Web access to drawings

[kdmgooner]

Hi all


Is there anyone else out there trying to provide a service to employees outside of the drawing office for viewing and printing drawings?.


We are currently using ITOOLS by RAND but are having problems whenever PTC raise the revision of INTRALINK or AutoDesk raise the revision of AutoCad. Is anyone using an alternative such as FroTools or e-Tools (by fishbowl solutions)? if so I would like to hear from you regarding your experiences. Other than that its down to looking at making up our own database.


What we are trying to provide is (1)A method for publishing either PROE and/or AutoCad drawings as PDF files so that they can be viewed on the web. (2)A method of "approving/signing off" drawings electronically outside of Intralink. (3)The ability to apply watermarks to the PDF files at the time of printing. (4) Batch printing (5)Good search facilities via the web pages. (6) a degree of customization so that we can tweak the installation to suit our needs.

 

[jnoval]

Try to look at Division productview from PTC or PdmLink. We are using ProductView for3,5 years now and it is working automatic togather with Intralink. Once the drawings is promotes in Intralink it is publish during the night to Productview. It is even possible from productview to look in to Intralink if you have the access rigthe in Intralink. It is possible to open a lot of cad and other formats with ProductView. The published cad files are very small. I have seen a laptop working with 1 million parts in one asm without any problem. Try to do this in ProE http://ptc.com/appserver/mkt/products/home.jsp?k=2448


PdmLink has ProductView integrated. http://ptc.com/appserver/mkt/products/home.jsp?k=352

 

[kdmgooner]

Thanks for that jnoval


We already have Product View but as far as I am aware you cannot electronically sign off drawings and/or apply watermarks. The batch printing is also next to useless. Then there is also the issue of licenses, the cost of them and the fact that you have to install Product View software at client level. Product View licences are expensive, PdmLink looks pretty good but after talking to PTC they want to charge for an arm and a leg to upgrade from Intralink. ITOOLS is giving us what we want but its not without its support and upgrade problems so we are looking at alternatives.


Keith

 

[Xmun]

Keith,


Within the DesignDataManager product suit, DDM Web (site licensed) will give you the tools you are looking for, at a snippet of the cost.


The only down side is that you would have to migrate from Pro/INTRALINK to DesignDataManager....


Goto to www.designdatamanager.com navigate to the DDM Web product and view the on line demo.


An alternative approach to PTC.


Hope this helps.


Xmun

 

[jnoval]

We already have Product View but as far as I am aware you cannot electronically sign off drawings and/or apply watermarks. The batch printing is also next to useless.

What do you mean with sign off drawings?


It is possible to use watermarks with productview. I think it is much better to make watermarks in ProE, then it will be show in both ProE and ProductView.


You don't need to install ProductView on client. You can use a light viewer.


You are right I have never sigure out how to use batch printing from Productview. I use batchprinting from Intralink with sbatch from spekan [url]http://www.spekan.com/innotiv/index.php?mnu=dwnl&sub=bat ch[/url]


You are correct on the costs. I think it still are floating licenses, and you don't need licenses for all clients, only as many as is logon at same time.