From AutoCAD to nanoCAD: changing the core CAD system at a design institute


    From the author
    This article is our real experience of the transition from AutoCAD to Russian nanoCAD. As he really was. Only facts and no advertising.

    I hope that it will turn out to be unbiased to one or another CAD vendor, help other enterprises to avoid some of the mistakes made by us, and allow us not to make our own. The scope of the article does not allow to describe in detail all the nuances associated with the transition, so you will have to limit yourself to the main organizational points, plus some technical details.

    From Nanosoft CJSC
    We are often asked “how is the transition to nanoCAD really carried out?” - now there is a lack of information of this kind; speeches that convey the implementation experience are always listening carefully. That is why we decided on Friday to publish an article that describes the process as objectively as possible and share our experience - everything described in the article is very similar to our experience working with design organizations and will undoubtedly be useful to those interested. In the comments, let's discuss your situations.

    Key actors



    Background and essence of the problem

    In September 2014, the institute’s management decided to clean up the software used and to improve the efficiency of the enterprise as a whole by improving the software used. Further, only CAD software is considered, although it must be understood that the modernization also affected the rest of the IT infrastructure. The company "InfoIndustrii" participated in this process as the main supplier and integrator of CAD products: Sibgiprobiosynthesis has been a client of our organization for five years in the NormaCS system, Autodesk and NTP Truboprovod development.

    The Institute employs 40 designers, the team is mainly age-related.

    Before the transformation began, the situation with CAD was as follows:
    • the main software used is AutoCAD 2007-2012 (a “zoo” from different versions, partially licensed). SPDS GraphiCS ("zoo" from different versions, partially licensed) is installed on the PC part. Free Autodesk SPDS module, installed on a PC part;
    • lack of uniform software settings;
    • lack of a clear structure and rules for maintaining the archive of project documentation;
    • lack of an enterprise standard (STP);
    • lack of a CAD development plan.

    This situation is generally quite typical for many design organizations, and many of them do not consider it necessary to change something, preferring to work “as it happened”.

    So, choose the main CAD ...

    Actually, the choice is small. Options:
    1. Upgrade your existing AutoCAD (not LT) and purchase previously unlicensed locations.
      + High-quality, stable, proven tool.
      + No retraining of employees and problems with the transition.
      - The price of the issue for licenses and upgrade.
      - The need to upgrade or change the hardware for many jobs.
    2. ZWCAD
      + Inexpensive with fairly strong functionality.
      + Support * .dwg (ODA).
      - Transition and all the difficulties associated with it.
      - Lack of direct contact with the developer and regional representation.
    3. nanoCAD
      + Support * .dwg (ODA).
      + Price.
      + The presence of an authorized dealer in Krasnoyarsk.
      + Ability to direct contact with the developer.
      - Transition and all the difficulties associated with it.
      - The presence of moments in the product that require improvement.

    The pros and cons given are rather arbitrary and do not pretend to cover the whole situation: a much wider range of pros / cons, as well as the nuances associated with a possible transition, were discussed with the institute's leaders. Having evaluated all the main factors, the institute's management chose nanoCAD. At the same time, it was decided not to make “sudden movements”: the transition process should be smooth.

    Transition stages

    1. Get to know each other (October-December 2014)
    1.1 The first thing that we and the management of the enterprise did at this stage was to organize a meeting of the whole composition of all design departments. At this meeting, as a representative of the vendor, I made a brief presentation of the product, and the management explained in detail their plans and (importantly) motives for action. All employees should be as clear as possible what, why, and why is happening. Also at this meeting, we announced the main stages of the transition and answered questions (including the question from the designers “How are we going to work now ?!”).

    2.1 Second - test operation. It was carried out so that even before the start of the transition it was possible to remove some questions and see what difficulties they would encounter.

    This stage went very badly. Despite the fact that they explained to absolutely all employees why they should start working in nanoCAD, almost no one did it. Many did not believe that AutoCAD would disappear altogether as a work tool; both current tasks and a lack of understanding of what exactly needs to be done in the new software affected, and indeed just laziness. The stage lasted two months and, unfortunately, did not bring tangible results.

    I believe that a good result in the case of testing nanoCAD is four sheets of questions based on the results, as well as a clear understanding of the pros and cons of the software by the management and the designers themselves.

    Conclusions: if you plan to test this CAD for its applicability, then:
    • Explain to all employees the purpose of installing the demo version of the software;
    • require extensive written test reports;
    • set aside time for testing;
    • Set specific tasks for software and employees for the testing period.

    I would like to advise users one thing: use the tested software as much as possible - the only way you can see all its advantages and disadvantages.

    2. Harmonization of specifications / procurement (December 2014)
    It is expected that the base product was selected nanoCAD SPDS . In addition, the institute acquired a number of “vertical” solutions based on nanoCAD. Delivery form: “box” + subscription (for the possibility of software updates). Network license with hardware binding.

    Software delivery and execution took place in normal mode in two weeks.

    3. Installation / Deployment (January 2015)
    Another couple of weeks took coordination, which settings we make / cannot make to the network and which make editable / non-editable. As a result, we came to a certain scheme (please do not consider it the only correct one).

    So:
    • network license server - one for all nanoCAD products;
    • one common SQL server for all products using the database of elements / parts in SQL (nanoCAD SPDS, nanoCAD Mechanics, etc.). No SQL databases (Access) were installed on local PCs (nanoCAD Electro);
    • One common * .dwt template;
    • Additional folder of fonts on the server. All the “exotic” fonts were later folded there.

    Deployment was carried out using Microsoft Active Directory, according to a pre-configured distribution. Unfortunately, setting up the distribution took some time and was largely done with the help of the nanoCAD developer - Nanosoft CJSC. Well, as you understand, nanoCAD does not have its own deployment system, like AutoCAD.

    In general, “they harnessed for a long time, but quickly arrived”: the installation took half an hour. Distributions did not adapt to single products, they were arranged manually in a couple of hours.

    Later, some deployment flaws were revealed:
    • nCAD.cfg (system interface settings, etc.) by default in Program Files (well, why?), and Program Files for all users are protected from changes;
    • the default autosave folder in AppData / Local / Temp was also closed for editing. I had to explain how this is and reconfigure.

    AutoCAD did not uninstall at this stage, and people worked as before.

    4. Getting used to the new software (February-March 2015)
    After installation, a team meeting was held again, at which it was announced that:
    • in two months AutoCAD will be completely removed from the PC;
    • nanoCAD is installed and ready for use. It is highly recommended to start working in it.

    The procedure for “converting” the file archive was explained separately — I will dwell on this point in more detail. The archive was essentially organized anew, with slightly different logic and principles than before. Before getting into the new archive, the drawing file went through all possible stages of cleaning, namely:
    • All checks in AutoCAD (_purge, audit, etc.);
    • manual removal of objects. For example, the crossed out (but for some reason present in the file) part of the project.


    Next, the drawing was saved in * .dxf, then opened in AutoCAD and saved in * .dwg. After that it opened in nanoCAD and after all the checks it was saved completely.
    The order is described here in general terms, for the designers made a detailed step-by-step instruction. In nanoCAD it was allowed to either create files from scratch or work with files that went through all stages of cleaning. It’s quite difficult to control, and, presumably, copying pieces of projects from files that did not pass the test, it was still practiced ...

    It’s also worth noting that at this stage most of the project team realized the seriousness of the intentions of the authorities to switch to nanoCAD. But few people want to leave the comfort zone, so few began to work closely in nanoCAD.

    5. Training (March 2015 - present)
    The training, which was conducted by the specialists of InfoIndustry LLC, we began almost immediately after installing the software. Groups of 15 people were formed, each group was allocated two hours a week - on a specific day and a predetermined time. The main task of the first stage of training is to teach how to work in nanoCAD SPDS at least at the same speed as in AutoCAD. In this case, advanced AutoCAD technologies (dynamic blocks, binder, external links / collaboration, annotativity, etc.) were practically not used, so the task in a short time to reach the previous speed was quite real.

    The most difficult thing was to answer the question of what exactly to teach. The work process in both nanoCAD and AutoCAD is almost the same, the work tools are also the same in most. That is, people, in principle, can do everything - at the "drawing" level. Therefore, although I prepared a standard training program, I had to change it “in the course of events”. This was also due to the fact that students have different levels of AutoCAD knowledge and computer literacy in general: for some, the topic studied is more than understandable, while others need to be explained and explained. Moreover, in different groups in different ways.

    Conclusion: for such training, you must either conduct a detailed test on AutoCAD knowledge (and on the subject of computer literacy as such) and form groups on its basis, or put up with the "multilevel" audience.

    Training related to the SPDS module went quite smoothly, since the capabilities of this module were familiar to only a few designers. At each lesson, part of the time (15 minutes) was devoted to solving current problems and issues not related to the main topic of training.

    At the time of writing this article (June 2015), the main training course “platform + SPDS” was completed, then we plan to deal with “vertical” solutions, starting with nanoCAD Electro.

    6. Work on the new platform (March-June 2015)
    In March 2015, newly launched projects were already being developed at nanoCAD, and AutoCAD was removed from the workplace of designers. The reaction to this event was quite different, from an adequate perception of the need for changes to the rarely encountered, but cardinal rejection of new software. I believe that a clear and clearly expressed position of the enterprise management is needed here. Those who want to “breed democracy” will be found in any team, and the task of the leadership is to adequately respond to this. If you, dear management, have decided to switch to another software, then you need to strictly follow the plan and intelligibly (but if necessary, hardly) explain this to employees. At the beginning of active work with new software, integrators and developers are “hung up” with everything: from actual software flaws to problems that are not related to this software at all.

    In terms of technical support, we (InfoIndustri LLC) tried to resolve all issues in person, in the workplace - this is the most effective way. We also organized a separate address for e-mail calls, but there were very few questions. The fact is that it takes a lot of time and effort to describe some of the issues, and in personal communication the same problem is formulated in a minute. The peak of technical queries fell in the first two months.

    I did not summarize detailed statistics on the issues, but traditionally they were divided into three groups - approximately in equal shares:
    • questions related to the * .dwg format . This includes the nuances of "conversion" * .dwg, indestructible proxies (hi to the developers of the first versions of the free Autodesk SPDS), "broken" Z-coordinates, etc .;
    • “I want it like in AutoCAD!” And the lack of some functionality in nanoCAD. For example, at that time there was no snap with the offset and rotation of the viewports. In nanoCAD 7, all this has already appeared, but there is no layer filter by name and now ;
    • difficulties with the perception of new software and technological errors in the work of designers were solved by training and individual consultations.

    7. Stabilization (June 2015)
    By the time of this writing, the speed of work had reached the previous level, only on a different platform. Naturally, we plan to increase it. The number of questions is now small: one or two a week. During this period (about six months) nanoCAD within the framework of this organization has gone from a virtually unknown software product designers to the main work tool, with its pros and cons.

    In general, I believe that the transition from AutoCAD to nanoCAD is completely completed at the Sibgiprobiosynthesis Institute. Further automation and increasing the speed of the design departments is a completely different story.


    Ivan Soldatov
    LLC "InfoIndustri"

    PS Thanks to Alexander Galakhov, responsible for the IT infrastructure of the Institute of SibGTU Sibgiprobiosynthesis, for technical and organizational support, and design engineers Anastasia Zhukova and Tretyak Nadezhda for their support in the transition process.

    PPS I will be glad to any comments, comments on this article and the topic as a whole. You can contact or ask a question at soldatov@infoind.info .
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