Aiding apparatus, design aiding method, computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a design aiding program and design aiding system

An apparatus comprises a retrieving unit calculating a degree of similarity of each of the plural pieces of feature information about the respective plural registered components extracted by a first extracting unit to the piece of feature information about the structural component extracted by a second extracting unit, and retrieving a registered component whose calculated degree of similarity is not less than a predetermined degree as a similar component of the structural component. Even if shape information about a component to be newly added to design data of a structure is in a form that is difficult to be used as the design data, it is possible to easily add the shape information about the component in a form that is usable as the design data to the design data.