Tagsight vs AutoCAD Plant-style workflows
AutoCAD-based P&ID environments are widespread because the underlying CAD tool is already in every engineering office. Tags are authored as block attributes and exported to schedules. Tagsight takes the rendered drawing as input and produces the schedules directly.
At a glance · Time per drawing
Minutes per drawing for extraction. Engineer time spent on review and exception handling.
Depends on whether tags were authored as intelligent block attributes or as static text. Static-text drawings require manual transcription to produce schedules.
Read one of your own drawings.
Drop a P&ID, instrument index, or schedule. Tagsight reads it to the tag and opens a workspace you keep when you sign in.
PDF · DWG · DXF · TIFF · PNG · XLSX
Comparison.
| Axis | Tagsight | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Time per drawing | Minutes per drawing for extraction. Engineer time spent on review and exception handling. | Depends on whether tags were authored as intelligent block attributes or as static text. Static-text drawings require manual transcription to produce schedules. |
| Revision handling | Two PDF revisions diffed automatically. Change Report exports as MOC-ready Excel. | Diff capability depends on whether both revisions are intelligent. Static-text revisions are diffed manually. |
| Signal classification consistency | Classification is consistent across every drawing in the project. You review and confirm the uncertain reads before export. | Classification depends on the authoring engineer and the block-attribute setup. Static drawings have no classification metadata at all. |
| Audit trail | Per-tag source page, source region, and review decision. Queryable and version-controlled. | Block attributes hold authoring metadata for intelligent drawings. Static drawings have no equivalent record. |
| Output formats | Excel, CSV, TIA Portal XML, Rockwell L5X, PLCCreator, DEXPI, JSON, annotated PDF as native exports. | Schedule exports for intelligent drawings. Manual export for static-text drawings. |
Time per drawing
Minutes per drawing for extraction. Engineer time spent on review and exception handling.
Depends on whether tags were authored as intelligent block attributes or as static text. Static-text drawings require manual transcription to produce schedules.
Revision handling
Two PDF revisions diffed automatically. Change Report exports as MOC-ready Excel.
Diff capability depends on whether both revisions are intelligent. Static-text revisions are diffed manually.
Signal classification consistency
Classification is consistent across every drawing in the project. You review and confirm the uncertain reads before export.
Classification depends on the authoring engineer and the block-attribute setup. Static drawings have no classification metadata at all.
Audit trail
Per-tag source page, source region, and review decision. Queryable and version-controlled.
Block attributes hold authoring metadata for intelligent drawings. Static drawings have no equivalent record.
Output formats
Excel, CSV, TIA Portal XML, Rockwell L5X, PLCCreator, DEXPI, JSON, annotated PDF as native exports.
Schedule exports for intelligent drawings. Manual export for static-text drawings.
When this is the right call.
- Drawing set is a mix of intelligent and static-text drawings
- Team needs documents, I/O list, equipment list, line list more than diagram authoring
- Revisions are frequent and MOC review is required
- Native PLC exports, TIA Portal XML, Rockwell L5X are needed without manual reformatting
When it is not the right call.
- All project drawings are authored as intelligent block-attributed P&IDs and a single CAD tool already produces every required schedule
FAQ.
Do tags need to be intelligent block attributes.
No. Tags come through as they appear visually on the drawing. Static text, intelligent attributes, or hand-drawn annotations all work as input.
What about drawings that were never authored as intelligent P&IDs.
These run as input. They are usually the majority of a brownfield drawing set.
How does signal classification work.
Each tag is classified AI, AO, DI, DO per ISA 5.1 or the equivalent letters in the drawing's convention. You confirm the ambiguous reads in the canvas before export.
Can the output go straight into a PLC project.
Yes. TIA Portal XML and Rockwell L5X are native exports. PLCCreator-compatible CSV is also available.
Does the source CAD format matter.
The input is the rendered drawing, so the source CAD format is not load-bearing. PDF is the most common input.