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StanConvert 4.0 for AutoCAD 2000

Geoff Harrod

StanConvert from Softco Engineering Systems Inc. in Canada is a tool for users of AutoCAD and its Desktop derivatives, who need to be able to reliably convert AutoCAD data between various standards of working environment. This is typically needed by offices that carry out work for various clients who demand differing AutoCAD conventions and drawing standards, and for offices that coordinate work from various companies each using differing standards.

In this context, by 'standards', we mean the use of schemes of layer naming, mapping of on-screen colors to plotting colors and/or plotting line-widths, manner of use of AutoCAD 2000 lineweight properties, plot-style tables, block and xref naming conventions, use of by-layer and by-object properties, fonts, and similar items. With AutoCAD 2000's Lineweight properties and Plot-Styles, additional factors have been introduced affecting office practices and standards, and StanConvert addresses those too.

The overview in the Help system explains the program's scope very well:

StanConvert is an AutoCAD Drawing Standards Translator and Batch Processor that converts drawings to and from custom and industry standards of setup in minutes. This eliminates the headaches of cleaning up drawings set up in alternate coding systems and allows you to process libraries of legacy drawings in specified directories from old setup standards to new.

• Includes a fool proof protocol for translation between custom and industry coding systems. 
• Converts layering systems from one standard to another and back again. 
• Converts colors and linetypes and named plotstyles set "bylayer" and "by entity". 
• Converts colors and linetypes to "bylayer or "byblock". 
• Converts named plotstyles to "bylayer, "byblock", or "Normal". 
• Converts named plotstyle coding systems from one standard to another. 
• Converts color and linetype coding systems from one standard to another and back again. 
• Converts symbol coding systems (names) from one standard to another. 
• Provides options for translating To Client only, From Client only, or Both Ways repeatedly. 
• Automatically converts drawings in minutes. 
• Processes entire symbol and detail libraries, including your attributes. 
• Batch processes designated drawings in specified directories only.

Note: It is important that your translations are always consistent each time you translate drawing standards to or from a client system. Since StanConvert reads translations only from mapped data contained in ascii text source files, it is ideal to appoint one person to set up and manage all your mapping files. Then store them in a read-only section of your network where they can be accessed by including that location in your AutoCAD Support File Search Path.

StanConvert does a very complete job of addressing all these issues. It is clearly aimed at CAD Managers of design office networks, and probably because of that, its user interface and operational methods are anything but "User-Friendly" - perhaps excessively so. Even though I have an extensive background in AutoCAD use, customizing and programming, I found it quite hard to figure out how it all worked. Those, like me, who have been used to the old Novell and Unix systems and their heavy use of specially formatted text data files to control operation, or AutoCAD's menu files, will not find StanConvert too hard to organize for particular requirements, but others will find it a bit of a challenge.

There are many one-person or very small offices that have a need for this sort of standards conversion when working as subcontractors, but who are engineering experts and computer users rather than in any way 'computer systems people'. I think those people would be rather baffled by StanConvert's methods and would prefer a system where the information could be entered more interactively. Softco states:

In particular, development has been concentrated on providing an enterprise solution to problems when drawings are exchanged with other offices and reused, or legacy drawings need to be upgraded to new industry standards to keep pace with new technologies. While we still believe that the best enterprise solution is to have single copies of the mapping files set up and maintained by one person in one central location only, we do not yet offer an interface that can be used by anyone to automate the mapping file setups accurately. Current development is addressing this issue and will be producing an Administrator module for systems personnel that will accomplish this task.

The system is first installed by running a setup program, which creates a folder '\SMAN\', and unpacks the program and data files into two folders within that. The setup program does not create any Windows icons or start menus because the system is run from inside AutoCAD.

The Readme text file explains three steps to making StanConvert active within AutoCAD. First: add 'C:\SMAN\conpro4\' to AutoCAD's support search paths. Second: do a partial load of the Stancon4.MNU menu file, which adds an extra floating icon toolbar (shown here). Third: load the StanCon4.VLX Lisp program. The third step needs to be done after opening each drawing that is to be processed.

Once that was done, I was a bit puzzled what to do next. No extra pull-down menus had been added, and no extra item had been added to the Help pull-down. They avoid adding menus because of its being used in conjunction with so many versions of AutoCAD and various add-ons, and not knowing if there is room for another pull-down. The StanCon icon toolbar does in fact have buttons for all the system's facilities, with rather obscure pop-up ToolTips, supplemented by more useful status line descriptions (See the illustration below).

ToolTips and Status line descriptions associated with the StanConvert toolbar.

[The ToolTips are shown in brackets]

• [X] [Stanconv] Runs commands Coloconv, Lineconv, Layeconv, Symbrena & Pstyconv to convert drawing standards from or to office standards & other standards. (This button also pops up the main dialog box to select translation options)

• COL [Coloconv] Converts colors assigned to drawing entities & layers from or to industry & other standards.

• LIN [Lineconv] Converts linetypes assigned to drawing entities & layers from or to industry & other standards.

• LAY [Layeconv] Converts layering systems from or to industry & other standards.

• SR [Symbrena] Renames symbols from client names to office names or from office names to client names.

• PST [Pstyconv] Converts named plotstyles assigned to drawing entities & layers from or to industry & other standards.

• LIB [Librconv] Processes a library of drawings - runs Coloconv, Lineconv, Layeconv, Symbrena & Pstyconv on each drawing & saves the drawings to the same names or different names.

• AWT [Apply Lineweights by Color] Applies the lineweight property independently from color by selecting the associated PCP or PC2 file previously used for plotting or by selecting a user defined setup file.

• APS [Apply Named Plotstyles by Color] Applies named plotstyles by selecting a setup file for mapping named plotstyles to color properties.

It would be good if there were a Help button on that toolbar, and I understand there will be soon. In the meantime, the Readme.txt file tells you to use Windows Explorer and double-click on 'StanCon4.HLP' to display the on-line help system to find out how the system works initially. There is also a Help button on the main StanConvert dialog box that pops up from the [X] button of the toolbar. But you really need to see the Help before you are likely to have worked that out. Once found, the Help system is in fact very thorough.

The core of StanConvert's functionality is its numerous translation specification data files (names ending with ".DAT") in the C:\SMAN\conpro4\ folder. These are plain ASCII text files that can be read and edited with Notepad or similar. The supplied files begin with many lines of explanatory text prefixed with semicolons to make the system ignore them as comments when processing. These files are intended to store your specifications for conversion procedures - mainly lists of things to be searched for in files and what to change them to. It is certainly a flexible and powerful method, and will suit a CAD manager very well. In such a networked office situation I expect only one person, or the manager of each work group perhaps, would have access to these files and to running StanConvert. The system's operational methods would not be any barrier to use in such situations, as only a few trained persons would need to master it. In fact it may be considered a good thing that non-technical users should be a bit baffled!

In use, a set of translation data files would be edited to suit the local requirements, and probably added to at various times to provide for new associates. Whenever translations were needed, the main dialog box would be used to select which of the translation specifications in the DAT files should be acted upon on that occasion, and which options applied. The data files and translation facility would usually be kept under one designated person's control on a network.

In the 'condoc4' folder are several MS Word Doc files. These are tables of sample conversions and blank forms for manual fill-in. The idea is that you send blank tables to a new associate company and ask for information about their standards to be filled in, so that you can set up DAT files to automate conversion between your system and theirs. They provide a sample request letter, of which the following is an extract:

Would you please provide us with the following information?

1. Your linetype names and their respective uses.
2. Your symbol names, representations & insertion layers.
3. Your colors, representations, line widths, & densities.
4. Your named plotstyles and object representations.
5. Your layer names, uses, layer color, & layer linetype.
6. Photocopies of your linetype and symbol legends.
7. Any special font files required for plotting.

We can provide S-MAN standard forms that will much simplify this task. We ask that you keep one set for your records, and return one copy to us. If you need any further information, please contact our systems manager.

It appears you would then need to manually enter the supplied data in a text editor to take the information supplied on the forms and reproduce it in the DAT form that StanConvert can process.

When editing DAT files, you must strictly maintain a defined structure for the data. Any tabular layout variation will prevent the system working or cause erroneous behavior. Data is arranged in columns, with each column of text starting in a specified character column number. The use of a monospaced font is highly recommended in the editor to assist with this. The active tables are delimited by start and end code-words, and preceded by an explanation of the tabular purposes and the character column numbers each must start at.

For example, here is part of a plot color-style conversion table in the 'Name-Def.DAT' file, which converts color-number-based plot definitions to a 'named plot-style' scheme in 2000:

COL PLOTSTYLE COMMENTS
| | |
1 6789... 36
====================================
STM_START ;Do not remove this line
1 STM_PDOOR
2 STM_EDOOR
3 STM_PWALL-F
4 STM_EWALL-F
5 STM_PJOIS
6 STM_EJOIS
STM_EXIT ;Do not remove this line
====================================

StanConvert 4.0 is a powerful and very useful utility and will have great appeal to many CAD managers. It does require quite a learning curve but appears to be well organized to do a reliable and versatile job. I hope Softco will produce another version that is more 'User-Friendly' for 'stand-alone' AutoCAD users who do not have the services of computer systems managers on tap.

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