The Problem
On a live electrical project — containment, lighting, power, fire alarm, small power — the drawing register on Viewpoint 4Projects had fallen behind. Engineers were issuing updated PDFs locally faster than the Viewpoint uploads were happening.
By the time the project coordinator tried to reconcile the two, there were 33 drawings to check. Manually: open each drawing on Viewpoint, note the revision. Open the local PDF, note the revision. Compare. Log the mismatch. Repeat 33 times. Realistically a half-day job — and one that's easy to get wrong.
The risk: a contractor downloads from Viewpoint and builds to an outdated revision. That's a site error, a rework cost, and a programme delay.
The Workflow
Export the Viewpoint Register
From Viewpoint 4Projects, export the drawing register as a PDF or Excel file. This contains drawing numbers, titles, current revision on Viewpoint, suitability codes, and upload dates.
Gather the Current Issue PDFs
Collect the current locally-issued PDFs — these are the drawings as they stand today, before Viewpoint has been updated. Package them into a single folder or PDF.
Drop Both into 2DSUITE Cross-Reference
Open 2DSUITE, switch to Cross-Reference mode. Drop the Viewpoint register on the left, the current PDFs on the right. Hit run. 2DSUITE reads every drawing number, revision code, and suitability status from both sides.
Read the Report
2DSUITE returns a structured list of every discrepancy — sorted by severity. Outdated revisions, missing uploads, suitability mismatches, drawings that couldn't be parsed. You get a ready-to-action list, not a pile of data to interpret.
The Result — 33 Drawings in 72 Seconds
Status Codes Explained
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| MATCH | Revision identical on Viewpoint and current set | None |
| VIEWPOINT OUTDATED | Current issue is a newer revision than what's on Viewpoint | Re-upload to Viewpoint |
| NOT ON VIEWPOINT | Drawing exists locally but has never been uploaded | Upload to Viewpoint immediately |
| CHECK REQUIRED | Viewpoint shows revision but current PDF couldn't be parsed | Manual comparison |
| NOT IN CURRENT SET | On Viewpoint but not in the local PDF set being compared | Verify drawing status |
| UNABLE TO PARSE | Revision could not be extracted from one or both sources | Manual check |
Why This Matters
Contractors download from Viewpoint. If Viewpoint is behind, they build to the wrong revision. On an electrical project, that means cable containment sized to an old layout, circuit schedules that don't match the installed distribution boards, or earthing arrangements that don't meet the latest SLD.
The rework cost of a single site error — even a minor one — far exceeds the cost of a Studio plan. This check should happen before every drawing issue. With 2DSUITE, it takes less time than making a coffee.
What You Need
This workflow requires Studio plan (25 documents per side). For smaller packages under 5 drawings per side, Pro plan works. Export your Viewpoint register as PDF or Excel — both formats work with 2DSUITE's Cross-Reference mode.