well. Oh, in case it matters, everything's 2D, basically just board drafting with a computer.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Cad64]

What you're describing can be easily done with Xref's. You would have a Master Drawing with Widget #5 and Widget #10 xref'd in. Then your co-worker can work on his drawing and you can work on your drawing and when you're finished, a simple save will update the Master Drawing.

 

Think of it this way. Can two people drive a car at the same time? If you, and your passenger, both have a steering wheel, brake and gas pedal, how on earth are you both going to drive the car at the same time? But you can both drive your own cars, and when you arrive at your destination, you can both park in the same garage.

 

Make sense?

[ReMark]

I believe that if you and your workmate tried to edit a single drawing at the same time, one of you would have to open the drawing as "read only" which would making editting and saving those changes problematic. AutoCAD is not set up to have concurrent editting sessions.

[MPI-crusher]

Thanks for the confirmation ReMark, it's pretty much what I expected. While I believe that there are other packages out there (probably proprietary to a single huge company like Boeing) that do have concurrent editing, I've never seen anything about it being available in AutoCAD. My company makes large pieces of mill equipment (up to a couple dozen per job/drawing) and I kind of think that they are pushing the envelope in terms of what they are expecting out of their CAD package, and will probably need to update to something a little beefier in the near future. Unfortunately, the way their system was set up kind of precludes using xrefs since we really need to have all the "widgets" in one drawing while we're working since they all go together in a super assembly. Of course, if the "system" had been set up for xrefs from Day One...

[Patrick Hughes]

If your company is serious about this capability then look into AutoCAD MAP which as it's name implies is geared toward mapping. However it has some powerful and useful tools to do exactly what you are asking for, allowing multiple users to work on the same drawing at the same time. I work in machine design and use MAP. You would want to get some training on it.

 

You might also consider moving to 3d for the type of work you describe.

[ReMark]

AutoCAD MAP 3D is geared towards users who have to deal with large amounts of spatial data (surveyors or GIS-types). Therefore, it is not normally targeted at machining companies per se.

 

Here is what AutoDesk says about the Multiuser aspect of the program:

 

Multiuser Editing

"One of the strengths of AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 is multiuser editing capabilities, especially multiuser DWG file format editing. Using the software’s query functionality, multiple users can access and edit the same sets of files or base maps simultaneously. All functions remain available to all users throughout the process. This efficient and reliable way to share maps and data between users reduces the need for version control and minimizes time wasted waiting for data sets."

[MPI-crusher]

Yes, it sounds like AutoCAD MAP has the functionality we desired. We tried both Inventor and Solidworks as trials, and they weren't robust enough for us, too many individual parts caused the programs to freeze up or at least bog way down when attempting to do whole assemblies. We really need a 3D modelling suite that is geared towards machine design with hundreds or thousands of individual parts (it's the nuts and bolts, literally, that get us). Unfortunately, the higher ups are pretty old school (my boss has a drafting table in his office and would use it exclusively if he could) and like I said in my first post we basically just use AutoCAD to do board drafting at a slightly greater speed than by hand. Not the most efficient use of the resource in my opinion, but then I'm not the boss! I'll at least let the bosses know about MAP, it might be an option if/when we upgrade to another version of AutoCAD. Thanks again!

[ReMark]

Do you make use of any CAD block libraries for your nuts and bolts? That would be one way to "save time" and speed things up a bit.

[MPI-crusher]

re: blocks

Yes, we have many many block files that we use. We do everything 2D in CAD and typically don't show all the fine details at every level of the drawing. What that means though is that model space is full of all different views and details of a machine. The thing that got us with the 3D packages we tried was the need to have all the little pieces in the whole assembly since the software would pull all the different views, cross-sections, etc. The equipment we make uses probably 99% of the same sub-assemblies, just in different configurations. Maybe an example would be cars. A single manufacturer typically has a few engines, a few frames, a few everything else, and just puts them together in different configurations. So for us, we've got blocks of the individual engines, etc., we'll just have up to 20 or so different cars in one drawing. This is only really a problem in the less than 5% of total jobs where the job is so big that it requires having multiple engineers work on it. My boss claims to have purchased one of the first seats of CAD (R12, R0?) in our state back in the day and they're pretty old school. Hopefully I'll be able to talk them into upgrading at some point in the near future, and maybe we can get something like MAP that will allow concurrent editting. That would be cool.

[ReMark]

Until then you might want to look into X-refs. Maybe you could put together a test X-ref drawing and then show it to the boss and anyone else who might be interested. There are a number of people here who use X-refs on almost a daily basis. Someone is sure to have an answer to any X-ref question you can come up with. Just a suggestion.