Find Drawing Objects with Specific Properties

Perform the following steps to find drawing objects with specific propertiesSome CAD and BIM software tools create intelligent objects with embedded properties. For example, window objects might have embedded properties such as Material and Glazing, stairs might have embedded properties such as Rise/Run and Tread Thickness, and so on. Properties are not generally visible when viewing the drawing. However, when viewing the drawing in its native application, properties associated with an object can typically be queried by selecting the object. The Newforma Viewer provides object property support for certain CAD and BIM file types, including .DWG files created using Autodesk AutoCAD for Architecture (ACA), and .DWF files created using Autodesk Revit or ACA. Additionally, the Find feature in the Newforma Viewer now highlights objects with matching property values. .

To find drawing objects with specific properties

Open a .DWF, .DWG, or .DXF drawing in the Newforma Viewer.

Enter the name or value of the property you are looking for in the Find field in the Toolbar, then click Find. The Drawing Explorer dialog box opens to the Find tab, which lists the results.

For example, if you are looking for doors in the drawing whose fire rating is 90 minutes, type “90 minutes” in the Find field. Enclose the term in double-quotes to limit the number of matches. All instances of “90 minutes” will be listed, including visible text as well as non-graphical properties.

Select a property match to highlight it in the drawing. All of the object’s properties are displayed in the Properties panel.