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1) ERP to CAD 4 levels deep comprised of one or more
blocked & attributed parts, each with
In this case information in the Seradex
their own vendor/part number/quantity
ERP system is transferred to the CAD
counts.
system and automatically generates a
2D or 3D drawing.
Once the take off is complete the order
can be sent to production and
An example would be the window and
purchasing saving time and minimizing
door industry. At order entry the user
errors.
enters the width and height of a Vinyl
Casement window in the Seradex
product configurator. A scaled
3) Bi-directional Link
dimensionally correct drawing is
generated in AutoCAD. This drawing can This approach would allow users to
be used for shop floor instructions. A make changes in either CAD or the ERP
rendering could also be generated for and the changes would be propagated
marketing purposes to show your to the other system
customer what they have ordered.
4) Engineering Changes
VBA can also be used so Engineers
inside AutoCAD can search and select Another issue is engineering changes.
items from the Seradex ERP database. Once the initial synchronization is
performed a challenge exists to ensure
2) CAD to ERP that any changes to either the ERP or
the CAD system are propagated and
The reverse of the above case. The user
tracked to the other system.
makes changes to W and H in the
AutoCAD drawing and this creates a
Technology Platform
complete bill of materials in the ERP
systems.
Visual Basic for Applications or VBA-
enabled applications allow separate
Another common task in mechanical
applications to easily share data. VBA is
engineering is the design of complex
a powerful Microsoft standard in use by
machinery. This machinery could
many applications.
include motors, hydraulic piping,
fittings, PLC’s and so on. At some point
Microsoft has integrated VBA with
in a project, items need to be quantified
widely used Microsoft Office applications
(how many linear feet of piping, how
such as Excel, Word and Access.
many fittings and so on).
Opportunities abound to exchange data
between AutoCAD and Office
This process requires the automatic take
applications. You can also easily link to
off and downloading of a bill of
any popular database using ODBC
materials from CAD into the Seradex
connectivity.
ERP system. This automation eliminates
time-consuming duplicate data entry by
AutoCAD and Seradex both incorporate
expensive engineering resources.
VBA to facilitate the integration.
There are situations where you may
Seradex can access information in
receive an AutoCAD drawing from an
AutoCAD such as lines, arcs, block
external source, perhaps from your
references and text, as well as invisible
customer, supplier or dealer. Generally
these drawings must undergo a manual
“take-off” process to count the product
various numbers. In messy cases these
products could be assemblies blocked 1-
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Items such as style settings, layers and then develop reports on drawings,
viewports. where used parts, by Engineer,
product, date or Job.
Seradex can access the information with • Customize menus and toolbars to
VBA and put it to use in various ways, frequently used tasks
such as counting the number of entities
in a certain layer, or calculating the
total length of pipe or wire.
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