Patent ID: 7949690

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for defining a building/construction project in a computer aided design (CAD) application used in an architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry comprising: (a) obtaining a project file in the CAD application comprising general information that is specific to, and is used to identify, the building/construction project; (b) creating a directory structure in the CAD application for the building/construction project wherein: (i) one or more categories within a project are represented by corresponding file folders in the directory structure; (ii) two or more drawing files are organized into the file folders by drawing file type of the one or more drawing files; (iii) the two or more drawing files are composed of either a building information model for the project or a report generated from the building information model; (iv) the building information model for the project provides and identifies geometry data for the building/construction project; (v) the report represents a view or a plotting sheet that includes the geometry data of the building/construction project; (vi) the two or more drawing files are organized into the file folders based on the building information model or the report accordingly; and (vii) the two or more drawing files do not contain the general information that is specific to and is used to identify the building/construction project; (c) obtaining a companion file for each of the two or more drawing files, wherein: (i) each companion file corresponds to a single drawing file; and (ii) each companion file provides information used to create the directory structure and comprises information to link each corresponding drawing file to the project based on the building information model or the report; (d) displaying, in the computer graphics program on a display device, the two or more drawing files in the file folders; and (e) performing construction as set forth in the drawing files.