Configure the AutoCAD Plant 3D Link

All the standard AutoCAD link features are available in AutoCAD Plant 3D plus the commands that are described in AutoCAD Plant 3D.

You can configure two parts of the AutoCAD Plant 3D link:

• Property synchronization as described in the following task.

• Project file synchronization to the local or shared workspace as described in Configure Project File Synchronization.

Synchronizing properties between AutoCAD Plant 3D project files and the vault is supported. Configuring this property synchronization is done similar to configuring standard AutoCAD document property synchronization as described in Configure AutoCAD Document Property Synchronization.

If AutoCAD Plant 3D is used with the Meridian Asset Management Module, consider configuring the AutoCAD Plant 3D link that is included with that module instead. It provides functionality for linking AutoCAD Plant 3D drawing tags to Meridian documents and managing synchronization states. For more information, see Configure the AutoCAD Link.

To configure property synchronization:

1. In Configurator, expand Environment in the configuration tree and select Application Link Settings.

   The settings for each application link appear in property pages in the right pane.

2. Click the AutoCAD tab.

   The AutoCAD settings appear in the right pane.

3. Click Edit.

   To export the settings file to your computer, click the Export button. This can be useful if you want to edit the file in another text editor. You can then copy your changes to the Clipboard and paste them into Configurator.

4. Locate the sections of the file labeled [PnID_Project] and [PnID_Drawings].

   The section [PnID_Project] controls property synchronization with AutoCAD Plant 3D project files. The section [PnID_Drawings] controls property synchronization with AutoCAD Plant 3D drawing files. If the sections do not exist, you can create them. The lines in these sections specify the AutoCAD Plant 3D project properties that you want to synchronize.

5. On consecutive lines in each section, list the document property names that you want to synchronize, one line per property.

   For each property, specify the vault property set and property name to which you want it synchronized. You can type comments in the file by beginning each line with a semicolon (;).
   

   You can find the names of property sets and properties on the Properties page of each document type, as described in Create And Edit Document Types.

6. Specify a flag if the property should be read-only (RO) or write-only (WO).

   Use the default lines in the file as examples. By default, document properties are read/write. Use the following format for each line:

   <CategoryType.CategoryName.PropertyName>=<PropertySet.PropertyName>,<Flag>

   The AutoCAD Plant 3D link supports the Project and Drawing category types, not the Pick List type. If the category type is omitted, the type is taken from the section name (for example, Drawing for properties listed in the PnID_Drawings section. If the category name is omitted, the category General is assumed.

   The following properties are predefined as read-only (RO) and cannot be updated in the project:

   • Project.General.Source_Project

   • Drawing.General.PnPDrawingGuid

   • Drawing.General.DWG_Title

   The following example maps the project property Source_Project to the Meridian property Project such that the project name is read from AutoCAD Plant 3D and written to Meridian and not vice versa:

   Project.General.Source_Project=Custom.Project, RO 

   Note:

   Although Meridian internal properties can be synchronized to document properties, you should never attempt to update internal properties or else Access denied errors can occur. Only write to Meridian properties in the Custom property set. Flag all attributes linked to Meridian internal properties as write-only (WO).

7. Click OK.

8. Test the link thoroughly by synchronizing each property.

   You can do this by changing the property values for a project file in the vault and property values in a project file and confirming that the synchronization occurs the way that you expect. You can manually synchronize properties with the Meridian client applications as described in Synchronize File Properties.

By default, the AutoCAD Plant 3D link synchronizes properties automatically from the vault to the project files when the files are opened. The properties are synchronized from the project files to the vault when the files are closed. You can configure when these synchronizations occur by adding AutoUpdate settings to the [PnID_Project] and [PnID_Drawings] sections as appropriate for your needs. The values of AutoUpdate are as follows:

• 0 — updates are disabled on OPEN and on SAVE

• 1 — updates are enabled on OPEN, but disabled on SAVE

• 2 — updates are enabled on SAVE, but disabled on OPEN

• 3 — updates are always enabled (the default)