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AUGIWORLD

The Official Publication of the AUGI Design Community

August 2026

Management Strategies and Principles

Also in this issue: Attributes In Action | Spaces in ACA | Learn Once, Remember Everywhere

Bright Ideas for a Bright Future

AUGIWORLD brings you the latest tips & tricks, tutorials, and other technical information to keep you on the leading edge of a bright future.

AUGIWORLD

August 2026

CONTENTS FEATURES

6

24

6

BricsCAD

14

Attributes

24

BIM Manager

28

AutoCAD Architecture

34

Corporate Acquisition

38

Archival Data

The True ROI with Octave BricsCAD License Management Attributes In Action The BIM Manager Reality Gap Spaces In ACA

Corporate Acquisition - An Insider’s Perspective Learn Once, Remember Everywhere

COLUMNS 4

Letter from the Editor

12

Tech Manager

38 augi.com/augiworld

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

3

AUGIWORLD

www.augi.com

Editors

Editor-in-Chief

Todd Rogers - todd.rogers@augi.com

Letter from the Editor

T

his month’s focus is on Management. My letter addresses management in the software industry.

Management in the software industry demands a balance of technical awareness, strategic clarity, and peoplecentered leadership. Unlike traditional fields, software development moves at a relentless pace— tools evolve, customer expectations shift, and teams must adapt quickly. Effective managers anchor this fastmoving environment with clear goals and a shared sense of purpose, helping teams understand not just what they’re building but why it matters.

Collaboration sits at the heart of modern software work. Engineers, designers, analysts, and product leaders rely on open communication and trust to deliver complex solutions. Strong managers cultivate this environment by removing obstacles, encouraging healthy debate, and ensuring every voice has space to contribute.

Technical literacy also matters. While managers don’t need to be the most advanced developers, they must understand the constraints and realities of software systems. This enables realistic planning, credible decisionmaking, and meaningful support for their teams.

Copy Editor

Miranda Anderson - miranda.anderson@augi.com

Layout Editor

Tim Varnau - tim.varnau@augi.com

Content Managers

3ds Max - Brian Chapman AutoCAD AutoCAD Architecture - Melinda Heavrin BIM/CIM - Stephen Walz BricsCAD - Craig Swearingen Civil 3D - Shawn Herring Electrical - Mark Behrens Manufacturing - Kristina Youngblut Revit Architecture - Jonathan Massaro Revit MEP - Jason Peckovitch Tech Manager - Mark Kiker Inside Track - Shaun Bryant

Advertising / Reprint Sales

Nancy Tanner – sales@augi.com

AUGI Advisory Board of Directors Shaun Bryant Jason Peckovitch

Publication Information

AUGIWORLD magazine is a benefit of specific AUGI membership plans. Direct magazine subscriptions are not available. Please visit www.augi.com/account/register to join. To manage your AUGI membership and address, please visit www.augi.com/account. For all other magazine inquires please contact augiworld@augi.com

Published by:

AUGIWORLD is published by AUGI, Inc. AUGI makes no warranty for the use of its products and assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this publication nor does it make a commitment to update the information contained herein.

AUGIWORLD is Copyright ©2026 AUGI. No information in this magazine may be reproduced without expressed written permission from AUGI. All registered trademarks and trademarks included in this magazine are held by their respective companies. Every attempt was made to include all trademarks and registered trademarks where indicated by their companies.

AUGIWORLD (San Francisco, Calif.)

ISSN 2163-7547

Ultimately, successful software management is defined by adaptability. Whether adopting new methodologies, refining workflows, or investing in continuous learning, the best leaders evolve alongside the industry. When clarity, collaboration, and adaptability come together, teams are empowered to deliver software that truly makes an impact.

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AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

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BricsCAD

by: Craig Swearingen

The True ROI with Octave BricsCAD License Management

O

ver the past decade the design software market moved hard toward subscription.

Vendors retired perpetual options, tied seats to named users and pushed customers into recurring annual fees. Subscription has real merits, including predictable budgeting and always-current software, and Octave BricsCAD offers it. The difference is that BricsCAD never made it the only choice.

You can purchase a subscription (pay year after year) or, yes, purchase perpetual, where you can buy it once and own it forever. Teams can run

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AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

single or network seats and mix those models across your organization. Price-sensitive teams can hold perpetual seats for steady users and add subscription only where demand spikes.

On a like-for-like comparison, published list prices put a comparable BricsCAD seat at 50 to 60% less than the industry-leading platform, and that is before the lighter administration is counted. See Figure 1 The real focus is how BricsCAD licensing cuts administration overhead and reduces software cost so you can reinvest the difference where it augi.com

BricsCAD

Figure 1

counts. In real deployments, the difference can run even greater. After switching, one enterprise paintfinishing division put its BricsCAD licensing at less than a fifth of its former CAD system.

“Competing products have become more difficult to install due to the discontinuation of perpetual and network licenses — BricsCAD supports both, and the license costs are low.”

— Ryota Inoue, Taikisha Ltd. See Figure 2

THREE DECISIONS

BricsCAD licensing comes down to three independent choices.

1.

What product level do you need? BricsCAD offers Lite, Pro, Mechanical, BIM and Ultimate, so you license only the capability each user needs rather than paying for one bundled tier. For more information: Compare Product Levels

2. What is optimal? Single-user or network.

A single-user license runs one copy on one machine. A network license serves a pool of seats to many users across your LAN. A mixture of both is very common and is perfectly acceptable.

3. Do you want to own the software with perpetual or continue with subscription? a . A perpetual license gives you full, ongoing ownership of the software version you purchase. A subscription, by contrast, keeps you on the latest version continuously for the duration of the term, along with priority support and access to every release during that period. See more: BricsCAD FAQ

Figure 2 augi.com/augiworld

Many organizations weigh perpetual August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

7

BricsCAD

Figure 3

licenses versus subscriptions not just based on functionality, but also on financial strategy, optimizing CAPEX (large upfront investments) versus OPEX (predictable, ongoing operating costs),

b. For perpetual license holders who want to stay current, BricsCAD Maintenance provides the most flexible and cost-effective path forward. Throughout the year, BricsCAD delivers minor updates and major releases, and Maintenance bundles all of those

upgrades together with expert support and a direct channel for feature requests. See Figure 3 c. The first year of Maintenance is included with all BricsCAD purchases. After that initial term, you can renew or add Maintenance at any time to continue receiving updates and support. Reminder that renewal cost is a small fraction of what you currently pay year after year. If you do choose to let Maintenance lapse, you’ll still own and can use your existing version indefinitely. See Figure 4. Learn more about BricsCAD Maintenance What is the real cost of letting your BricsCAD Maintenance lapse? Visit the BricsCAD Blog and read what our experts say.

SINGLE-USER LICENSES

A single-user license suits a solo drafter. When hardware changes, or let’s say Bob leaves and you hire Janet, simply deactivate the license to free it, then reactivate on the new machine. That transfer works across platforms, including between Mac and PC.

NETWORK LICENSES: LESS ADMINISTRATION, REAL SAVINGS Figure 4

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For any team beyond a handful of seats, network licensing is where the overhead drops. The augi.com

BricsCAD administrator installs the BricsCAD Network License Server, activates the license once and lets the server distribute seats. A client requests a seat when BricsCAD launches and returns it when the user closes the program. You buy for concurrent use, not headcount, so one pool covers a much larger group of occasional and full-time users.

imaging and pooling that non-persistent desktops depend on, where a node-locked single-user license would break. Size each session for single-thread CPU performance and treat it as any setup: pilot, measure and involve your IT department.

The IT benefits are substantial. You deploy one lightweight installer that contains all product levels, with the license key determining which one runs. The server runs on Windows® or Linux and serves clients on Windows, Linux or macOS, so a mixed shop is handled from one host. Only two TCP/IP ports need to be opened on the firewall.

There is no named-user directory to maintain and no reassignment when staff changes. Learn more about BricsCAD Network Licensing

Licenses are administered through your BricsCAD account, and you can appoint additional managers.

From the Manage licenses page, you add another BricsCAD account as a manager who can then view, activate and revoke seats. A regional lead or backup administrator can handle activations, useful continuity when the primary manager is out.

Activation works online or manually, and you can migrate the license to a new server without rebuying seats.

ROAMING, POOLING AND USAGE REPORTING

Roaming checks a seat out to a laptop for a set period, so staff keep working on a job site or while traveling with no live server connection. License pooling lets you combine and organize seats, and TIMEOUT settings automatically reclaim idle seats, so an unattended session does not lock out a colleague. Usage reporting shows seats in use over time, so you can right-size the pool and defend the number at renewal. See more: RLM Options

MANAGING LICENSES ACROSS ACCOUNTS

INSTALLATION, TRIAL AND REQUIREMENTS

Getting started is intentionally low friction. A single installer covers every product level, so you maintain one deployment package rather than separate downloads per product. For large rollouts, the Windows installer is a standard MSI, so you can deploy BricsCAD silently with msiexec and your existing tools. Preconfigure the license server or key and suppress the desktop shortcut, release notes and reboot, so all install identically and untouched. New installs run in trial mode for 30 days as a fully functional Ultimate license, and the SETLICENSELEVEL command lets you test all of the BricsCAD flavors individually. See Figure 5. For more tips and tricks during a trial, see the March 2026 AUGIWORLD article

VIRTUAL DESKTOPS AND VDI

Many enterprises standardize on virtual desktops, and BricsCAD runs there too. To be clear, VDI is not officially documented or supported, yet customers run it in production today with a lighter footprint.

Network licensing is what makes it practical.

Floating seats are served over TCP/IP. They are not tied to a physical machine, so they survive the reFigure 5 augi.com/augiworld

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

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BricsCAD

Figure 5

On hardware, BricsCAD stays undemanding. It runs on Windows 11, current Ubuntu, openSUSE and Fedora Linux builds and macOS 12 or later. A Core i5 or Ryzen 5, 8 GB and an SSD meet the minimum; 16 GB and a discrete display card suit heavier 3D and point-cloud work. Single-thread performance matters most, so a fast processor beats raw core count. See more: BricsCAD System Requirements

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MIX

A practical starting point is to place the fulltime drafters on the edition they need and cover occasional or shared users with a network pool sized from real usage data. Choose perpetual with Maintenance where you want to own the asset, or subscription. Licensing is the IT win, but it is only half the story. The software also must produce the same deliverables as fast or faster than what it replaces. BricsCAD reads DWG natively and runs your CUI menus, LISP and scripts, so assets and muscle memory carry over. See Figure 6 Download the BricsCAD Migration Guide Not to mention, BricsCAD’s own accelerators, from the Quad and Manipulator to Blockify, parametrics and point-cloud tools, are documented against 10

AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

the industry-leading package. Discover more: BricsCAD’s AI-driven tools

MAXIMIZE AND CAPITALIZE ROI

Companies throw a party for a new contract or a finished project, but the savings on software rarely get the same applause, even though they both land on the bottom line year after year. That is the opportunity. (See Figure. 7) Cut per-seat cost by half or more, shrink the administration around it, and you free budget and time to reinvest where it counts: new workstations, training, another hire or an increase in company profit sharing. For the CAD manager, IT director or procurement lead who spots it, this is a quiet way to be the hero of the budget meeting, and BricsCAD’s flexible licensing is what makes it possible.

ABOUT OCTAVE BRICSCAD

Octave BricsCAD is the true CAD alternative. We are the 2D and 3D CAD alternative that helps you switch smoothly, excel in the detail, and realize better value from day one. Download the free, 30day trial of BricsCAD. Would you like free lessons?

We have that available at BricsCAD Learning. augi.com

BricsCAD

Ready to migrate to BricsCAD? Download the free Migration Guide. Follow us today on LinkedIn and YouTube.

ABOUT OCTAVE

Octave provides enterprise software that helps organizations design, build, operate and protect critical industrial and infrastructure assets. Octave supports decisions across the full asset lifecycle where performance, safety and reliability matter and failure is not an option. Octave connects engineering, operational and safety workflows, enabling customers to convert complex operational data into decisions that improve performance, resilience and incident response across realworld environments. Octave has more than 7,000 employees in 45 countries. Learn more at octave. com and follow us on LinkedIn.

augi.com/augiworld

Craig Swearingen is a Global Implementation Specialist and Customer Success Consultant at BricsCAD. Currently, Craig provides migration and implementation guidance, management strategies, and technical assistance to companies which need an alternative, compatible CAD solution. Craig spent 19 years in the civil engineering world as a technician, Civil 3D® and CAD power user, becoming a support-intensive CAD/ IT manager in high-volume production environments. Craig is a longtime AUGI member (2009), a Certified Autodesk® AutoCAD® Professional, and he enjoys networking with other CAD users on social media.

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

11

Tech Manager

by: Mark Kiker

Outcome Based Management I

have written about delegating several times. It involves framing a task and giving it to others.

Part of that process, for those who might need training or help getting the work done, includes defining what needs to be done, when it is due and how to do the work. People who are new to a process may need a lot of guidance and step by step procedures. But what if the person is a seasoned tech staffer? If you over manage the process, it may frustrate them. They need another approach to delegation that takes a more hands off approach.

This approach is called Outcome Based Management (OBM). It reflects the attitude we may have when an external contractor is working with us. We define the outcome and they define the methods used to achieve that outcome. This approach can be used internally with staff that are highly capable and technically savvy. They know

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their jobs and their expertise is obvious to all. This kind of leadership empower others and creates and atmosphere of trust, self-sufficiency and collaboration.

PICK THE PERSON OR TEAM

The first step is to identify a good candidate or team to pass tasks to them using OBM. Like I mentioned, they need to be highly tech savvy and have a broad understanding of the various methods that might come into play. Look for those who have proven themselves in the past by creatively approaching problems and offering solutions. They should have a track record of meeting deadlines and juggling priorities. They don’t need to be superstars, but they do have to display the raw materials to become one.

PICK THE TASK

The items that you delegate need to have well defined outcomes and flexibility in the methods. If augi.com

Tech Manager you are worried that every intermediate step of a task is defined, executed in a specific way and not missed, it may not be a good one to pass on using OBM. If it is one that can be measured as a success by just the outcome, it is well fit for this method.

PAINT THE TARGET

Now define the outcome you want. Think of this as describing the results you would see when the work is completed. Keep the assignment on a high level and not procedural. Avoid defining methods or processes used. They just need to deliver the end product within the guidelines you define.

Example: “We need to adjust this vendor piping schematic to enable quick interference checking based on commodities in each pipe and enables quick valve inventory by type. And verify that is complies with our Design Standards. I need this completed in the next 5 days.”

CONVEY WHY IT MATTERS

Tell them why it is needed and the pain of failure.

They need to know the motivating factors for this effort. It brings them into the overall goal beyond just executing on a task.

Example: “One time we used a vendor and the valve count was off. It delayed construction since we fell short on inventory at the site. We do not expect this to happen again but need to verify.

We have also seen some interferences and noncompliance issues with piping commodities and routing not sufficiently isolated.”

PROVIDE GUARD RAILS

This is basically telling them if there is something that is out of bounds for any methods or means they might want to use. Most of the time, this is not needed but may come into play.

Example: “Stay within our CAD Standards on layer names and such. We need to keep the original file “as is” so we can refer to it later.”

HAVE THEM DEFINE HOW

Let them develop the way they will achieve the goal. You have these staffers based on their skill at getting things done, so let them define how they will get there. Have them tell you of their approach in general terms. If you start defining steps to take, then it may crush their creativity and they may descend into running every decision past you as augi.com/augiworld

they execute, thus defeating the point of the handsoff style of delegation.

You do not want to critique each and every step.

Remember, you are gauging success based on outcome, not on procedure. If you need to refine anything they mention, do it with questions. And always have the question reflect the goal.

Example: “You said you are going to modify the layer list. How will that improve commodity identification and valve count?”

STEP BACK – BUT BE AVAILABLE

Before you step back, have them verbally agree with accepting the task and the deadline. Have them repeat the goals and the dates. This is the point that you transfer ownership of the effort. You want to make sure they understand everything. Once you pass on the task, be available for questions and concerns. Depending on the timeline, you can informally check on their progress. Keep in mind that if the due date seems to not be in jeopardy, you do not need to step into the flow. Just let them keep going.

By having a team high in tech knowledge and processes, and using Outcome Based Management, you can step back and observe the staff becoming engaged, motivated and proud of their achievements. Be sure to give them the praise they deserve.

Mark Kiker has more than 30 years of hands-on experience with technology. He is fully versed in every area of management from deployment planning, installation, and configuration to training and strategic planning. As an internationally known speaker and writer, he was a returning speaker at Autodesk University for twenty years.

Mark has served as Draftsman, Principal Designer, CAD/BIM Manager, Systems Analyst, IT Director, CTO, CIO and AUGI Board President. He can be reached at mark.kiker@augi. com and would love to hear your questions, comments, perspectives and ideas for future topics.

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

13

Attributes

by: Paul Li

Attributes In Action

I

WOULD YOU LIKE AN ATTRIBUTE?

had just started to learn how to draw using AutoCAD Release 9 when I was first introduced to the term: Attributes. Though the word itself typically means something or someone’s characteristics or qualities, I was really shocked when I learned that this is not what Attributes are all about in AutoCAD.

WHAT ARE ATTRIBUTES?

Autodesk’s initial release of AutoCAD Version 1.0 in December of 1982 did not include Attributes as a 14

AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

feature in its flagship product. It wasn’t until October of 1984, almost two years later when AutoCAD Version 2.0 came out, did Attributes finally make the cut.

But customers could only have access to the new Attributes feature when they purchased along with the basic AutoCAD software the additional ADE-2 package. Back in those days AutoCAD was sold with additional “AutoCAD Drafting Extension” packages (ADE-1, ADE-2 and ADE-3) which added more powerful features to the basic AutoCAD program (see Figure 1). augi.com

Attributes 3. ATTEDIT: Modifies the Attribute Value 4. ATTEXT: Extracts Attributes to an external text file In AutoCAD’s infancy development days, the command line was the primary method used to execute and respond to commands. Since three out of four of these Attribute commands require multiple responses at the command line, incorporating Attributes into the daily drafting process was not an easy task.

Figure 1

So, what are Attributes? Well, simply put, Attributes are like Text objects that can be modified. But the one major difference is that it must reside inside a Block. While the definition of a Block is basically a group of objects that always remain the same, the exception occurs when it comes to Attributes. There are some major advantages as well as disadvantages for this kind of setup which I’ll point out in the remainder of this article.

To implement Attributes AutoCAD introduced the following four new commands: 1.

ATTDEF: Creates an Attribute Definition

2. ATTDISP: Overrides Attribute’s visibility setting

WHEN DO ATTRIBUTES BECOME ATTRIBUTES?

Each Attribute has a humble beginning. In fact, an Attribute does not start off as an Attribute at all.

There are three steps that must take place in order for an Attribute to become an Attribute: 1.

Execute the ATTDEF command to create an Attribute Definition which needs a Start Point (Insertion Point), a Height Value (if not defined in the current Text Style) and a Rotation Angle.

But most important of all, it also contains the following three items (see Figure 2): 1.

A TAG name which is required and that: a.

Contains all uppercase letters without spaces

Figure 2 augi.com/augiworld

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

15

Attributes

Figure 3

b. Is used to reference this specific Attribute for modification and extraction 2.

A PROMPT that informs the user as to how to fill out the Attribute value

3.

A DEFAULT value that is used to automatically fill out the Attribute value at time of Block insertion

Note: The last two items are not required to be filled out and can be left empty.

2

Execute the BLOCK command to create a Block definition that includes one or more Attribute Definitions (selected in the order of being

Figure 4

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Figure 5 augi.com

Attributes

As I mentioned earlier, an Attribute’s appearance on the graphics screen looks just like any other Text object. It contains all the typical properties such as Layer, Color and Insertion point (see Figure 3).

on a separate Text screen. When listing a Block containing multiple Attributes, the properties of the Block would first be shown on the text screen followed by the properties of the first Attribute.

When all the lines on the text screen are filled up there will be a pause requiring user intervention to continue. After any key is pressed on the keyboard, the next set of Attribute properties would scroll up the screen. This tedious process would need to continue in order for you to see the properties of all the Attributes contained inside the selected Block.

Worse of all, there was no available option to go back to the previous screens to review the properties that have already scrolled pass.

But that’s where all the commonality between the two objects ends. Even in the current version of AutoCAD an Attribute unlike Text cannot be selected for inspection with a single left mouse click. You would have to use the combination of Ctrl+left mouse click to dive deeper under the hood to see the rest of the Attribute properties in the Properties palette (see Figure 4).

After eight years of listing Attributes using this method, AutoCAD R12 came out in June of 1992 with a much-needed alternative. Instead of relying only on the clunky Text screen and command line interface, information could now be shown on the graphics screen using dialog boxes. AutoCAD added three new commands relating to Attributes using this new dialog box interface (see Figure 5):

HOW TO EDIT ATTRIBUTE PROPERTIES?

1.

prompted at time of Block insertion) along with any other geometric objects 3.

Execute the INSERT command to place the Block into the drawing and the Attribute Definition instantaneously transforms into an Attribute with a value that can be modified while the rest of the Block remains constant

WHICH IS WHICH?

But in 1984, AutoCAD did not have a properties palette. This made accessing Attribute properties extremely difficult. The one way to look at all the Attribute properties was with the LIST command.

The List command would present the information

DDATTDEF was the improved dialog alternative to ATTDEF

2. DDATTE was the improved dialog alternative to ATTEDIT (but only Attribute values can be seen and modified)

Figure 6 augi.com/augiworld

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

17

Attributes 3. DDATTEXT was the improved dialog alternative to ATTEXT Notice there’s no DDATTDISP command dialog alternative to the original ATTDISP command. This is because Attdisp only requires a single response.

Since this can be easily accomplished at the command line, there’s no need to present this inside a dialog box.

I had hoped that AutoCAD R12 would also come with a new command to display Attribute properties inside a dialog box. But since this did not happen, I came up with my own command called DDLIST. With DDList all Attribute properties, including the Block properties in which the Attribute is defined, can be seen inside a scrollable window. This free DDList app can be downloaded from the new Autodesk Design and Make Market Place: DDList (see Figure 6).

[Insert Figure 6 How DDList.png] Though DDList fulfilled my wish list to make it easier to review all the Attribute properties in a scrollable window, I still wanted an option to edit them. Though AutoCAD R12’s new DDatte command offered a dialog box to edit the Attribute’s value, there was still no easy button to modify the various properties of an Attribute buried inside the Block.

In response to this limitation I came up with DDATTMOD which is one of the new commands added to my TextApps. DDAttMod exposes each

Attribute property in separate dialog box windows for onscreen modification. The free TextApps can be downloaded from the new Autodesk Design and Make Market Place: TextApps (see Figure 7).

WHY USE ATTRIBUTES?

Though the process involving Attributes appears daunting and extremely complex, there are at least three major advantages for incorporating them: 1.

Attributes make it possible for Blocks with the same geometry to remain the same but Text to be different from one Block to another. For example, a section callout can be a Block called SEC-REF which typically contains a circle and a line that remains unchanged. But its’s absolutely necessary for the Text callouts to be different from one Block to the next (see Figure 8):

2.

Attributes can be made Invisible. The Attribute’s Visibility mode is set at time of creation with the Attdef or DDattdef commands. This makes it possible for a Block to contain both Visible and as many Invisible Attributes as required.

For example, a Door Number Block may have a Visible Attribute so you can see the Number when placed in the drawing. But a series of Attributes can also be included in the Door Number Block that are Invisible containing additional information about the Door such as Size, Material, Finish etc. The advantage of including all this graphically unseen information in the drawing is so that it can be extracted from AutoCAD. (see Figure 9):

Figure 7

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augi.com

Attributes Note: To make all Attributes Visible for the purpose of review this is when the Attdisp command (one of the four commands introduced at the beginning) is used to globally toggle all Invisible Attributes to Visible.

3.

Values contained inside Attributes (Visible or Invisible) along with the properties of the Block can be extracted from inside the drawing file

into a text file for third party application analysis.

In those early AutoCAD years, extraction of information can only occur with Blocks inside a drawing. So, embedding Attributes with useful information for extraction is by far the most powerful reason to incorporate Attributes into the drawing database. The following are steps to carry out this extraction process using the DDATTEXT (aka Template based extraction) dialog box interface command (see Figure 10): 1.

File Format: This option informs AutoCAD as to how each extracted value is to be delimited or separated. I recommend the “Comma Delimited File (CDF)” option over Space Delimited File (SDF). In case any of the extracted values contain strings of text that have spaces, you don’t want the separator to also be a space which would cause the importing application to incorrectly designate where an extracted value ends.

Figure 8

2.

Select Objects: You have the option to select all objects in the drawing which would include external reference files or only the

Figure 9 augi.com/augiworld

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

19

Attributes

Figure 10

objects you want to include in the extraction process. In this example I selected the 4 section callout Blocks SEC-REF shown in Figure 8.

3. Template File: This is a required text file with file type extension .TXT that contains instructions telling AutoCAD what and how to extract the Block property and Attribute values. This Template file must be completed by the user. Unfortunately, AutoCAD has no built-in mechanism to create this for you. Figure 10 shows a Template file SEC-REF.TXT which I completed on my own that contains the following instructions: a.

C:DELIM { = By default AutoCAD uses commas [ , ] as the delimiter. Just like the problem with using a Space to avoid extracted values that may contain commas, I recommend using a character in this case the open curly bracket [ { ] which I know is not used anywhere in the drawing database.

b. C:QUOTE ^ = By default AutoCAD uses apostrophes [ ‘ ] to enclose each extracted 20 AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

value. Here again my recommendation is to use another character that’s not used anywhere in the extracted value like a carrot [ ^ ] to enclose the extracted values. c.

BL: = The next three lines are instructions to extract Block properties such as NAME, LAYER and XSCALE factor. Each of these are followed by one or more spaces (do NOT use TAB which would cause the extraction to fail) and then a set of 7 alphanumeric characters: i.

C = instructs AutoCAD the extracted values are characters

ii.

N = instructs AutoCAD the extracted value are numbers

iii. The first set of 3 digits tells AutoCAD to accommodate up to a specific length of the extracted value iv. The last set of 3 digits tells AutoCAD to accommodate for a number of decimal places in the extracted value when it’s a number augi.com

Attributes

Figure 11

written. Figure 10 shows extracted text file SECREF-ATT.TXT with the following:

Using this example: BL:NAME C010000 Extracts the Block’s name which are Characters accommodating up to 10 digits long

a.

b. Carrots [ ^ ] are used to enclose the extracted value

BL:LAYER C025000 Extracts the Block’s Layer name which are Characters accommodating up to 25 digits long BL:XSCALE N004001 Extracts the Block’s X Scale factor which is a Number accommodating up to 4 digits with a decimal precision of 1 d. Attribute Tag Name = The last two lines of the Template text file contain instructions to extract the Attributes’ value referencing them using their unique Tag names Using this example: DTL-NUM C003000 Extracts the Attribute’s value that’s found in Tag Name DTL-NUM which contain Characters accommodating up to 3 digits long SHT-NUM C004000 Extracts the Attribute’s value that’s found in Tag Name SHT-NUM which contain Characters accommodating up to 4 digits long 4. Output File: This is another text file with file type extension .TXT where the extracted data is to be augi.com/augiworld

Curly brackets [ { ] are used as the separator between each extracted value

Note: Extracted values that are designated as numbers are NOT surrounded with [ ^ ].

5. End Result: The extracted file after importing into a third-party application where the Curly brackets [ { ] and Carrots [ ^ ] are used to differentiate the beginning and end of each column would look something like this

WHERE DID ATTRIBUTES GO FROM THERE?

After nine years of status quo, in June of 2001 AutoCAD 2002 was released, adding two very powerful Enhanced Attribute commands: 1.

EATTEDIT: Enhanced Attribute Editor provided the missing link to editing Attribute properties.

When invoked, Eattedit opened a new and improved custom window titled Enhanced Attribute Editor with three tabs up top. The first tab labelled Attribute is by default what opened first to edit Attribute values. The second tab labelled Text Options is where Attribute Text properties of the selected Attribute get populated for editing. The third and last tab labelled Properties is for changing the remaining common Attribute Properties (see Figure 11).

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Attributes

Figure 12

2.

EATTEXT: Enhanced Attribute Extraction Wizard (aka Wizard based extraction) eliminated the need for a Template file to complete the Block and Attribute extraction process. The Wizard uses several dialog boxes providing the user with a graphical interface to assist in building the required information to extract the Block properties and Attribute values from the drawing (see Figure 12).

Then AutoCAD 2008 came out in March of 2007 with a built-in command overwriting the Eattedit Wizard.

The new DATAEXTRACTION Wizard now reigned supreme. In addition to Blocks and Attributes, data from all other object types can now be extracted.

Also, it continued to support the additional option to insert the result as a Table object into the current drawing which was introduced in AutoCAD 2005.

This new Wizard continued to develop to the current version of AutoCAD now containing a total of 8 pages (see Figure 13).

Though the Wizard based extraction process is a lot easier to carry out, if you only need to extract Blocks and Attributes, the traditional Template based extraction process can actually be automated using 22

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Attributes

Figure 13

the command line version of Attext bypassing the need to fill multiple pages of onscreen dialog boxes.

Note: Though ATTDEF, ATTEDIT and ATTEXT in the current version of AutoCAD all bring up a custom dialog box as the user interface, you can still access the classic command line version by preceding each command with a hyphen: -ATTDEF, -ATTEDIT and -ATTEXT

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER ATTRIBUTES?

Learning about and implementing Attributes may seem like an extremely daunting task. But I guarantee you that the return from the time invested is absolutely worth it. If you haven’t yet, I hope this article has caused you to want to take that next step and put those Attributes into action!

augi.com/augiworld

Mr. Paul Li graduated in 1988 from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He worked in the Architectural field for small to midsize global firms for over 33 years. Throughout his tenure in Architecture, he has mastered the use and customization of AutoCAD. Using AutoLISP/Visual Lisp combined with Dialog Control Language (DCL) programming he has developed a number of Apps that enhance the effectiveness of AutoCAD in his profession. All the Apps actually came out of meeting challenging needs that occurred while he worked in the various offices. He has made all the Apps available for free and can be downloaded from the Autodesk Design and Make Market Place. Though he recently retired from the Architectural profession, Paul continues to write articles depicting his past work experience. Some of these articles can be found in AUGIWorld Magazine where he shares his knowledge learned. Paul can be reached for comments or questions at PaulLi_apa@hotmail. com.

August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

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BIM Manager

The BIM Manager Reality Gap

by: Jason Peckovitch

What the Role Is Supposed to Be vs What It Actually Becomes

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here is a version of the BIM Manager role that exists in presentations, org charts, and job descriptions. It is polished, strategic, and forward-looking. In that version, the BIM Manager is driving innovation, shaping standards, mentoring teams, and helping the organization move toward more efficient and coordinated project delivery.

Then there is the version that exists on actual projects.

24 AUGIWORLD Magazine | August 2026

That version looks very different.

THE ROLE EVERYONE THINKS IT IS

At a high level, most organizations describe the BIM Manager role correctly. It is positioned as a leadership function that sits between technology and execution, responsible for aligning tools, processes, and people. The expectations typically center around improving consistency, increasing efficiency, and advancing the organization’s overall BIM maturity. augi.com

BIM Manager On paper, it is a role focused on progress.

through a series of small, reasonable compromises.

It assumes there is time to plan, refine, and improve. It assumes standards can be developed, communicated, and followed. It assumes that training leads to adoption, and that adoption leads to better outcomes.

Leadership expects consistency, but project schedules often leave little room for enforcement.

Standards are created with good intent, but without consistent reinforcement they become reference material rather than operational requirements.

Training is provided, but without accountability it does not always translate into lasting behavior.

None of those assumptions are wrong. They are simply incomplete.

THE ROLE IT ACTUALLY BECOMES

In the middle of an active project, priorities shift quickly. The focus moves from long-term improvement to immediate delivery, and the BIM Manager often becomes the point of stabilization for anything that starts to break.

Instead of driving strategy, the work becomes centered around maintaining functionality. Models need to be corrected, content needs to be adjusted, and schedules that were working last week suddenly require attention. Questions that were already answered resurface, and inconsistencies across teams begin to show up in ways that cannot be ignored.

This is not a failure of the role. It is a reflection of the environment the role operates within. Deadlines do not pause for process alignment, and projects rarely slow down to allow systems to catch up.

When something goes wrong, the expectation is that it gets resolved quickly, and the BIM Manager is typically the one expected to make that happen.

Over time, the work becomes increasingly reactive.

It often shows up in small moments that don’t seem significant at the time. On one project, a schedule that had been working early on suddenly stopped producing reliable information. What should have been a quick update turned into hours of tracing parameters, reviewing families, and identifying inconsistencies that had been introduced over time. None of the individual changes were major. Each one made sense in the moment. But together, they broke the system.

By the time it was resolved, the focus had shifted entirely from improving the model to simply getting it back to a usable state.

WHERE THE GAP COMES FROM

The gap between expectation and reality is not created by a single decision. It develops gradually augi.com/augiworld

Project teams respond to these conditions in predictable ways. They prioritize what allows them to keep moving. They make adjustments that solve immediate problems. They develop habits based on what works under pressure, not necessarily what aligns with a defined standard.

Individually, these decisions make sense.

Collectively, they introduce drift.

THE WORK THAT GETS REPLACED

As that drift increases, the nature of the BIM Manager’s work begins to shift. Time that should be spent improving systems is gradually replaced with time spent maintaining them.

Efforts that were intended to focus on developing better standards, building more reliable content, and creating scalable workflows are redirected toward resolving issues that should have been prevented earlier in the process. Instead of reinforcing consistency, the role becomes centered on correcting inconsistency after it has already taken hold.

This transition is rarely intentional. It happens quietly, often without being formally acknowledged. The role does not change on paper, but in practice it becomes something very different.

THE RISK NOBODY TALKS ABOUT

This gap is often accepted as part of the job, but it carries real consequences.

When BIM Managers are consistently operating in a reactive state, the reliability of the model begins to decline. Schedules become less dependable, coordination becomes more effort-driven than system-driven, and the overall predictability of project outcomes is reduced. What appears to be progress on the surface can mask underlying instability.

There is also a longer-term impact on the August 2026 | AUGIWORLD Magazine

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BIM Manager organization itself. When improvement efforts are continually deferred in favor of immediate problemsolving, BIM maturity plateaus. Teams remain busy, but they are not necessarily becoming more efficient or more aligned.

Understanding that gap is the first step toward closing it. The next step is making deliberate decisions about how the role is supported, how success is defined, and how much of the work is allowed to remain reactive.

On an individual level, the role becomes difficult to sustain. The issue is not the volume of work, but the misalignment between what the role is intended to accomplish and what it is consistently required to do.

These are not theoretical challenges. They are patterns that show up repeatedly across projects and organizations, and they are often where the most valuable lessons are learned. It is also an area I have spent a considerable amount of time working through in practice, and one that I explore further in my recent book, Becoming a BIM Manager: Industry Insights, Field Tested Playbook, and BIM Without the Bullshit, where the focus shifts from identifying the gap to what it actually takes to close it.

CLOSING THE GAP

Closing the gap does not mean eliminating reactive work. That is not realistic, nor is it necessary.

Projects will always present challenges, and some level of intervention will always be required.

The goal is to reduce how much of the role is consumed by that work.

That begins with recognizing the current state of the role without filtering it through ideal expectations. From there, the focus shifts to creating opportunities, even small ones, to reintroduce intentional work into the process.

This includes reinforcing behaviors that align with standards, clarifying what success looks like at both the project and organizational level, and building systems that reduce the need for repeated correction.

Progress in this area is incremental. It is not the result of a single change, but consistent adjustments over time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The BIM Manager role has not failed to meet expectations.

In many cases, the expectations and the reality were never fully aligned to begin with.

Jason Peckovitch is an AUGI Advisory Board Member, Autodesk Certified Professional in BIM Management for Building Design, and Revit Certified Professional for Mechanical and Electrical Design based in SE Iowa. He currently serves as BIM/VDC Manager at ACI Mechanical Inc., bringing over 25 years of CAD/BIM experience and nearly two decades focused on MEP coordination, Revit standards, and scalable content strategies.

Jason writes regularly for AUGIWORLD and shares Weekly BIM Mastery insights on LinkedIn, focused on practical, field-tested BIM without the fluff. He is the author of Becoming a BIM Manager: Industry Insights, Field-Tested Playbook, and BIM Without the Bullshit, a practical guide grounded in real-world implementation, leadership challenges, and what actually works in production environments.

Outside of work, he is a father of three, a published photographer, and a car and tech enthusiast. Connect with him on LinkedIn, find him on X as ThatBIMGuy, or reach out at thatbimguy@gmail.com

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AutoCAD Architecture

by: Melinda Heavrin

Spaces In ACA

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paces are 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional style-based architectural objects that contain spatial information about a building, including floor area, wall area, volume and surface information. Spaces have a multitude of uses, spanning the conceptual design through construction documents phases of a project. Among other things, spaces can begin to define the layout of a building’s internal rooms and areas. They can also define rooms and areas for scheduling purposes and for area calculations and evaluations.

OVERVIEW OF SPACE TYPES

Both Associative and Non-Associative Spaces can be modeled in AutoCAD Architecture. Associative spaces are generated from boundary objects.

When the boundary objects change, the space updates accordingly. In addition to associative spaces, you can also create non-associative spaces with user-defined geometry. A non-associative space can stand alone in the drawing, but you can use it to generate calculations just like you would use an associative space. Non-associative spaces can be connected to boundary objects after their creation; similarly, associative spaces can be disconnected from their boundary objects.

2D spaces display spatial information in 2 plan dimensions. The Z direction is by default set to 0 and ignored during creating, editing and scheduling the space. 2D spaces can be rectangular or polygonal, and they can either be non-associative or associative. A 2D space can be bound by 3D objects and linework. 2D spaces are typically used for Plan views, where 3D information is not needed.

An extruded 3D space is similar to a 2D space but has a user-defined extrusion height. Extruded spaces are useful for regularly shaped 3D spaces like uniform-height rooms in a building. Extruded spaces can have floor and ceiling components and space above the ceiling and below the floor.

The space above the ceiling is often used to place ductwork, cables and electrical installations in a room. Extruded 3D spaces can be associative to 3D objects and linework, but they are bounded only in the X and Y directions. The Z direction is defined by the extrusion height. If you need a space that is fully bound by objects in all 3 spatial dimensions, you need to generate a 3D freeform space. 3D freeform spaces are generated from boundary augi.com/augiworld

AutoCAD Architecture objects, like walls and slabs, and are associated with them. Associative 3D freeform spaces must be bounded in all directions to form a valid boundary shape. A 3D freeform space is a complex 3D geometry with any number of surfaces needed to generate the space shape.

SPACE STYLES

A space style is a set of parameters that determines the appearance and other characteristics of the space object to which it is assigned. Depending on the scope of the drawing, you may want to create different space styles to represent different types of spaces, such as different room types in an office building.

You can use styles for controlling the following aspects of spaces: •

Boundary offsets - You can specify the distance that a space’s net, usable and gross boundaries will be offset from its base boundary. Each boundary has its own display components that you can set according to your needs.

•

Target dimensions - You can define a target area, length and width for spaces inserted in a specific style. This is helpful when you have upper and lower space limits for the type of room that you want to insert.

•

Name lists - You can select a list of allowed names for spaces of a particular style. This helps you to maintain consistent naming schemes across a building project.

•

Displaying different decomposition methods - You can specify how spaces are decomposed (trapezoid or triangular). If you are not working with space decomposition extensively, you will probably set it up in the drawing default.

•

Displaying different space types - You can draw construction spaces, demolition spaces and traffic spaces with different display properties. For example, you might draw all construction areas in green and hatched, and the traffic areas in blue with a solid fill.

Spaces can have a “Name” property assigned.

These are derived from a List Definition. The List Definition should be assigned to the style so that you have a valid list of names to select from when establishing the space object’s properties.

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AutoCAD Architecture Space style names should be indicative of the type of room or area that the space style is meant to address. Space styles should have materials assigned to their “Floor” and “Ceiling” components.

To create a Space Style, begin by clicking the Manage tab on the Ribbon, select the Style & Display panel and then select Style Manager (see Figure 1). The Style Manager will display with the current drawing expanded in the tree view. Expand Architectural Objects and then expand Space Styles. You can create a new Space Style by rightclicking on Space Styles and selecting New (see

Figure 2). You can also create a Space Style from an existing style by right clicking the Space Style you want to copy and select Copy. Next you will right click and select Paste. Enter a name for the new Space Style and hit Enter. Now you will need to edit the new Space Style according to how the space should appear, its size, etc. Once finished, you can add the new Space Style to your tool palette for easy access.

SPACE EVALUATION

The space evaluation is a documentation feature that calculates and evaluates the space information

Figure 1 –Style Manager

Figure 2 –New Space Style

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AutoCAD Architecture of your finished floor plan. This information is stored in a separate file that you can export to a spreadsheet or word processing application.

Evaluation templates ensure that the information is formatted and arranged in a consistent, structured way.

Architects need the space evaluation feature for submitting floor plans to the building plan approval authorities and to customers. Space evaluation can also be used for performing cost estimates, assigning jobs to contractors or organizing facility management. Evaluations can be created for selected spaces in the current drawing, selected spaces from multiple open drawings, all spaces in a drawing and all spaces from all open drawings.

Spaces can also be evaluated from external references.

Areas are converted to spaces, area groups to zones and the area evaluation have been converted to the

Figure 3 – Area Evaluation Message

space evaluation. If you attempt to use a legacy tool or run a legacy command to start the area evaluation, the following message will appear: “The command AreaEvaluation is no longer supported” (see Figure 3). If you click Run Space Evaluation, the space evaluation will be started instead (see Figure 4). You should remove area evaluation tools from your palettes and exchange area evaluation commands for space evaluation commands in your scripts.

SPACE BOUNDARIES

Spaces have 4 different boundaries: base, net, usable and gross. You can use them to display, edit, and schedule different aspects of the space. You can choose that these boundaries are not offset from each other and lie on top of each other. If you do not need different boundaries, you can even turn off the display components for the additional boundaries. Here are some typical use cases for using individual boundaries: •

Base boundary - Normally representing the inner area of a room covered by space. This is the area generated by boundary objects in an associative space. In most cases, the base boundary is identical to the net boundary, except in some area calculation standards like the Swedish SIS standard.

•

Net boundary - This boundary can be used for planning and detailed design. For example, if

Figure 4 – Space Evaluation augi.com/augiworld

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AutoCAD Architecture you need to determine the hiring of cleaning personnel for an office, you would use the net area as the calculation basis. The net boundary can also be used for special applications when the calculated area of a space is smaller than the base boundary.

•

Usable boundary - This boundary is in many area calculation standards used for planning and detailed design, renting calculations, tax and other duty calculations, statistical calculations, maintenance, pricing and more.

The usable boundaries typically extend from the inside of the exterior walls to the middle of the interior walls (or a specified distance into the interior walls).

•

Gross boundary - The gross boundary can be used in connection with cost calculation, price estimation, calculation of tax and other duties, key numbers for the building or a specific floor and more. Normally, the gross boundary is measured from the outside of the exterior walls to the middle of the interior walls.

There are different ways to determine how the boundaries should be offset from each other and calculated. These are Manual, By Style and By Area Calculation Standard. It is important to note that in previous versions of the software, objects that were invisible due to a frozen or hidden layer were never included in the generation or update of associative spaces. Beginning with this version, frozen and hidden objects are included in the space generation and update if they are set as boundary objects.

CREATING SPACES IN YOUR DRAWING

AutoCAD Architecture provides tools that allow you to quickly place spaces by selecting a space tool with a specific space style as well as other predefined properties. You can use the tool as is with its default settings or you can change any of the properties that are not controlled by the style. You can also use space tools to apply tool properties to existing objects to create new spaces.

Space tools can be found on the space tab of the tool palette. To begin creating spaces in your drawing, drag and drop the desired space from

the tool palette to your drawing and begin. You can also find space tools in the Stock Tool Catalog, the Sample Palette Catalog and the Design Tool Catalog. Once you are in the Space command, the Space tab will appear in the Ribbon (see Figure 5).

You can also create Spaces in your drawing by converting polylines, object outlines and profiles to spaces. Simply open the Space tool palette and right-click on the Space tool you wish to use. Next, select Apply Tool Properties To and then select Linework and AEC Objects (see Figure 6). Select the objects and/or polylines you wish to convert and hit Enter. Under Cut Plane Height on the Convert to Space worksheet, enter the height at which the object should be cut to generate the profile of the new space. Select OK. Another way to generate an associative space in your drawing is to begin by verifying that all necessary boundary objects have their Bound Spaces property set to Yes. Open the tool palette that contains the Space tool you want to use and select it. For Offset boundaries, select how the 4 space boundaries (base, net, usable and gross boundaries) are calculated: •

Manual - The net, usable and gross boundaries can be manually edited with grips.

•

By style - The net, usable and gross boundaries are offset from the base boundary by a value defined in the space style.

•

By standard <Standard Name> - The net, usable and gross boundaries are defined by the area calculation standard listed.

On the Properties palette, for Create type, select Generate. It is important to note that the Associative property is interlinked with the Create type. If the Create type is Generate, the Associative setting defaults to Yes. If the Create type is Insert, Rectangle or Polygon, the Associative setting defaults to No and becomes read-only. Select Yes for Allow Overlapping Spaces if you want to be able to generate spaces from boundaries that already contain space. This could be useful if you

Figure 5 – Space Tab

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AutoCAD Architecture

Figure 6 – Apply Tool Properties

want to generate spaces from an xref drawing that already contains spaces, but you need to generate spaces with different settings. For Geometry type, select 2D, Extrusion or Freeform. In the drawing, generate the spaces. If you want to generate a 3D freeform space, enter “G” (generate all). If you want to generate a 2D or extruded 3D space, you can either enter “G” (generate all) to generate spaces for all visible boundaries or you can pick inside closed boundaries in order to generate spaces for them.

CONCLUSION

Spaces are an essential part of the AutoCAD Architecture software. They help you to extract data contained in the drawing for use in scheduling, tagging and analysis. Spaces is an integral part in enhancing your productivity for facility management as well as I the working drawing augi.com/augiworld

phase of your project. I encourage you to explore the possibilities with spaces and see how far you can go!

Melinda Heavrin is a CAD Coordinator & Facility Planner in Louisville, Kentucky. She has been using AutoCAD Architecture since release 2000. Melinda can be reached for comments and questions at melinda.heavrin@ nortonhealthcare.org.

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Corporate Acquisition

by: Mark Behrens

Corporate Acquisition An Insider’s Perspective

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Corporate Acquisition

orporate buyouts and mergers are part of any industry and always will be. The processes and planning as they occur can make or break the overall process go smoothly or drag on unnecessarily. My intention in writing this article is not to belittle any organization, or their business intentions. It is to bring a fresh review of a common practice, placing more emphasis on the effect that it has on individuals affected by said activities.

of changes to an environment to which they have become accustomed.

Consideration of the effects on employees must start at the onset of any corporate buyout. The people behind the company name are the heart of what define that company and their brand reputation.

Change, by itself, is not a bad thing. Technology and processes improve, which creates better procedures and improves product development. Product improvement is always a positive thing. People accepting the improvements becomes a challenge, if not approached carefully.

As one who, in a previous job, was an employee of an organization acquired by another, I have firsthand experience with the process that has become more frequent in recent years.

The process of acquiring one business with another, to someone whose only exposure to the process is reading about it in an article or blog post, is straightforward. One organization acquires another, merging the acquired technology and personnel with its own. This process, however, is so much more than an article or blog post will cover.

AN EMPLOYEE’S EXPECTATIONS

A few years ago, my employer was bought out by a larger organization. Initially, there is uncertainty on the part of employees of the acquired company.

What will happen? Will they keep us or let us go?

How will the process work? As one who has been through this process, I will share my experience and the reality from an insider’s perspective.

Having spent many years with my employer, I had adapted to their culture and business practices.

It became an established routine, knowing what the job was, and the people with whom I needed to work to complete a task. I learned how to streamline the process of completing a job.

Familiarity with corporate protocol helped me become more efficient in my daily work. I knew the right people to work with.

Then came the introduction of a new reality. A reality tied to an outside organization, with its own culture and protocols. Change is imminent with the introduction of new people and processes.

People, by nature, will tend to resist the acceptance augi.com/augiworld

CULTURE SHOCK

As the process of assimilation went on, it became increasingly evident that the considerations of our culture would be considered secondary to the new organization’s plans. The policies and protocols of the larger organization were scaled to match their operation.

When one organization merges with another, the blending of cultures is key to the smooth transition into one group. The core of a company’s culture is its people. The personnel being acquired are naturally going to be uneasy at first. Transparency about how the process is crucial, however, is not common.

As a twenty-year employee of an organization that was acquired, I can say that transparency, at least as I experienced the acquisition, was marginal.

The initial presentation of the process to us (the acquiree) was positive, with a well-structured plan and clear path. Not being new to the design world, I knew that there would be some challenges that the transition plan did not address.

There was a major difference between the cultures of the two organizations. Our culture was that of a mid-sized organization, where daily activity was handled internally by people with whom we worked daily for many years. The acquiring company was much larger and had the personnel level associated with the organization’s size. I saw this as positive, in that I could get new input and support for the goals that I had, however, lacked the resources to pursue in my current situation.

MERGING THE OLD AND THE NEW

Expecting a certain routine and finding out that the routine has been revised to include additional steps and personnel was a bit of an adjustment. As one who always tries to be self-sufficient, I do not involve external resources unless it becomes necessary.

With forty-plus years in the design field, I have been able to find solutions to 99% of my challenges.

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Corporate Acquisition As I had been a trusted employee, with no real restrictions on what I needed to do, I expected a smooth transition with the new organization.

The reality was a bit of a surprise. When tackling a routine task, I found that our protocol and permissions had been changed considerably. With a new process to work through, I found delays and roadblocks. The level of control that I had in the past had changed. Multiple levels of approval were needed to complete routine tasks and computer maintenance.

The process in the first few months was as challenging as expected, new people and processes will take some time to integrate. How an acquiring organization handles the initial integration process can be very telling. As we were introduced to the new system, we had regular meetings, with ongoing updates about long-term plans. The plan moving forward was positive; there was a solid plan in place.

UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES

Our group, it turned out, was one of several acquired in a short period of time.

As a long-time employee, I had become more “settled” in the established routine than I realized.

The acquiring organization, being well established in their industry, had, as presented to us (the acquiree), definite goals and a solid timeline.

As things progressed with the melding of the two organizations, however, there were parts of the plan which did not execute as smoothly as expected by either organization.

Juggling multiple acquisitions for an organization, as it turns out, was something that we, as an acquiree, did not fully understand, it is more complicated and involved than we knew.

INTERNAL UNEASINESS

Internally, there was concern surrounding practically everything we had known as routine.

People were unsure of what the next day would bring. When questions were asked, often, the people who we were directed to contact were unavailable to support us. With no definitive answers, people started making assumptions and stories quickly got exaggerated about what was happening.

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Adding to the uncertainty, when we began to transition to the new organization’s system, procedural issues regularly arose. Often the procedures we were to follow had not been fully vetted in the background. This was one of the most frustrating aspects of things. Employees were left with nowhere to turn for answers, either a real person, or a procedure that they could follow and see a measurable result.

There were several employees that decided to seek other opportunities as the buyout continued.

This is to be expected, as not all people will like the new working situation, however well planned.

The concerning issue became how the remaining employees were considered with respect to the reduced staff levels. As workloads shifted and were frequently increasing for several people, frustration grew.

THE NEW REALITY

Having spoken with people who are actively employed in the organization, they have learned to work with the new policies and management style. The buyout process, as we were initially told, was going to take a year. At two years and counting, there are many unresolved challenges remaining.

My current employer designs Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV’s) and test machines. I have worked with AutoCAD software for forty years, starting on version 1.4. Having been with my current employer for almost sixteen years and CAD manager by necessity for at least ten, I have seen their culture change many times in attempts to improve processes and become more efficient.

CAD standards have become a high-profile topic recently. I am excited to share my process of implementing a user-friendly system of CAD standards with others.

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Archival Data

Learn Once, Remember Everywhere

by: Nick Decker

How archival data can reconstruct the decision context behind your firm’s delivery expertise

N

ASA has not landed on the moon in 53 years and counting. The hard part about returning to the Moon was never remembering that rockets work.

NASA still had the drawings. It still has an archive of reports, calculations, photographs, and hardware.

What it did not have, at least not in the same living form, was the full learned context of the Apollo program: the production instincts, supplier know-how, test-stand judgment, manufacturing workarounds, and hard-earned sense of what not to do.

That is the uncomfortable lesson of the Apollo program: despite having the original blueprints and vastly improved technology, it did not have the tacit knowledge. A blueprint can preserve the answer, but it rarely preserves the experience that produced the answer. Figure 1.

Engineering and architecture have always been trades of judgment. Yes, they are technical

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disciplines. Yes, they rely on codes, calculations, standards, models, and specifications. But the best practitioners know that the formal record is only part of the work. Real expertise often shows up as a pause over a detail. A warning in a redline. A quiet comment in a meeting: “We tried that once.”

It is the ability to recognize a familiar risk before it announces itself as a problem.

That is tacit knowledge. Not a mystical concept. Not corporate jargon. Just the practical, lived expertise that accumulates when people solve hard problems over and over again in the real world.

Architecture and engineering firms are full of it.

The principal who remembers why a façade detail failed in a coastal climate. The project manager who knows which permitting issue quietly drove a hospital renovation off schedule. The structural engineer who can look at a proposed solution and immediately see the field conflict hiding inside it.

The civil lead who knows that a design is technically compliant but operationally doomed. augi.com

Archival Data

Figure 1

This is the knowledge clients actually pay for. And it is walking out the door. Figure 2.

The industry has talked for years about demographic change, retirement risk, staff turnover, and the shrinking window for mentorship.

Those are real pressures. But the deeper issue is not simply that people leave. People have always left.

The deeper issue is that, when experts leave, firms often lose the decision context that made those experts valuable in the first place.

Figure 2 augi.com/augiworld

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Archival Data The client deliverables remains. The lesson disappears.

The better opportunity is to give their work a memory.

Most firms already know this, which is why “knowledge management” has become a recurring agenda item in leadership meetings. The usual responses are familiar: lessons-learned templates, project closeout forms, internal wikis, lunch-andlearns, best-practice libraries, maybe a heroic SharePoint site with a naming convention that made sense to exactly three people in 2018.

Every project already produces a massive trail of context. Drawings. Models. Specifications. Emails.

Meeting minutes. RFIs. Submittals. Markups.

Comments. Photos. Cost estimates. Change orders.

Addenda. Field reports. Closeout documents.

Version histories. Collaboration threads. The daily exhaust of project delivery.

These efforts are well-intentioned. They also tend to collapse under the weight of reality.

Individually, these artifacts look like administration.

Together, they are the closest thing most firms have to a record of how their experts actually think.

The people with the most valuable knowledge are usually the people with the least time to document it. They are reviewing deliverables, rescuing projects, mentoring staff, supporting pursuits, answering client calls, and being pulled into every situation that is too important to fail. Asking them to spend their spare time converting forty years of professional judgment into clean database entries is not a strategy. It is a fantasy with a steering committee.

The deliverable shows the decision. The collaboration record shows the thinking. This is where archival data gets a new life.

We do not need to turn subject matter experts into monks.

Modern technology changes that equation.

For decades, archives were treated as dead storage.

Keep the files because contracts require it. Keep the emails in case there is a claim. Keep the drawings because someone may ask for them during a renovation. The archive was a defensive asset: necessary, expensive, and mostly inert. Figure 3.

With semantic search, metadata extraction, version history, knowledge graphs, and AI-assisted analysis,

Figure 3

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Archival Data

Figure 4

firms can start connecting disparate pieces of the project record into something more useful than a folder structure. Not just “find me the file.” Not just “search every PDF for this keyword.” But: show me similar problems, the decisions that resolved them, the context around those decisions, and the evidence of whether they worked.

That is a fundamentally different capability.

A young engineer should not have to know the name of the project where the firm solved a similar foundation issue twelve years ago. A project manager should not have to email six principals asking who remembers a phased healthcare renovation in Denver.

expert thinking so that more people can find it, learn from it, and apply it at the right moment.

The path to this outcome is not abstract. It is tactical.

First, connect and centralize all project data into a single repository. Drawings, reports, emails, models, photos, meeting notes—everything that reflects how work actually gets done. The goal is not perfection. It is completeness.

The firm should learn once.

Then it should remember everywhere.

This does not replace the expert. It elevates the expert.

The subject matter expert is still the hero of this story because their judgment is the original source material. Their decisions, comments, markups, warnings, and revisions are what give the archive value. Technology does not magically create expertise from old files. It reconstructs the trail of augi.com/augiworld

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Archival Data

Figure 5

Figure 6

In parallel, construct a structured database of project data - client name, location, description, personnel involved, financial outcome. Information that would help inform the “who” and “what”.

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Second, use modern cloud tools to extract document metadata and context from that data.

Turn unstructured files into structured knowledge without requiring manual tagging at every step.

Then index these files for ‘linkages’ - where does a meeting note or email thread mention a drawing. augi.com

Archival Data

Figure 7

Where is there mention of a warranty issue? In the tech space, this is called a “knowledge graph” and helps to address the “why” and the “how”. Figure 5.

Third, make that knowledge searchable to all employees - all the way down to the junior designers. (Within reason) do not gatekeep this information. Allow teams to ask natural questions and retrieve relevant past work, lessons, and patterns instantly. The system should surface context, not just documents. Figure 6.

This is how firms move from scattered archives to usable intelligence.

The Apollo Program lesson is not that documentation does not matter. Documentation matters enormously. The lesson is that documentation without context is incomplete.

A&E firms should take that seriously. The model, the drawing, and the specification are critical artifacts, but they are not the whole design. The whole design includes the decisions, debates, constraints, failures, revisions, and learned instincts that shaped the final answer.

Most of that context already exists.

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It is sitting in the archive, scattered across deliverables, emails, meeting notes, markups, and collaboration systems. And notable, its is scattered across projects too. The opportunity now is to connect it, interpret it, and turn it into a searchable firm-wide memory.

Because the firms that win the next decade will not be the ones that simply store the most data.

They will be the ones that learn once — and remember everywhere. Figure 7.

Nick Decker is the Global Segment Leader for Engineering at Egnyte. He is responsible for the growth and support of Egnyte’s engineering customers. Nick brings deep experience in the design and field technology space from time at Bluebeam and Dusty Robotics. He originally comes from the construction and engineering industry, having worked for large contractors Kiewit and AECOM Hunt.

Nick holds a Civil Engineering degree and MBA from Purdue University.

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