The Find Similar command allows users to quickly locate objects that share similar attributes with a selected item in Nora IPLM. This command helps teams explore related or comparable objects without manually building complex search queries.
Within Nora IPLM, product data often includes many similar items with shared properties. Therefore, the Find Similar command provides a fast and intuitive way to discover related objects while keeping the user focused on their current context.
Why Use the “Find Similar” Command
During product development, teams frequently need to compare items, reuse existing data, or identify alternatives. Instead of starting a new search from scratch, users can rely on the Find Similar command to surface relevant objects instantly.
As a result, teams save time and maintain consistency across product data.
You can use this command when:
- Similar items need to be reviewed or compared
- Existing items should be reused instead of creating new ones
- Data consistency across item types must be ensured
Importantly, this command only retrieves data. It does not modify, duplicate, or remove any objects in Nora IPLM.
Where to Find the “Find Similar” Command
You can access the Find Similar command from item-related contexts within the platform. This makes it easy to use during daily work.
The command is available:
- From the right-click menu of item-type objects
- From the toolbar of widgets that display item-type objects
In both cases, the command appears only when the selected object supports similarity-based search.
How to Use the “Find Similar” Command
1. Select the Object
First, select an item-type object that you want to use as a reference.
You can select the object directly from a widget that displays item-type data.
Next, open the right-click menu or use the widget toolbar.
Then, click Find Similar to continue.
2. View Similar Objects
After clicking the command, Nora IPLM automatically opens the Search widget.
The system populates the search results with objects that share similar attributes with the selected item.
As a result, you can immediately review, compare, or further refine the list of similar objects.
Additional Notes
- The Find Similar command works only for item-type objects
- The system opens results in the Search widget automatically
- The command does not change or update any object data
CAD Upload and Similarity Search Requirements
The Find Similar command works only for objects that were loaded from CAD software with the “Allow Similarity Search” option enabled at upload time.
When this option is active during CAD upload, Nora IPLM generates and stores additional vector-based attributes for the objects. These vector attributes are required for similarity-based matching.
If the option is inactive during upload:
- The required vector attributes are not generated
- Similarity-based comparison data is not available
- The Find Similar command will not return results for those objects
As a result, similarity search will not work for objects created or imported when the option was disabled, even if they are item-type objects.
To use the Find Similar command successfully, make sure that:
- Objects are imported from CAD software
- The Allow Similarity Search option is enabled during the upload process
This behavior is intentional and helps keep similarity results accurate and performant by relying only on objects with the required data structure.
