"FME dissolves the boundaries between software systems, provides the tools to efficiently perform almost every data transformation task, and makes it easy for me to build solutions."
Steve Grise, Vertex3If you’ve encountered work done by architecture, engineering, and construction companies, then you’ve seen the results of CAD (computer aided design) data being brought to life. CAD systems are used to capture and create design blueprints containing geometric wireframes, attributes, and styling information. To ensure that your CAD data can be properly accessed and used by all project stakeholders, it’s necessary that you keep your data validated and up-to-date.
That’s where FME comes in. As the data integration platform with the best support for spatial data, you can convert and transform your CAD data using custom workflows designed for your needs. From integrating CAD with BIM to allowing various tools to “talk” to each other, creating 2D mapping features to 3D building models, FME has you covered.
Why FME for CAD?
Apply Geometry Validation Rules
Build your own custom CAD validation workflows that modify your data and perform logical tests to ensure you have the highest quality datasets. Use any of the hundreds of transformation tools to alter your data for your needs.
2D and 3D Support
Whether your CAD data is in 2D or 3D isn’t a problem when you have FME. Create extrusion workflows or simply modify your data and maintain the dimensions it already has. The power is in your hands!
Transform Tags and Attributes
Aside from geometry, CAD data has a lot of other stored information in the form of attributes and tags that you don’t want to lose when integrating. Extract the attributes you need and retain them when converting your data.
Customize Design Elements
Instead of adding data points, get style points by customizing the design elements of your CAD data. Add colours and use fonts that are consistent with your brand so that your company’s creations are easily recognized.
Free Support
No matter where you are in your FME journey, we are here to help! Visit the FME Community to discuss your data journey with other FME users and our experts, or reach out to us via Live Chat for further assistance.
FME for Automatic Validation
If you work with CAD, you’re bound to have tens, hundreds, even thousands of files depicting your projects. So when it comes time to validate, the process can be tedious to say the least. With FME Server, you can automatically run your CAD files through validation workflows to avoid having to repeat the process manually. Who doesn’t want that?
If you’re like the City of Henderson and deal with digital CAD file submissions, use FME Server to help you manage what quality of files are submitted. Create workflows that validate files based on your standards to mitigate incomplete files from entering your database. Go one step further and provide feedback to users in the form of a report to let them know what they’re missing.
FME for Integrating CAD and GIS
Bridge the gap between CAD and GIS with FME. GIS (geographic information systems) are used for working with spatial data. They can help you better understand the characteristics of a given location and analyze what spatial patterns are occuring. CAD data often has information that describes spatial features, so why not leverage this information to be used in your GIS instead of starting from scratch?
Learn how you can convert CAD to GIS or GIS to CAD with tutorials and user forums in the FME Community. If you’d like to watch how CAD and GIS data can be exchanged (and what else FME can do!), feel free to view the recorded webinar.
FME for Indoor Mapping
Floorplans represented in CAD can be used as the basis for indoor mapping applications. Indoor mapping resources allow building visitors to find their way around your facility so that their needs are met with ease. With FME you can convert CAD to IMDF for use in Apple Maps to easily make your building data available to users.
Airports like YVR in Vancouver and three other award-winning airports have all used FME to optimize their data for use in mobile applications and online interactive maps.
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"Ad hoc queries were probably the biggest surprise for us, just how many awesome GIS tools are inside FME itself. Not just for converting data, but actually analyzing, doing overlays, clipping, manipulating spatial data. That proved very valuable for us."
Tim Jones, Ponderosa Telephone Co. -
"Without FME, such a project would have required such intensive manual labor that it wouldn't have been practical to create."
Niels la Cour, UMASS Amherst -
"We use FME for anywhere from simple data conversion/manipulation tasks that are not so simple with other software to automating complex processes with relative ease saving hours of work with each use!"
Sean Kurash, Golder Associates
Related Resources
| Webinar | 5 Tips for Integrating CAD Data with Esri ArcGIS | Watch and Learn |
| Presentation | GIS - CAD Data Integration | View Slides |
| Article | Getting Started with AutoCAD | Learn More |
| Article | Tutorial: Microstation Transformations | Learn More |
| Article | Creating FME AR Datasets From 2D CAD Models | Learn More |
| Blog | Nuclear BIM: Integrating CAD, GIS, BIM, and Non-Spatial | Read the Post |
| Free eBook | The Ultimate Guide to CAD & GIS Integration | Learn More |