An IPS iDrawings alternative.
IPS iDrawings converts a PDF P&ID into an intelligent CAD drawing for a plant-design suite like SmartPlant, AutoCAD Plant 3D, or AVEVA. Tagsight takes the same PDF and returns the registers as data. The I/O list, instrument index, equipment list, and line list, classified and ready for the control system, with no CAD destination required.
Comparison.
| Axis | Tagsight | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| What you get back | Structured data. The I/O list, instrument index, equipment list, and line list, each classified. | An intelligent CAD P&ID inside a plant-design suite, plus a material takeoff. |
| What you need downstream | Nothing. The registers export to Excel and to your control system directly. | A CAD suite to receive and maintain the intelligent drawing. |
| Signal classification and review | Each tag classified AI, AO, DI, or DO, confirmed by an engineer against the source page before export. | The drawing is migrated to CAD; the I/O signal mapping is a separate downstream step. |
| Revisions and MOC | Two revisions diffed, MOC-ready change report, the record carried forward. | Revision handling lives in the CAD suite the drawing was migrated into. |
When this is the right call.
- You need the registers as data, not a CAD drawing to maintain
- There is no plant-design suite to receive an intelligent P&ID, or you do not want to maintain one
- The I/O list has to carry a confirmed signal class and export to a PLC or DCS
- A queryable per-tag audit trail is needed for MOC or HAZOP
When it is not the right call.
- The goal is to rebuild the drawing set as intelligent CAD P&IDs inside a plant-design suite you already run
Common questions
Do I need a CAD suite to use the output.
No. The output is data. The I/O list, instrument index, equipment list, and line list export to Excel and to the control-system formats directly, with no CAD destination required.
Can it feed a plant-design suite if we have one.
Yes. DEXPI XML is a standard export, and the register data can be loaded downstream. The difference is that a suite is not required to get value.
How are scans and legacy drawings handled.
As input the same way. Scanned and photographed sheets are supported alongside CAD-exported PDFs. You confirm the reads before export.
An IPS iDrawings alternative.
You need the registers as data, not a CAD drawing to maintain