SmartPlant P&ID
Alternative: Read Any P&ID Format, No Migration
SmartPlant P&ID is an authoring suite that reads only SmartPlant-authored data. For brownfield digitisation, legacy P&ID extraction, mid-EPC projects without enterprise SmartPlant licences, and any workflow that ingests PDF or scanned drawings, SmartPlant fundamentally cannot help. Pathnovo extracts structured data from any P&ID format (scanned, PDF, DWG, including legacy SmartPlant exports) with a contractual 99.5% accuracy SLA, complementing HxGN SDx2 rather than replacing the SmartPlant ecosystem.
Why Switch from Hexagon Intergraph SmartPlant P&ID
Extracts What SmartPlant Cannot Read
SmartPlant P&ID and HxGN SDx2 only read SmartPlant-authored objects (or, in SDx2's case, extract tag text). Pathnovo reads any format: scanned 1980s P&IDs, third-party CAD exports, hand-annotated drawings. No authoring tool dependency.
No $200K-$1M Enterprise Licence
SmartPlant licensing starts at six figures with multi-month implementation. Pathnovo is credit-based, full platform included on every paid tier, no platform fee, no per-seat licence, no minimum commitment. Mid-EPC accessible. See pricing for plans.
Days, Not Months, to First Value
SmartPlant typical implementation: 5+ months. Pathnovo free pilot returns structured data on 10 of your drawings within 48 hours. Production engagements deliver first batch in week one.
Complementary to HxGN SDx2
Pathnovo feeds structured P&ID data, including symbol topology and instrumentation context, into HxGN SDx2's data take-on layer. SDx2 alone gets you tag text. Pathnovo + SDx2 gets you the full asset register. See the hexagon sdx page.
Indian Regulatory Layer Built-In
SmartPlant has no IBR / OISD 118 / PESO / CCOE compliance output. Pathnovo bundles all four Indian regulatory views with the extracted asset register. See the indian epc compliance bundle page.
99.5% Contractual Accuracy SLA
SmartPlant offers no extraction accuracy SLA, because it does no extraction. Pathnovo guarantees 99.5% field-level accuracy with a remedy clause: re-process at no cost and credit the difference if accuracy slips.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Pathnovo | Hexagon Intergraph SmartPlant P&ID |
|---|---|---|
| Extraction from scanned / PDF P&IDs | ||
| Extraction from legacy SmartPlant exports | Authoring only | |
| Symbol + topology recognition | ||
| Tag text extraction (HxGN SDx2) | SDx2 only | |
| Full instrumentation index extraction | SmartPlant Instrumentation (separate licence) | |
| Piping MTO from scanned isometrics | ||
| HAZOP register extraction from PDF | ||
| Mill certificate traceability + EPC PO matching | ||
| IBR / OISD 118 / PESO / CCOE compliance | ||
| 99.5% contractual accuracy SLA | ||
| 48-hour managed service turnaround | ||
| Transparent published pricing | Credit-based (Scale tier) | Contact vendor ($200K-$1M+) |
| HxGN SDx2 integration | Yes (data feed) | |
| P&ID rule-based authoring | ||
| Smart 3D / Smart Instrumentation native integration | ||
| Pricing | Credit-based. Scale and Enterprise tiers for enterprise-class scope. See our pricing page for plans. | $200,000 - $1,000,000+ enterprise licence (per industry analyst reports) |
Feature Matrix
Side-by-side capability comparison across every meaningful workflow your team will run.
| Capability | Pathnovo | Hexagon Intergraph SmartPlant P&ID |
|---|---|---|
| Target workflow | Extract P&ID data (any format) | P&ID rule-based authoring (SmartPlant-native) |
| Extraction from scanned / PDF / DWG / hand-annotated P&IDs | ||
| Extraction from legacy SmartPlant exports | Authoring only | |
| Extraction from third-party CAD (AVEVA, Bentley, AutoCAD) | ||
| P&ID symbol + topology recognition | ||
| Tag text extraction (via HxGN SDx2) | SDx2 add-on only | |
| Instrumentation index extraction (full) | SmartPlant Instrumentation (separate licence) | |
| Piping MTO from scanned isometrics | ||
| HAZOP register extraction from completed PDF studies | ||
| Mill certificate traceability + EPC PO matching | ||
| Indian regulatory bundle (IBR / OISD 118 / PESO / CCOE) | ||
| HxGN SDx2 / SmartPlant Foundation data feed | Yes (data feed) | |
| Output to SAP PM / Maximo / AVEVA AIM / Bentley iTwin / Cognite | Via SmartPlant Foundation only | |
| 99.5% contractual accuracy SLA + remedy clause | ||
| Implementation timeline to first output | 48 hours | 5+ months |
| Free 14-day trial, 100 credits, no card | ||
| Public pricing | Credit-based, Scale tier | $200K-$1M+ enterprise licence |
| Smart 3D / Smart Instrumentation native integration |
Full support Not supported Partial / context-dependent (text)
Pricing Compared
Transparent pricing for every vendor where public. Where the vendor does not publish pricing, we say so.
Pathnovo
Credit-based subscription, Scale and Enterprise tiers cover enterprise-class extraction scope. Full platform on every paid tier (extraction + MTO + HAZOP + mill cert + procurement + Indian regulatory bundle). 14-day free trial with 100 credits and no card validates the extraction workflow before commercial commitment. Published per pricing page. Pathnovo feeds HxGN SDx2 / SmartPlant Foundation via the SDx2 data take-on schema.
SmartPlant P&ID
Enterprise Hexagon licensing $200K-$1M+ per industry analyst reports. 5+ month implementation (licence negotiation, Oracle / SQL Server backend setup, SmartPlant Foundation deployment, ALI module configuration, integration testing, training). Hexagon is consolidating its P&ID future around HxGN SDx2 (Smart Digital Reality 2.0); existing SmartPlant deployments continue to be supported. Named customer footprint Chiyoda (Qatar NFE LNG), GASCO, Ausenco, Adani Petrochem, Eskom on $500M+ capex projects. Not commercially viable at mid-EPC scope.
Who Wins for Which Buyer
Real buyer scenarios with honest “who fits best” framing.
Tier-1 EPC contractor designing greenfield project end-to-end inside Hexagon SmartPlant ecosystem
Winner: SmartPlant P&IDSmartPlant's rule-based intelligent authoring + database backbone + deep instrumentation and 3D integration is the right backbone for greenfield SmartPlant-native projects. Pathnovo does not replace authoring tools; we extract from existing drawings. Pathnovo can complement SmartPlant for HAZOP, mill cert, and Indian compliance scope SmartPlant does not cover.
Owner-operator brownfield digitisation with decades of legacy PDF/scanned P&IDs and mixed authoring tools
Winner: PathnovoSmartPlant cannot read legacy PDF, scanned, or non-SmartPlant authored drawings. Pathnovo extracts from any P&ID format and outputs structured data + topology. Loads to SmartPlant Foundation via SDx2 data take-on schema when SmartPlant is the chosen platform; otherwise feeds AVEVA AIM, SAP PM, Maximo directly. See the hexagon SDx integration for the joint pattern.
Mid-EPC contractor ($50M-$500M project scope) needing P&ID extraction at project scale
Winner: PathnovoSmartPlant's $200K-$1M+ enterprise licensing + 5+ month implementation is not commercially viable at mid-EPC scope. Pathnovo's credit-based pricing with 48-hour first delivery and full platform on every paid tier makes P&ID extraction accessible at mid-EPC scale.
Indian PSU refinery with legacy SmartPlant + IBR + OISD 118 + PESO + CCOE compliance obligations
Winner: PathnovoSmartPlant has no Indian regulatory bundle. Pathnovo encodes all four regimes natively, with Indian PSU rate-card pricing at Scale and Enterprise tiers. Pathnovo extracts from legacy SmartPlant exports and feeds the four Indian regulatory views alongside the asset register. See the indian EPC compliance bundle.
Owner-operator running Pathnovo + HxGN SDx2 joint deployment on Hexagon-committed environment
Winner: Pathnovo + SmartPlantOptimal architecture for SmartPlant-committed customers. Pathnovo extracts the full P&ID graph (symbols + topology + tags) from any source, SDx2 ingests into SmartPlant Foundation. Most Hexagon-committed customers benefit from this joint deployment; SDx2 alone gets tag text only. Pathnovo + SDx2 = full asset register.
When the competitor is still the right choice
Honest framing matters. Here are the scenarios where Pathnovo is not the right fit.
- 01
If you are designing a greenfield project end-to-end inside the Hexagon SmartPlant ecosystem (SmartPlant P&ID + Smart 3D + Smart Instrumentation + SmartPlant Foundation), SmartPlant's rule-based intelligent authoring backbone is the right engineering stack. Pathnovo does not replace authoring tools; we extract from existing drawings.
- 02
SmartPlant's Smart 3D + Smart Instrumentation native integration is materially stronger than Pathnovo's 2D-extraction focus for projects where 3D model integration and instrument design authoring are the primary deliverables. Pathnovo's strength is structured data extraction from 2D engineering documents.
- 03
SmartPlant's customer base on $500M+ capex projects (Chiyoda Qatar NFE LNG, GASCO, Ausenco, Adani Petrochem, Eskom) demonstrates the platform-maturity level for tier-1 EPC and large owner-operators on multi-year SmartPlant programmes. Pathnovo's mid-EPC + Indian / Gulf focus reaches different buyer segments; both can coexist.
- 04
For tier-1 owner-operators with full Hexagon SmartPlant commitment + Hexagon-led delivery preference, vendor-managed SmartPlant implementation may still be the cultural fit even if Pathnovo's productised extraction is technically faster and cheaper for the brownfield digitisation scope.
Related Solutions
Hexagon SDx Integration
Pathnovo as the extraction layer feeding SDx2.
P&ID Data Extraction
The core capability that displaces SmartPlant for brownfield.
Asset Information Management
Full asset register from any source, including SmartPlant exports.
P&ID Extraction Software Comparison
How all P&ID tools compare on a feature matrix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pathnovo a replacement for SmartPlant P&ID?
No. SmartPlant P&ID is an authoring tool: engineers draw P&IDs inside it. Pathnovo is an extraction layer: it reads existing P&IDs (in any format) and outputs structured data. They serve different points in the workflow. Most owner-operators end up using both: SmartPlant for new design, Pathnovo for legacy / brownfield / non-SmartPlant content. The two are complementary, not substitutable.
Can Pathnovo extract data from existing SmartPlant P&IDs?
Yes. Pathnovo reads PDFs and DWG exports of SmartPlant-authored P&IDs and extracts the structured data: tags, lines, equipment, instruments, valves, with topology. This is particularly useful for owner-operators rationalising legacy SmartPlant deployments who want their data in a neutral format independent of SmartPlant licensing.
How does Pathnovo compare to HxGN SDx2?
HxGN SDx2 is Hexagon's data take-on layer: it does AI-driven tag text extraction from documents. SDx2 does not extract symbol topology, instrumentation context, isometric MTO, or HAZOP registers. Pathnovo does all of those. Pathnovo + SDx2 in combination gives a full asset register; SDx2 alone gives tag text only. See the Hexagon SDx integration for the joint architecture.
Is SmartPlant P&ID being discontinued?
No, but Hexagon is consolidating its P&ID future around HxGN SDx2 (Smart Digital Reality 2.0). Existing SmartPlant deployments continue to be supported. Owner-operators planning a 5-10 year horizon should evaluate whether to stay SmartPlant-native, migrate fully to SDx2, or adopt Pathnovo as a neutral extraction layer that works across both and any third-party data.
Can a mid-size EPC contractor afford SmartPlant?
Realistically, no. SmartPlant licensing plus implementation lands at $200K to $1M+ for typical EPC scope, with 5+ month rollout. Most Indian and Gulf mid-EPC contractors ($50M-$500M project sizes) cannot justify that. Pathnovo's credit-based pricing (full platform included on every paid tier) and free 14-day trial with 100 credits make it accessible at mid-EPC scale. See pricing for plans.
What output formats does Pathnovo deliver for SmartPlant ecosystems?
JSON, Excel, CSV, CFIHOS class library, ISO 15926 RDF, SAP PM functional location and equipment master CSV, IBM Maximo asset register XML, AVEVA AIM-compatible feeds, HxGN SDx2 data take-on schema, Wrench SmartProject MDR, and Oracle Aconex transmittal feeds. Custom formats configured per client at no extra fee.
See what your documents actually contain.
Send us 10 documents from your current project. We extract, reconcile, and show you exactly what we find in 48 hours, before any contract.
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