Automated Drawing Extraction FAQ
- How are revision values extracted?
- Will my extracted drawings automatically link with each other?
- Why are drawings in a parent folder linked to drawings in its subfolders?
- Why aren't sheet number hyperlinked in the drawings?
- Can I extract drawings to naming standard enforced folders?
- Why is my attribute value truncated?
- How do I avoid manually capturing attribute values in multiple sessions?
- What permission level do I need to extract drawings or create title block templates?
- Can I extract date, text, and drop-down list attribute values?
- What happens to attributes if I extract a page again?
How are revision values extracted?
Revision attribute values are captured the same as other attributes. A capture area is defined for an attribute in the title block and our OCR system will extract the value.
Revision information is usually displayed in a table format in the title block. Designers typically add new revisions as a new first row in the table. If a capture area has already been defined, it will only extract the value in that area.
Designers should print the current revision number in a fixed location in the title block in addition to the revision block so the latest revision is captured. That means you can extract revision information using a template.
Will my extracted drawings automatically link with each other?
After your drawings are extracted and saved to a folder, automatic hyperlinks will be turned on for that folder and all its subfolders. This means that any sheet number callouts are automatically converted into links if they reference drawings with the same sheet number attribute value in the folder and its subfolders. Single page PDF drawings which are added to those folders will also link if they have the relevant sheet number. See Automatic Hyperlinks Settings for more details.
Why are drawings in a parent folder linked to drawings in its subfolders?
When you save extracted drawings to a parent folder, all drawings in the parent folder and its subfolders will hyperlink together. This means that if drawings are already hyperlinked in a subfolder, those drawings will now be included in the scope of hyperlinking with the parent folder and all its subfolders.
If you've already extracted drawings to a parent folder and you only want to hyperlink drawings in a specific subfolder, you can turn off the automatic hyperlinks setting for the main parent folder and then turn on the setting for the relevant subfolders.
If you are going to extract drawings and you only want to hyperlink drawings in a specific folder, save your drawings to a folder with no parent folder or subfolders.
Why aren't sheet number hyperlinked in the drawings?
There are several reasons why automatic hyperlinking doesn't work. The following are causes and potential solutions that you can try to resolve any issues:
| Cause | Potential solution |
|---|---|
| You've only just extracted and saved your drawings. | Automatic hyperlinking begins when your drawings are saved to folders. This can take a few minutes to a few hours depending on the number of drawings in the folder and subfolders. |
| The drawings are in a multipage PDF | Automatic hyperlinks aren't created in multipage PDFs. However, you can extract the multipage PDF using automated drawing extraction to create automatic hyperlinks in the resulting single page PDFs. |
| Automatic hyperlinks are turned off for the folder. | Click the More menu  > More > Automatic hyperlinks settings to check they are turned on. |
| The sheet number attribute has been deleted from the project. | Without a sheet number attribute in the project, none of the drawing will contain hyperlinks. You need to create the sheet number attribute again then extract all the drawings again. |
| The drawing has a sheet number attribute value which is not in any drawings in the folder or subfolders. | Check that the sheet number attribute is correct and edit if necessary. This will regenerate hyperlinks if any are detected. |
| The callout is deleted on a previous version of the drawing. | Edited automatic callouts are copied to the next file version to retain those edits. Deleted callouts do not copy to the next version. |
| The callout text is raster based and not recognized by OCR. | Extract another version of the PDF as a vector based PDF. |
| The text in callout shape is not properly formatted. | Properly align and format text within the callout shape to ensure automatic lining work. |
| The resolution quality of the PDF is too low. The PDF may have been a scanned photocopy. | Save the PDF with image quality of 150 DPI or higher. |
Can I extract drawings to naming standard enforced folders?
Yes. If you extract to a folder with a naming standard applied, you can check and rename files in the file validator.
Why is my attribute value truncated?
If you capture or enter a long attribute value, this will be truncated at 255 characters.
How do I avoid manually capturing attribute values in multiple sessions?
Project administrators can create title block templates which contain defined capture areas and can be reused in multiple extraction sessions. See Create and Edit Title Block Templates for details.
What permission level do I need to extract drawings or create title block templates?
Members need Edit folder permission or above for the selected PDF drawings to access the Extract pages and attributes workflow. Only project administrators can create title block templates.
Can I extract date, text, and drop-down list attribute values?
Yes.
What happens to attributes if I extract a page again?
If you decide to extract a page that's already extracted, the attribute values will be overwritten.