Although DWG files are a widely used industry standard, finding the right file and its metadata can be problematic: compatibility issues, ambiguous metadata standards, and large file volumes across different locations make working with the DWG format difficult. Find out more about DWG files, specific challenges and what solutions Enterprise Search Software search hereit is ready for it.
Easily search DWG files including metadata
No matter which drawing programs you use, with searchit search any DWG file with just one search query
What are DWG files?
The abbreviation DWG stands for “Drawing” and describes Autodesk’s proprietary storage and data exchange format. DWG files were first introduced to the public in 1982, coinciding with the launch of AutoCAD, Autodesk's computer-aided design program. Since then, the DWG format has become the industry standard: the primary users of DWG files are in industries that rely on detailed technical drawings and plans. In particular, professionals in architecture, construction, engineering and product design use AutoCAD as their main application for creating and editing designs in DWG format.
Why can't I search a DWG file?
DWG files cannot be searched directly because they consist primarily of geometric elements and do not contain searchable text information. In Windows Explorer, in addition to the title, only metadata such as author, creation date and file size can be used as a guide to organizing DWG files.
To search the contents of DWG files, you would need to use special software for metadata extraction in CAD files. These tools are able to extract the text within drawing elements or search specific metadata such as keywords.
How can a DWG file be made searchable?
DWG files are a standard format in the CAD world. The highly detailed representation of 2D and 3D models makes them essential in architecture and engineering. Because DWG files consist of vector-based graphics, they are not searchable for text content - this makes finding or identifying the correct file and version cumbersome and time-consuming. This is how DWG files can still be searched:
- Object Character Recognition: By using a program with optical character recognition, such as the DWG search using searchit, even pictorial texts can be recognized. Alternatively, the DWG file can be converted into a PDF format that supports text recognition. However, this means that the editability of vector graphics is lost and complex technical drawings usually suffer a loss of quality during conversion.
- Entity recognition: This AI technology is used to recognize basic lines and shapes, as well as characters and objects in images. Words and text can be extracted from the vector-based DWG files and included as search terms.
Enterprise Search takes you further
Easily search DWG files with searchit
How do DWG files appear in searchit searched?
What metadata of DWG files is included in searchit searched?
searchit is able to recognize all metadata contained in a DWG file containing information about the drawing and its properties. The full-text search provides search results for:
- filename
- Creation date, modification date
- filesize
- DWG version
- layer information, object properties, Geometric information
The enterprise search solution searchit is also equipped with additional, interactive filter options for a user-friendly and efficient search experience:
- Version tracking: File changes are detected in regular crawls and flagged in the results.
- Duplicate search: Overview of multiple existing DWG files in all file servers. Information about originals and copies.
- Which: Search for files in selected servers and other sources, simplified by the visual drill-down functionality.
- Author: Filtering by user and their created files.
- Language: Automatically detect the language used for the DWG file.
- relevance: Sorting of search results according to searchit calculated weighting.
- and many more
You can see an overview of all functions here.
can searchit Browse DWG files without AutoCAD installation?
Yes, searching for files and metadata is possible for every searchitinstance possible, even without AutoCAD installation on the user's computer. The central interface allows users to search for any file in DWG format on any authorized server, regardless of which AutoCAD version the file was generated from. This feature is helpful for users who manage a large number of DWG files but do not need to create them themselves. The file path in the search result leads users to the DWG file; a CAD viewer is required to open and further edit it.
How does searching in CAD programs differ from searching with Enterprise Search?
Efficient searches in CAD programs require clear organizational structures and standards for metadata capture. Maintaining these structures can be tedious for employees and can easily lead to errors such as incorrect file names. Companies that manage large numbers of DWG files often rely on software tools or file management systems.
The advantage of enterprise search software here is the accessibility to files on all company servers plus the reduced pressure on employees in file management. Thanks to full-text search, which includes metadata and also recognizes invisible metadata of each file, search speeds upit the search for DWG formats is immense. Thanks to the automatically carried out versioning of files, recording of duplicates, as well as the author, the language and much more, employees can find what they are looking for in a matter of seconds.
How do DWG files appear in searchit searched?
What metadata of DWG files is included in searchit searched?
searchit is able to recognize all metadata contained in a DWG file containing information about the drawing and its properties. The full-text search provides search results for:
- filename
- Creation date, modification date
- filesize
- DWG version
- layer information, object properties, Geometric information
The enterprise search solution searchit is also equipped with additional, interactive filter options for a user-friendly and efficient search experience:
- Version tracking: File changes are detected in regular crawls and flagged in the results.
- Duplicate search: Overview of multiple existing DWG files in all file servers. Information about originals and copies.
- Which: Search for files in selected servers and other sources, simplified by the visual drill-down functionality.
- Author: Filtering by user and their created files.
- Language: Automatically detect the language used for the DWG file.
- relevance: Sorting of search results according to searchit calculated weighting.
- and many more
You can see an overview of all functions here.
can searchit Browse DWG files without AutoCAD installation?
Yes, searching for files and metadata is possible for every searchitinstance possible, even without AutoCAD installation on the user's computer. The central interface allows users to search for any file in DWG format on any authorized server, regardless of which AutoCAD version the file was generated from. This feature is helpful for users who manage a large number of DWG files but do not need to create them themselves. The file path in the search result leads users to the DWG file; a CAD viewer is required to open and further edit it.
How does searching in CAD programs differ from searching with Enterprise Search?
Efficient searches in CAD programs require clear organizational structures and standards for metadata capture. Maintaining these structures can be tedious for employees and can easily lead to errors such as incorrect file names. Companies that manage large numbers of DWG files often rely on software tools or file management systems.
The advantage of enterprise search software here is the accessibility to files on all company servers plus the reduced pressure on employees in file management. Thanks to full-text search, which includes metadata and also recognizes invisible metadata of each file, search speeds upit the search for DWG formats is immense. Thanks to the automatically carried out versioning of files, recording of duplicates, as well as the author, the language and much more, employees can find what they are looking for in a matter of seconds.
Search almost all search sources with Enterprise Search
Thanks to fully automatic crawls and indexing of your CAD files, search is generatedit relevant search results with every query. Text content as well as metadata are included. Thanks to the variety of connectors, our enterprise search software allows you to search almost all sources.
Always optimized storage space management
At the request of our customers, we have a specialized plugin for the best Storage space management developed. Keeping track of duplicates and outdated data is particularly important with large files in DWG format - and helps you save space and costs.
Interactive, content-based filter options
Numerous content-based filter options allow search hits to be limited with just one click. Among other things, highly intuitive graphical search filters and time dimension filters are available. Depending on the type of search, the existing filters are adjusted.
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