General Information (ManBIM)

The Steel Engineering Management + BIM module with its BIM-PDM functionality enables an optimal, CAD-independent management of data and processes for projects, documents, parts, product-structures and folders. It provides user-friendly and convenient input, search and output functions, and a flexible, PDM-oriented management of users and groups. Configurable classification structures, workflows and indexing mechanisms allow a company-specific control of processes.

The integration of these functionalities into the HiCAD GUI gives the HiCAD user direct access to appropriate part- or drawing-relevant HELiOS functions, compete with title block updating and access rights check. For the rather project-oriented designs in civil engineering and custom machine building, HiCAD provides BIM- and PDM-relevant automation functions that enable a generation and updating of project-related HELiOS article master and classification entries. Furthermore, HELiOS management functions and intelligent updating mechanisms for automatically generated HiCAD production drawings are available.

The project-related management of article masters efficiently supports and significantly facilitates the order-oriented approaches common in steel and metal engineering.

Proceed as follows:

Specify in the Configuration Editor under which circumstances the "Drawing is up to date" link should be set. In addition, further parameters can be set here.

Ensure that the required HiCAD catalogues (Fasteners etc.) are also available in HELiOS. If this is not the case, you need to transfer them, via the Catalogue Editor, to HELiOS.(for further information please see the Online Help of the Catalogue Editor)

Use the Management + BIM tab to create a new project, or activate an already existing project.

Use the Management + BIM tab to create a drawing with new article master, or load an already existing drawing and save it, with article master.

Now draw your construction as usual. Use the HiCAD standard functions for this.

Itemize the assemblies and parts using the corresponding function on the Management + BIM tab.

Save your drawing using the functions provided by the Management + BIM tab. During saving, parts and assemblies are automatically itemised and and the corresponding HELiOS activities are triggered. After the saving you can track at any time which parts are used in which assemblies or drawings, whether any derived drawings exist, and whether they are up to date. You have direct access to the product structure, and many other options.

You do not use the HiCAD standard functions for the generation of production documents, but the functions of the Management + BIM tab which have been especially designed for this purpose. When you save your drawing, these documents will automatically be linked to the corresponding article masters of the parts. In this way you can always check which documents are up to date, still need to be generated, or need to be updated.

Some useful tips:

The Overview of Functions topic lists and explains the functions of the Management + BIM tab. Basically, these functions work in a similar way as the same-named standard functions in HiCAD and HELiOS. The topic therefore concentrates on the differences and particular benefits of these functions compared with the standard functions. Extensive information on the HELiOS PDM functions can be found in the HELiOS in HiCAD and HELiOS Desktop Online Help chapters. Information on the HiCAD functions is provided in the corresponding chapters of the Online Help, such as HiCAD Steel Engineering or HiCAD 3-D Online Help.

The Basic Procedures topic demonstrates by means of an example which steps need to be taken to tap the full potential of the Management + BIM module.

Please note:

The Steel Engineering Drawing Management module works in a project-related manner, and that the managed parts are assigned to a particular project. When fitting parts which are reused in other projects (e.g. purchased parts) you need to assign the article master manually. These parts will be ignored by the Drawing Management automatisms.

A drawing derivation will always generate a non-BOM-relevant main assembly.

If you manually create assemblies for the sake of structuring, but do not want them to appear in BOMs, deactivate the BOM-relevant checkbox in the part attributes masks of these assemblies.

Important:

After saving a drawing managed via HELiOS while the Management + BIM functionality is activated, no UNDO will be possible! The reason for this is that HELiOS data are generated (or updated) during saving and UNDO functions cannot be applied to databases.