Apparatus and method of managing 2d documents for large-scale capital projects

An apparatus for managing a large capital project using project data from a 3D design program to generate a plurality of 2D capital project documents relating to the capital project (“2D documents”) and representing a physical aspect of the capital project, the apparatus comprising:

• an interface to access the plurality of 2D documents, the plurality of 2D documents being logically related through a hierarchy that at least in part is defined by a plurality of attribute based rules;
• a viewer operably coupled with the interface, the viewer being configured to access a given 2D document of the plurality of 2D documents, the given 2D document having a given attribute and being in a given hierarchical level;
• a rules module operatively coupled with the viewer, the rules module being configured to apply at least one of the attribute based rules to the given attribute of the given 2D document, the rules module also being configured to determine, as a function of applying the at least one attribute based rule, which different 2D document in the plurality of 2D documents in another hierarchical level to access,
• the viewer also being configured to access the different 2D document as a function of the application of the at least one attribute based rule to given attribute.

A computer program product for use on a computer system for managing a large capital project, the computer program product comprising a tangible, non-transient computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:

• program code for obtaining access to a plurality of 2D capital project documents (“2D documents”) that were produced using project data generated by a 3D design program for the capital project, the plurality of 2D documents being logically related through a hierarchy that at least in part is defined by a plurality of attribute based rules, the plurality of 2D documents representing a physical aspect of the capital project;
• program code for accessing a given 2D document of the plurality of 2D documents, the given 2D document having a given attribute and being in a given hierarchical level;
• program code for applying at least one of the attribute based rules to the given attribute of the given 2D document;
• program code for determining, as a function of applying the at least one attribute based rule, which different 2D document in the plurality of 2D documents in another hierarchical level to access;
• and
• program code for accessing the different 2D document as a function of the application of the at least one attribute based rule to given attribute.