Having problems transferring data between different design software programs? You are losing time and money.

Openness enables integrating CAD software easily with other systems. Companies can choose which software to use for which purpose and avoid the single-supplier trap. Once information flows between project participants, work becomes more effective and costly mistakes can be avoided.

Companies, their partners and the various units within one company all use different software programs. It is common that the chosen software products for sales, materials and project management, and construction, for example, do not communicate. File formats, too, vary from 3D models to spreadsheets, images, text documents and databases.

“For decades, almost everyone who has ever participated in a project as a designer, has wondered why information cannot be exchanged more fluently between project parties. Time and resources are lost, mistakes are made, and bottlenecks unclogged the hard way,” says CADMATIC’s Business Development Director Kari Manner.

A growing demand for openness

Many design software products integrate poorly with other software and systems. However, the demand for open software and easy data exchange has grown. Companies are willing to develop common standards to make it easier to start using another software product and implement new technologies.

“Many of our clients want to keep their software solutions open not to get stuck with single-supplier solutions. Our products serve all the areas of a design project, and information is transferred from one phase to another seamlessly without manual processing. We strive to help our clients and solve their problems – not to dictate or limit how they work,” Manner says

Easy integration allows you to choose the best software for each task and seamless cooperation and data transfer, says CADMATIC Business Development Director Kari Manner.

The best software product for each task

Once software is easy to integrate, the client company can choose from the best possible tools for their business-critical tasks and avoid committing to just one provider.

“This is the core of our approach. We think that one software cannot be the best solution for every job or phase. Since the beginning of our journey, we have focused on certain application areas and developed our solutions to be as practical, effective, and open as possible. Our software’s ability to communicate with software of other providers is at the highest possible level,” Manner notes.

CADMATIC software also scales up really well.

“Our software does not crash when the project grows bigger. You can design a nuclear power plant as effectively as a tiny shop in a container.”

eXchanger – a window to project information

CADMATIC’s solution to easy software integration is eXchanger. It is a package with which you can transfer data between various software programs.

“eXchanger is a window to project information, in other words, a powerful multi-platform to quickly and easily utilize various file formats. For example, the 3D models from various suppliers are easy to combine into one coordination model with eXchanger,” Manner explains.

With the help of eXchanger, 3D information models, schemes and drawings can be imported into and exported from CADMATIC software.

“File formats other than CAD are easy to transfer from one system to another with the help of the CADMATIC WebApi. This WebApi is typically used when CADMATIC software is integrated to an ERP, maintenance or production control system.”

Fluent flow of information boosts the construction project and reduces errors

In a construction project, it is of utmost importance to exchange information between partners, designers, builders, and the project owner. Communication aims at finishing the project on time, within the budget, and without faults. Running late or delivering bad quality usually means there will be financial loss, too. All of the above are multiplied as the project becomes larger.

“Construction schedules and efficiency requirements have become tighter in recent years, and the sooner the potential conflicts are spotted, the better. An open system with easy integration can save up to 15% in design hours. However, more important than saving time in an individual task is the overall success of the project,” Kari Manner says.

Easy integration enables operating in a multi-supplier environment and finding the best experts regardless of their or the project’s location. Technology also helps create new business models with better margins between the project parties, such as as-is information models or digital twin services. The real-time nature of these virtual models enables faster project follow-through during the plant’s life cycle and lower operating costs.

Read how CES from Romania is boosting their design with easily integratable software

The benefits of open software and easy integration

• Clients can choose the best software to support their business
• Opportunity to work in a multi-supplier environment
• Seamless information exchange improves efficiency
• Fewer errors while staying in schedule and budget
• Recruit experts from anywhere in the world
• Choose the business model with the better margin

Read more also about easy software integration. Read more about CADMATIC’s flexible licensing, the benefits of distributed design and data-driven construction.