About File-based Industry Models

File-based industry model drawings are regular DWG files that contain an industry model.

There are industry models for electric, water, gas, and wastewater industries.

Use Infrastructure Administrator to create, edit, and save file-based industry model templates and drawings. See "Working with File-based Industry Models" in the AutoCAD Map 3D toolset User's Guide.

You do not have to check out file-based industry model features to edit them. A file-based industry model and all its feature classes are stored inside the DWG file itself. To create a drawing that uses a file-based industry model, start with an industry model template .

Industry models use rules and relationships to ensure that features match certain standards. Even if you do not store your data in a relational database, you can use an industry model drawing to practice rule-based drafting. For example, if a rule specifies that all transformers must be located on poles, the model will ensure that you do not create a transformer in any other location. In this way, industry models are similar to drawing classification.

When you create an industry model drawing or connect to an enterprise industry model, Display Manager layers appear automatically for features in the industry model. You can connect to, attach, or import other data into an industry model drawing, but not into the industry model itself. The non-industry-model data will not follow the industry model rules, or have access to the additional industry model functionality.

Advantages of File-based Industry Models

File-based industry models have access to the following:
  • Analysis tools

    When you create connected features, the industry model automatically creates a topology for those features. You can check the connectivity of these topologies, and analyze them. For example, use Network Analysis to trace a wastewater network from one or more designated start features to an optional end feature.

  • Forms

    Like the Data Table, forms display the attributes for features. However, instead of displaying the attributes for all features in the feature class, a form lets you view and edit the attributes for a single feature.

  • Reports

    Generate default and user-defined reports. For example, create a report that analyzes the flow in a set of connected pipes, based on the flow direction of each pipe section. You can perform spatial selections for the reports. For example, you can select all features that lie within a specified area.

  • Workflows

    Workflows guide you through tasks like analysis and reports. A workflow displays information about each required procedure, and displays options that let you execute these procedures in an automated way.

Limitations of File-based Industry Models

Unlike enterprise industry models, file-based industry models do not support the following:
  • Jobs
  • Oracle data import into enterprise industry models using attribute mapping
  • Profiles
  • Oracle Schema Converter
  • Security Administrator
  • Spatial export reports
  • 3D-enabled functionality, such as enterprise industry model construction tools

File-based industry models are stored within the DWG file and use all the DWG functionality that other maps use. Like GIS data, industry model data cannot be viewed in applications that do not support such data. To share an industry model drawing with another AutoCAD Map 3D toolset user, simply give the DWG file to that person. To share an industry model drawing with those who do not use an application that supports industry models, save the drawing to plain AutoCAD format. Opening the resulting drawing will display the data as AutoCAD objects—they will not have the intelligence of industry model features, but others can view the geometry.