1. A method of coding a view in a 2-dimensional CAD drawing into a format different from the 2-dimensional CAD drawing, the method comprising: a) filtering the 2-dimensional CAD drawing to temporarily remove extraneous material therefrom; b) identifying a view in the 2-dimensional CAD drawing for coding; c) identifying a feature of the view, wherein the feature comprises a graphic entity or a group of graphic entities in the form of a line or curve; d) extracting properties of the feature from the 2-dimensional CAD drawing, wherein the properties include vector properties associated with the graphic entity or group of graphic entities and are derived from coordinates relating to the feature's position within the 2-dimensional CAD drawing; e) generating code bits, wherein the code bits are representative of the extracted vector properties; f) adding the generated code bits to a view code for the view, wherein the view code is a coded version of the view in a format different from the 2-dimensional CAD drawing; and g) storing the view code.