Easily design with the right feature and symbology!

SpecManager ™

A component of MicroStation® Acceleration Garage ™


Problem #1 Your MicroStation project has complex CAD standards that are difficult to follow correctly.	Problem #2 You want your designers to be able to place elements that meet your CAD standards from an easy to access list of tabs, categories and features.	Problem #3 You need a way to enforce CAD standards that speed up the design process, not slow it down.	Problem #4 You need a tool that has greater flexibility and more features that MicroStation's Settings Manager.
If you want an easy way to design with the right feature and right symbology per your CAD standard, then call 727-442-7774 extension 7301 or click here to request a free trial version.

Following CAD standards the easy way

SpecManager allows users to select and place features (physical components like a specific type of door, a masonry wall or a two-lane road) from a pre-configured list of features that already meet the required CAD standards. Unlike Axiom's SpecChecker and SpecMonitor — the company's longstanding quality assurance utilities — SpecManager doesn't correct MicroStation elements in violation of CAD standards.

Rather, SpecManager helps MicroStation users place design features on the correct levels and with the correct symbology and other attributes. Before placing any given feature, MicroStation users select the name of the feature from the SpecManager dialog box and the MicroStation tools and attributes (like level, color, weight and style) are automatically set to the CAD standard for that feature. CAD standards are easily defined using a simple text file.

SpecManager is installed on every workstation that uses MicroStation for design purposes. Though non-intrusive, SpecManager is always active when designing as it is constantly accessed in order to draw different features.

How SpecManager works

When a user starts to design with SpecManager, the dialog box presents a tabbed list of "general categories" (categories are usually defined by a CAD or project manager). The tabs identify the top level of general categories and when selected, each tab shows a list of "feature categories".

A company or office has full control over the contents and organization of the tabs and categories. To start designing a particular feature, a user simply needs to:

Select a general category,
Select a feature category and then
Select the feature needed in the bottom section of the SpecManager dialog box.

When the user selects a category or feature, a lower level list of categories or features is displayed. The categories with the yellow highlighting show the path taken by the user to locate the needed feature. There can be just one or as many as four levels under a general category tab. The last selected feature is highlighted in blue.

If a feature is selected, the appropriate MicroStation tool is activated. For example, the "Place Line", "Cell Selector", "Text Editor" tools and the active attributes are set according to the CAD standard that is defined in a SpecManager input file (easy to build text files define the tabbed lists, categories and features used by SpecManager).

The user then places the feature where it is needed in the design file and proceeds to select and place the next feature.

SpecManager is non-intrusive to the MicroStation workspace.

When a user starts to draw a selected feature, the SpecManager dialog box immediately disappears so that the user has a full MicroStation window available to place the feature. The dialog box is easily redisplayed by moving the cursor to the bottom of the view window. The dialog box will reappear with the same list of categories and highlighting as when it was hidden.

A "History" tab is available and shows the features that have been selected (most recently used features are shown first). Selecting a feature in the "History" tab activates the proper MicroStation tool, sets the active attributes and hides the dialog box just as if the feature was selected from a list in one of the main categories. This is a way to quickly redo a recent feature placement action.

What are the must-have requirements in a solution for placing design features per a CAD standard?

A tool that solves the problem of placing design features per a CAD standard must meet the following requirements:

Accommodate lists of features that are easy to build and are organized into logical disciplines or categories.
Allow users to quickly and easily navigate through the feature lists when trying to find a desired feature.
Associate each feature with the MicroStation tools to be activated in order to place the feature and the CAD standard symbology for the feature.
Should not obscure MicroStation view windows when placing features.
Give users visual confirmation of what was selected in the feature lists and a history of what features have been selected.
Must be fast to set up.
Must speed up the design process, not slow it down.
Must be simple and not contain a multitude of features that are not used.
The solution that meets these requirements is Axiom's new feature placement tool, SpecManager!

Summary

SpecManager is a tool that replaces the MicroStation Settings Manager. It is easy to setup and maintain and provides great flexibility in defining any structure of categories and features that a company might need. SpecManager is simple and quick to use and gets out of the way when placing features.

MicroStation V8i support and more

SpecManager works with the following:

MicroStation V8i
MicroStation V8/XM
MicroStation V7

Using SpecManager, a user has found and selected the feature "Door symbol".

SpecManager's History tab lists recently selected features.