experience in switching to nanoCAD products and developing a corporate enterprise standard

JSC Siberian Research, Design and Project Institute of Aluminum and Electrode Industry (SibVAMI) is the general designer of large Russian metallurgical plants. It is part of the united company RUSAL, a leading player in the global aluminum industry. The institute has been operating since 1959; on April 10, 2024, it celebrated its 65th anniversary. JSC SibVAMI is located in Irkutsk and has five separate divisions in Krasnoyarsk, Bratsk, Novokuznetsk, Sayanogorsk and Kamensk-Uralsky. It is a long-standing user of CAD for the development and execution of design documentation as part of the creation of new production facilities and technical modernization of existing ones.

From this article you will learn why back in 2013 the management of SibVAMI decided to replace AutoCAD from the American supplier Autodesk with the Russian Platform nanoCAD and after more than ten years of cooperation with Nanosoft does not plan to operate in third-party CAD systems. The company supplied licenses and provided technical support at all stages of implementation. “Maxsoft-24”Nanosoft's premier and focus partner in the areas of “Constructions” and “Land Management”.

Russian company – Russian CAD: affordable, reliable, promising

The prerequisite for the search for alternative CAD systems of both foreign and Russian manufacture was the change in Autodesk's pricing policy in terms of the transition to annual subscriptions and an increase in the cost of licenses for SibVAMI. But already at the start of this work, it was decided to consider domestic solutions – primarily for the purpose of ensuring security.

Based on the results of the selection, the institute gave preference nanoCAD platform from Nanosoft. In addition to the obvious cost advantage compared to its Western predecessor, the specialists at SibVAMI were interested in a set of criteria for maintaining high speed of daily work:

support for *.dwg format;
familiar interface;
support of Russian standards;
a wide range of software tools.

“For the enterprise, at the time of replacing the CAD system, the main selection criterion was the cost, the second was the SPDS utility. In AutoCAD, it is complex and generally not in demand in the work. We independently created subroutine settings for drawing up drawings, did not use built-in ones. In nanoCAD, this function is clear both in terms of interface and application; it is configured for Russian GOSTs, that is, there are no difficulties with its use. You know what they say: “The cooler the jeep, the further you have to go for the tractor”, why complicate the work if you can simplify it.”

Anastasia Pyankina

Head of the Technical Department of JSC SibVAMI

Import substitution within a five-year period without disrupting project implementation deadlines

Full implementation of a new CAD system in the work of all departments of a large enterprise is not a quick matter. SibVAMI understood this well when they set themselves the goal of completely abandoning work in AutoCAD and installing the nanoCAD Platform at each workstation. Only this option eliminated the inevitable confusion and conflicts of drawings when working simultaneously in several CAD systems, and therefore a negative impact on the dynamics of production processes.

Thus, in 2013, a phased implementation began, starting with the SibVAMI head office in Irkutsk and a separate division in Krasnoyarsk:

1. Test group examination.

2. Selecting the required software.

3. User training.

4. Deployment of work places.

5. Adaptation of engineers to the new CAD system and development of an enterprise standard.

6. Commissioning.

Stage 1. Test group examination

At the first stage, a test group was created, which included two or three people from each direction from the technological, construction and general engineering departments of the head office and a separate division. The task was to test the entire line of nanoCAD products and select the necessary software from Nanosoft for work, which would cover all the design needs of the institute.

Over the course of a year, the group evaluated the design, settings, and other features of the selected programs, while simultaneously compiling a list of questions for consultation with the developer's specialists.

“At this stage, specialists from MaxSoft-24 were very helpful, promptly answered all our questions related to testing and mastering the functionality of the product line based on nanoCAD. There was no obvious rejection of the products, which gave impetus to confidently move forward.”

Anastasia Pyankina

Head of the Technical Department of JSC SibVAMI

Step 2. Selecting the required software

SibVAMI is a full-cycle design institute: it carries out a range of work on industrial production, including developing prototypes of new technological equipment, as well as mechanization and automation equipment for various purposes.

Based on the results of testing and detailed study of Nanosoft products, relevant working tools for the institute's tasks were determined. For the head office in Irkutsk, these were the nanoCAD Platform with additional modules “SPDS” And “Mechanics”programs nanoCAD Construction Site, nanoCAD GeoniCS And nanoCAD BIM Electro. In a separate division, workstations with a similar set of solutions were deployed, with the exception of the “Mechanics” module. In total, 119 workstations with network versions of nanoCAD products were installed in both divisions in 2014.

To check the compliance and relevance of the regulatory documents specified in the explanatory notes and design documentation, the NormaCS program was used, the distributor of which is Nanosoft. The program works in conjunction with nanoCAD, and its key convenience is that the information is analyzed in a Word document and all changes are highlighted automatically.

Step 3. User training

After the software was selected, personnel training began. MaxSoft-24 specialists conducted group and individual lessons online with final assessment of students. At the same time, the institute's engineers independently mastered the CAD functionality using built-in hints in the interface, and also participated in open public webinars organized by the developer and partner. Feedback after comprehensive training and practical work with the products was collected through surveys of SibVAMI engineers.

For the full implementation of the selected products, specialists from MaxSoft-24 met with SibVAMI engineers annually, working out in detail each issue of software functionality. Feedback from users was analyzed, dividing requests into two categories:

the problem is solved by standard functionality – additional training of employees is required;
the problem cannot be solved or is solved with errors – the software product needs to be improved.

Based on the tasks from the second category, a work plan was drawn up, which was sent to Nanosoft programmers. In this way, the necessary functionality was gradually built up.

Stage 4. Deployment of workstations

Armed with basic knowledge of the new CAD system, the engineers began designing in the nanoCAD line, consulting with the technical support team of MaxSoft-24 specialists.

Prompt assistance from the developer and partner helped to eliminate emerging errors in a short time and without damaging the production process. Each individual issue was submitted for processing for upgrading the program in its next version. Thanks to this approach, new Platform builds even more fully met the specific needs of users.

Stage 5. Adaptation of engineers to the new CAD system and development of an enterprise standard

The SibVAMI engineers did not accept the new software right away. Firstly, experienced designers were convinced that AutoCAD was the permanent leader, a monopolist of the global CAD market, and that there were no worthy analogues. Secondly, a radical, enterprise-wide replacement of the usual design software tools could significantly slow down the work, not to mention the risk of financial losses during the planning and implementation of the project.

The confident attitude of the management, its conviction in the strategic correctness of the decision taken, as well as the well-founded opinion of the test group of users helped convince fellow designers that the upcoming changes were a justified measure that would protect the institute from major difficulties in the future.

“The mastering of nanoCAD products was gradual, with full immersion in each question that arose. Thanks to the familiar interface and prompts, engineers quickly learned, and controversial issues were resolved together. Colleagues were happy to share their experience, while feeling the powerful support of the team.”

Anastasia Pyankina

Head of the Technical Department of JSC SibVAMI

The institute's engineers noted the following functions that helped automate a number of tasks on current projects:

the ability to draw up a specification and any table with their subsequent translation into Excel is solved by pressing one button;
tracing jpeg formats – converting old copies of drawings into vector format;
Smart callout – easy work with project layers;
working with filters – convenient search for the required elements.

*An example of a drawing of general data of a storage area, made in the nanoCAD Platform*

*Plan and section of the storage area, made in the nanoCAD Platform*

Over five years of active design work in nanoCAD products, the institute has created a corporate standard, although such a task was not initially set. The standard includes requirements for uniform design of drawings (fonts, text height for certain elements, line thickness, etc.). It also presents business processes: from the exchange of tasks between departments to the stages of issuing design documentation. The result was not just a serious document – a unified design culture was formed.

New employees did not experience any difficulties in working with the nanoCAD Platform according to the approved regulations, and experienced specialists, using generally accepted templates, spent much less time on the preparation of project documentation. It was thanks to the standard that full and unimpeded interaction between departments was established.

Stage 6. Commissioning

Currently, stable operation with all nanoCAD products used at the institute has been established. When the next software build is released, users' computers do not “freeze”, as happened at the beginning of the implementation – the update occurs smoothly due to the installation of the new version “on top” of the previous one.

There are no questions even about projects created in foreign CAD systems. There are cases when drawings from foreign partners come in an editable format, but are displayed incorrectly in nanoCAD products. Such a project undergoes primary analysis and editing by Maxsoft-24 engineers. If more serious work with “conflicts” is required, Nanosoft specialists are involved.

SibVAMI regularly improves the skills of its engineers in working with the nanoCAD Platform: webinars are held every six months on the capabilities of the latest versions of the developer's products.

The result of the systemic process of implementation and use of Nanosoft solutions in SibVAMI were successfully implemented projects. Thus, the project of the Central Administrative and Household Complex was completely implemented in nanoCAD.

*Drawing of the facade of the administrative and household complex building, made in the nanoCAD Platform*

*The constructed building of the administrative and domestic complex*

Convenience of working according to generally accepted design standards in the Russian nanoCAD Platform

The radical replacement of software at SibVAMI, which had been accustomed for years to working with products from foreign developers, not only did not have a negative impact on the design process, but also gave the organization advantages as a user of Russian CAD.

After switching to nanoCAD products, the institute could have returned to designing in CAD systems from foreign developers, but decided not to do so. According to SibVAMI employees, there are at least two reasons for this: 1) the ease of use of the Russian product, confirmed in practice by designers of various specialties; 2) no need to overpay for functions that are not used in the process of working on a project. The nanoCAD platform is a base on which you can install exactly those tools that will be in demand at the enterprise.

“SibVAMI is one of the first large enterprises to implement the nanoCAD Platform on a large scale at the level of all divisions in six cities. Today, we can confidently talk about the success of this project. In 2022, the number of nanoCAD Platform licenses already amounted to about 300 units, and the total number of licenses for additional modules “SPDS” and “Mechanics” exceeded two hundred. The ease of design noted by the institute's engineers is a consequence of nanoCAD working according to Russian standards. There are no controversial situations during the standard control of design and working documentation, and then during the construction process.”

Nadezhda Khudoberdina

Director of Maxsoft-24 LLC

“The process of import substitution has been launched and is actively underway in Russia. The long-term cooperation of our companies only confirms that Russian software developers have enough potential to compete equally with foreign manufacturers. We consider Nanosoft a responsible and reliable partner, since we are provided with all the necessary functionality and technical support for stable operation of the software.”