News

Not Directly

ARDI can’t deal directly with DWG files for several reasons.

• DWG files are a proprietary, closed format that belongs to Autodesk
• The official tools to read them are available for Windows only,
• The unofficial tools are often unreliable, particularly with modern versions of the format,
• They often contain layers and embeds from other Autodesk products, which can’t be read

However, you can export your AutoCAD file into the DXF (Drawing Exchange File) format. This is an open format that can be read by a variety of systems.

It’s important to make sure that you explode your file – to make sure that any embedded objects in your DWG file are also converted into DXF format. Otherwise, you create a DXF that is full of DWGs, which unfortunately we can’t use.

Please Test Before Sending

Note that AutoCAD continues to have a bug where the DXF files it creates are sometimes not valid. This is despite the fact that Autodesk are the authors of the DXF file format. The issue is usually because of spaces or other unacceptable characters in the names of the layers.

Because of this, we suggest opening your DXF file in TrueView or another CAD viewing tool to verify that the file is valid before sending it to us.

It depends on what you already know

There are actually a number of ways to locate assets in ARDI. The method you use depends on what you already know about the asset.

I know the ID

"It’s PU9-45"

If you’ve got a unique ID number for an asset, then it’s as simple as searching for it.

It’s important to point out that some assets end up having multiple different IDs. Process engineers will call a pump PU9-45, but thanks to a typo the maintenance crew call it PU99-45, the electricians call it 9928392, and your EMS system (which doesn’t support dashes) calls it PU945

ARDI can be given all of these ID numbers, so people across different sections of your organisation can find the equipment they’re looking for

I know what it’s called

"It’s the Boiler Water Tank"

Assets in ARDI usually have human-readable names and descriptions, so it’s often possible to find your asset with a simple text search, such as ‘Boiler Water Tank’.

I know what system it’s part of

"It’s the pressure sensor for the cooling system"

Using the Location relationship, you can walk through your various systems to find the component parts. You can navigate from the most general area (ie. the site) to the building, area, sysem, and then drill down to the individual asset.

I know what it’s connected to

"It’s the air-filter up from this solenoid valve"

In some cases, you know that there must be a piece of equipment on a line, but you’re not sure where it is or what it’s called. Using ARDIs physical and logical relationships, you can search up and down-stream from the equipment that you know to find the assets that you don’t.

I know what it looks like

"It’s this blue thing next to the filter"

ARDI-360 lets you walk through 360-degree photographs of your plant. Go to the location in 360 and click on the ‘blue thing’ to instantly identify it.

I know where it is

"It’s the machine right next to the crusher"

ARDI offers 2D maps, 3D environments and the 360 photographic environment to give you the location of your assets. Open one of these to quickly find assets based on their location on your plant.