How Can Automation in ARES Kudo Help CAD Users?

How Can Automation in ARES Kudo Help CAD Users? 

Graebert’s Automation technology, which was first launched in ARES Commander, has now been extended to ARES Kudo — seamlessly integrating online CAD and automatic task execution for the first time. 

Graebert recently added Automation capabilities to its cloud-based CAD application, ARES Kudo — at no additional cost. First unveiled in Graebert’s desktop CAD application, ARES Commander, this powerful technology can take on many of your routine tasks, freeing up time in your workday. 

The unique integration of online CAD and automation enables users to not only access and edit DWG files from any device with an Internet connection, but also to automate repetitive tasks and complex operations within the same platform. The seamless combination of these technologies yields greater efficiency in CAD workflows and accelerates project timelines — while making busy users’ lives a little easier.

But what, exactly, can it do for you? And how does it work? Here, we’ll take a look, exploring these key points:

• Automation capabilities, which save users time and effort, are now available in ARES Kudo as well as ARES Commander.
• This technology automatically carries out repetitive tasks related to CAD drawings (such as converting a batch of PDF files to editable DWG files) and also BIM-to-CAD processes (such as generating DWG drawings from BIM projects).
• Automation jobs can be scheduled to run, and even set to recur, at times that are convenient for the user.
• After using the Automation features to generate DWG drawings, users can easily share, markup, and annotate the resulting files, and even modify them with ARES Kudo’s 2D CAD tools.
• For organizations with Enterprise licenses of ARES Kudo, Graebert can tailor the Automation experience, providing more task-processing capacity or greater customization capabilities, for example.

Click to see ARES Kudo’s Automation features in action.

Execute Essential Tasks Effortlessly

First of all, let’s be clear that “Automation” does not mean that the software creates designs on its own — and it certainly doesn’t replace the human element in CAD work! What the new technology can do is increase productivity, and decrease the amount of repetitive work that users must perform, by carrying out operations on CAD files independently. (This makes it sound like a robotic assistant of sorts — which it is — but don’t confuse the Automation technology with artificial intelligence; the automation processes are user-defined and scheduled, relying on predetermined commands and sequences rather than AI-driven decision making.)

To realize these benefits, ARES Kudo users offload tasks to an advanced online service, leveraging the capabilities of Graebert software running on a remote server. This Automation service can perform CAD-related tasks on individual files, or through scheduling and batch-processing of multiple files. Users can set up recurring jobs to automate specific tasks daily, weekly, or at other regular intervals. This saves time and effort when executing routine actions that must be repeated frequently.

Schedule Tasks According to Your Needs

A major benefit of Automation is that all tasks are executed in the background. This means that users can continue working in ARES Kudo without any interruptions — or even log out and go home — while the Automation service carries out its assigned tasks. You no longer need to carefully schedule these tasks for your lunch break, or put a high-pressure job on hold while you impatiently wait for the processing to finish. 

It’s important to note that the time you schedule determines when your job is added to the queue, not when processing begins. The actual job execution and completion times may vary, depending on server availability and the overall server load.

Usage limits for the Automation features in ARES Kudo vary depending on the type of user. Free users are allowed up to 5 tasks per day. In contrast, trial users and paid subscribers with a valid subscription can perform up to 50 tasks per day. If you create jobs that are batch-processing multiple files, each file processed counts as a separate task against your daily quota. Similarly, if you set up recurring jobs, each execution of that job on subsequent days will count towards each day’s task limit.

Automation Features for CAD Files and for BIM Drawings

The Automation features in ARES Kudo are divided into two main categories: CAD features and BIM-specific features. (We are always working to expand our Automation capabilities, so please visit the Automation section within ARES Kudo to see an up-to-date list of features.)

The CAD Automation features focus on tasks related to DWG files, including: 

• converting PDF or DGN files to DWG
• printing DWG files to PDF
• comparing two drawings
• extracting data from DWG files to CSV files for use in Excel. 

Graebert’s BIM Drawings Automation handles BIM-to-CAD tasks, including: 

• importing Revit or IFC files
• generating 2D drawings in DWG from those BIM files, including floor plans, sections, and elevations 
• adding labels and dimensions to those drawings 
• exporting BIM data to CSV format for use in Excel (or other similar programs).

Unlike traditional BIM software, where 2D views are manually annotated after being extracted from the BIM model, ARES Kudo automates both the generation of these drawings from the BIM geometry and the addition of all necessary dimensions and labels. This streamlines the workflow, and significantly reduces the manual input required in programs such as Revit.

(For more insights into how BIM Drawings Automation works within ARES Kudo, and its connection to the BIMAUTOALL command in ARES Commander, please visit www.graebert.com/bim.)

Enlisting ARES Commander for More Muscle

Another key benefit of Automation is its ability to execute operations that are either not currently included in ARES Kudo, or that would be too time-consuming due to the cloud-based architecture of ARES Kudo. To achieve this, the Automation server utilizes the power of ARES Commander, Graebert’s desktop CAD solution — but running on a remote server, rather than the desktop. Examples of features that are not available in ARES Kudo itself, but are accessible to ARES Kudo via Automation, include Data Extraction and BIM Drawings Automation (creating DWG files from imported Revit or IFC BIM projects).

After Automation, What’s Next for Your Files?

With ARES Kudo, you always have full control over where your files are stored. To determine where the files generated by your Automation task will be saved, simply select one of the cloud storage folders that you have connected to ARES Kudo. 

After using the Automation features, you can open the resulting DWG drawings and modify them, if desired, using ARES Kudo’s full array of 2D CAD tools. In addition, ARES Kudo provides unique collaboration features that enable you to easily share, markup, and annotate these files. (Please note that if you are using the free version of ARES Kudo, you can use the basic Automation features for as many as five tasks per day, but you won’t be able to edit your files. The editing features in ARES Kudo are only available to subscribers who hold a valid license, and to trial users.)

Additional Options in Automation

The BIM to DWG and BIM to PDF Automation in ARES Kudo apply uniform default settings to all drawings. This means that aspects such as the representation of wall materials and the automatic creation of labels and dimensions adhere to these standard settings.

Users who need more control over the created drawings can either turn to ARES Commander — which permits users to manually configure these settings before launching the BIMAUTOALL command — or the Enterprise version of ARES Kudo, which can be tailored by Graebert to ensure the output matches your company’s specifications.

In addition, some organizations will require more task-processing capacity or greater customization of their Automation experience in ARES Kudo. For example, you may need to process more than 50 jobs per day, or to have Graebert create customized Automation features for your specific requirements. For example, most commands available in ARES Commander and ARES Kudo can be automated, if they can be executed from the command bar without requiring manual selections or clicks.

In these scenarios, Enterprise licenses of ARES Kudo are the key to accessing the additional capacity your organization requires. We invite you to meet with us to discuss how we can better accommodate your operational needs.