2D CAD data migration represents a major technical and strategic challenge for industrial companies with a historical legacy of technical drawings. Faced with the planned obsolescence of systems like CADDS or Personal Designer, organizations must secure their technical archives while maintaining their future usability. This transition requires specialized solutions to convert complex proprietary formats, preserve data integrity, and maintain associative links between drawings and 3D models.
The stakes are considerable: thousands of technical drawings often critical for product maintenance, the scarcity of expertise on legacy systems, and the increasing costs of maintaining obsolete platforms. Fortunately, dedicated solutions now allow this migration to be approached in a structured and efficient manner.
Table of contents
- Challenges of 2D CAD data migration
- Optimal migration strategies
- DraftView: solution for migrating CADDS and Personal Designer drawings
- Proficiency: solution for migrating drawing sheets associated with 3D models
- Implementing a successful migration project
Challenges of 2D CAD data migration
2D CAD data migration represents a crucial challenge for industrial companies with technical archives developed over several decades. This issue revolves around three complementary dimensions.
Technical archives issues
Companies typically have tens of thousands of technical drawings created on now-obsolete systems such as CADDS, MicroCADDS, or Personal Designer. These archives constitute valuable intellectual and technical capital, documenting products that may still be in service or likely to be modified to meet market needs.
These drawings integrate not only precise geometric definitions but also annotations, tolerances, bills of materials, and other essential information for manufacturing, maintenance, or product evolution. The loss of this data would make any future intervention on the products concerned impossible, with potentially disastrous consequences for companies.
Technical obstacles to overcome
2D CAD data migration faces several major technical obstacles:
- Obsolescence of operating systems supporting older software (Unix, older Windows versions)
- Scarcity of expertise on these systems, with the gradual departure of engineers trained on these tools
- Complexity of proprietary formats, often poorly documented and difficult to interpret
- Diversity of elements to convert: geometries, annotations, line styles, specific fonts
- Associative links between 2D drawings and 3D models that must be preserved
- Technical documentation constraints that must remain consistent with migrated data
In addition to these obstacles is the difficulty of automating the conversion of specific elements such as geometric tolerances, custom symbols, or complex annotations, which often require human validation.
Economic impact of non-migration
Failing to undertake a migration approach exposes organizations to several significant economic risks:
| Category | Direct Impacts | Indirect Impacts |
|---|---|---|
| System maintenance | High license costs for unsupported software | Mobilization of scarce IT resources on legacy technologies |
| Data accessibility | Time wasted searching for and utilizing information | Missed business opportunities due to inability to react quickly |
| Operational risks | Inability to modify existing products | Obligation to redesign certain elements from scratch |
| IT security | Vulnerabilities of old systems left uncorrected | Increased risks of data loss or cyberattacks |
Optimal migration strategies
Faced with these challenges, it is essential to develop a structured migration strategy, taking into account all technical, organizational, and economic factors.
Analysis and preparation of digital assets
Before initiating any migration, an in-depth audit and analysis phase of the existing CAD assets is essential. This preliminary step allows for precisely identifying:
- The volume and typology of data (isolated drawings, associative drawings, specific annotations)
- Source formats and their characteristics (versions, customizations)
- Quality and integrity of existing data
- Migration priorities according to business imperatives (active products, ongoing projects)
- Compliance and traceability requirements specific to the industry sector
This mapping then allows for defining the technical specifications of target formats, based on software currently used in the company and future needs (manufacturing, documentation, legal archiving).
Methodological approaches
Several approaches can be considered for migrating 2D CAD data:
| Approach | Description | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete migration | Systematic conversion of all data | Definitive elimination of obsolete systems | Significant initial investment |
| On-demand migration | Conversion only when access is needed | Resource optimization, natural prioritization | Partial maintenance of obsolete systems |
| Hybrid approach | Complete migration of critical data, on-demand for the rest | Good cost/benefit compromise | Management complexity |
The choice between these approaches depends on several factors: organization size, data criticality, available resources, and urgency of the situation (end of support for existing systems, for example).
Key success factors
To ensure the success of a 2D CAD migration project, several factors must be considered:
- Preservation of geometric fidelity: ensuring that geometric entities retain their exact characteristics
- Metadata conservation: ensuring the transfer of non-geometric information (annotations, tolerances)
- Formal validation: implementing a systematic quality control process for migrated data
- Team training: supporting users in the transition to new tools
- Process documentation: rigorously documenting the methodology to ensure traceability
DraftView: solution for migrating CADDS and Personal Designer drawings
DraftView represents a specialized solution for visualizing and migrating technical drawings from CADDS and Personal Designer systems. This solution directly addresses the issue facing companies confronted with the obsolescence of these historical systems.
Presentation and main features
DraftView is an application dedicated to visualizing and converting 2D drawing files created with CADDS and Personal Designer systems, without requiring the installation or maintenance of the original software. This independence constitutes a major advantage for organizations wishing to free themselves from constraints related to obsolete systems.
DraftView's main features include:
- Native visualization of CADDS and Personal Designer files without recourse to original software
- Intuitive user interface with zoom, measurement, and navigation features
- Support for fonts and line styles specific to original systems
- Direct conversion to standard formats such as DXF and DWG
- DVPD2DXF utility for batch processing of conversions
- Precise visualization of CADDS data translations
Native visualization capabilities
One of DraftView's main strengths lies in its ability to natively visualize CADDS and Personal Designer files without prior conversion. This feature offers several advantages:
- Immediate access to technical archives without conversion process
- Perfect visual fidelity compared to original drawings
- Preservation of all drawing information (annotations, dimensions, symbols)
- Independence from original software licenses
- Measurement and analysis capabilities directly on native files
This native visualization also allows for quickly assessing the quality and relevance of data before engaging in a more complete conversion process, thus facilitating the prioritization of migration efforts.
Migration process with DraftView
The migration process with DraftView generally revolves around the following steps:
- Identification and preparation: inventory of files to migrate and definition of conversion parameters
- Preliminary visualization: visual verification of drawings to identify any particularities
- Process configuration: setting conversion options (scale, units, layers, styles)
- Individual or batch conversion: using the DVPD2DXF utility for automated processing
- Validation: quality control of converted files by comparison with originals
- Finalization and archiving: storage of converted files in the document management system
Technical and economic benefits
Adopting DraftView for migrating CADDS and Personal Designer drawings generates significant benefits:
| Technical benefits | Economic benefits |
|---|---|
| Independence from obsolete systems | Reduced maintenance costs for legacy platforms |
| Conversion fidelity (geometry, annotations) | Elimination of licenses for obsolete systems |
| Automation possible for large volumes | Human resource optimization (fewer manual interventions) |
| Standardization of data formats | Reduced risks related to technological obsolescence |
| Preservation of technical heritage | Valorization of historical engineering investments |
Proficiency: solution for migrating drawing sheets associated with 3D models
Unlike DraftView, which focuses on independent 2D drawings, Proficiency addresses a more complex issue: the migration of associative drawings, i.e., drawing sheets linked to 3D models, while preserving this crucial associativity for engineering.
Specificities of associative drawings
Associative drawings have particular characteristics that complicate their migration:
- Parametric links: dynamic relationships between the 3D model and its 2D representations
- Generated views: projections, sections, and details automatically created from the model
- Associative dimensions: dimensions that automatically update with model modifications
- Linked annotations: tolerances, symbols, and notes attached to specific model elements
- Extracted bills of materials: component lists generated from assembly structures
These associative links represent considerable added value in the design process, allowing consistency to be maintained between models and technical documentation. Their preservation during migration between different CAD systems is therefore a major strategic issue.
Proficiency solution architecture
Proficiency is based on a modular architecture designed to manage the complexity of conversions with preservation of history and associativity:
- Collaboration Gateway: centralized server for creating, managing, and tracking conversion tasks
- Proficiency Agent: application integrated with CAD system APIs for data analysis and extraction
- DrawtoPMI: specialized module converting 2D drawings to 3D annotations (PMI - Product Manufacturing Information)
- Completion Wizard: plugin integrated into target CAD systems to interactively finalize complex elements
This architecture allows for handling the entire migration process, from analyzing the source model to validating the result in the target system, ensuring complete traceability of operations.
Proficiency supports the main CAD systems on the market, both as source and destination:
| Source systems | Destination systems |
|---|---|
| CATIA V5 | CATIA V5 |
| NX | NX |
| SolidWorks | Creo |
| Solid Edge | Inventor |
| Inventor |
Specific capabilities for associative drawings
The Proficiency solution integrates advanced features specifically designed for migrating associative drawings:
- Preservation of links between 3D models and 2D drawing sheets: maintaining the associativity essential for data integrity
- Conservation of parametric definitions: transfer of constraints and relationships that define views and sections
- Automatic adaptation to drawing standards: application of standards specific to the target system (frames, title blocks)
- Intelligent migration of annotations: conversion of tolerances and symbols while maintaining their meaning
- Unified processing: management of the 3D model and its associated drawings in a single operation
The DrawtoPMI tool also allows for converting information contained in 2D drawings to 3D annotations (PMI), thus facilitating the transition to complete digital mock-up environments (3D Master).
Advantages for complex projects
For migration projects involving complex associative drawings, Proficiency offers significant advantages:
- Advanced automation: up to 100% for conversions between compatible systems
- Maintenance of design intelligence: preservation of original design intentions
- Systematic validation: function-by-function control and verification of physical properties
- Detailed reporting: complete analysis of results allowing precise identification of any problems
- Integrated remediation tools: Completion Wizard for interactively finalizing complex conversions
- Intellectual property protection: possibility to filter certain sensitive information during conversion
Implementing a successful migration project
Beyond technical solutions, the success of a 2D CAD data migration project relies on a structured methodology and appropriate organization.
Organization and planning
Establishing a dedicated project structure is an essential prerequisite:
- Constitution of a multidisciplinary team: CAD experts, system administrators, business users, quality managers
- Designation of a migration manager: single point of contact ensuring overall coordination
- Definition of phases and milestones: project breakdown into clearly identified stages with associated deliverables
- Resource allocation: appropriate dimensioning of human, technical, and financial resources
- Risk management: proactive identification of potential risks and definition of mitigation plans
A realistic schedule, incorporating testing and validation phases, secures deployment and ensures team adherence to the project.
Integration into the corporate ecosystem
2D CAD data migration must integrate harmoniously into the company's global technical ecosystem:
- Connection with PLM/PDM systems: synchronization of metadata and maintenance of document links
- Articulation with quality processes: compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards
- Intelligent archiving: conservation strategy adapted to business needs and legal obligations
- Cross-functional accessibility: distribution of migrated data to various concerned departments
- Data security: maintenance of access rights and intellectual property protection
Measurement and optimization
Continuous evaluation and optimization of the migration process are essential to maximize return on investment:
- Definition of performance indicators: conversion success rate, average processing time
- Regular analysis of results: identification of trends and improvement points
- Feedback: capitalization on encountered difficulties and implemented solutions
- Continuous improvement: process adjustment based on field feedback
- ROI quantification: measurement of benefits in terms of time saved and risks avoided
2D CAD data migration now represents a strategic issue for companies facing the obsolescence of historical systems. The DraftView solutions for independent drawings and Proficiency for associative drawings offer complementary responses adapted to different data typologies. Their implementation, within the framework of a structured methodology, ensures the continuity of engineering activities while preparing for the future.
At a time when digital transformation is accelerating in all industrial sectors, the ability to preserve and enhance historical technical capital constitutes a major differentiation factor. Companies that successfully complete this migration will not only secure their heritage but also gain in agility and efficiency, essential conditions for future competitiveness.
