Naming conventions for Dim Styles and Text Styles

[chillme1]

Getting back into the Autodesk world:

I would like some ideas or e-lists (hint, hint) of how to name dimension styles and text styles so that they show in some organized manner (by size, etc). In other words, so they stay grouped together such as in a dialog box drop-down listing.

Background:

I will be doing light structural engineering CADD support work including tank supports, platforms, etc. for a local processing plant (small structures not the Empire State Building here) and possibly a small bit of site work involving inch to the foot scales for a majority of the work.

How do you manage naming?

[tatriest]

For Dimstyles, you could name them 008, 016, 024, etc...... You could have one for column dimensions with the witness lines turned off: 096-Column....

My textstyles are set 0" height. I haven't tried it, but you could try the approach of having Textstyls for different sizes: i.e. Anno-096, Dim-096, Anno-048, Dim-048.

Or call them 096-Anno, 096-Dim, 048-Anno, 048-Dim.

The reason I broke Anno and Dim is so you could have differen width factors if desired.

I DO NOT like to name the Textstyle after the font because of "future-proofing" my standards. If the company decides to change our standard font, we willl not have to rename EVERYTHING.

[chillme1]

Terry,

Your logic seems nearly foolproof. That is until I get hold of it ;).....

Excellent suggestions

[jrebennack]

We do surveying/engineering at our company so our naming convention is different.

We have the text named after text height, just like the old Leroy sets. See attached file showing the text styles for our survey template.

[redWORKX]

I have taken the approach - the more stairght forward the better. I have multiple disciplines with multiple object types, multiple scales, etc.; so I use...(examples below),

A-DIMS@96 (General Architectural Dims at 1/8")
P-PIPE@24 (Single Line Piping Callouts (Diameters) with a Special Loop Arrowhead)

[chillme1]

Thanks for the information so far. I have a clearer picture now.


The more ideas the better as any other input is appreciated, too.

[CGM]

Thanks for the information so far. I have a clearer picture now.



The more ideas the better as any other input is appreciated, too.As we have got a tiny drawing office (4 of us!) I have kept things fairly simple. Dimension styles are ISO-50 for 1:50 scale drawings; ISO-100 for 1/100 scale etc.

For text styles it's pretty much the same; Notes-50 and so on... However one exception is that the attributes for title blocks are left in "Standard" style. Which allows me to vary the text font of these without mucking up all the notes it the drawing.

[chillme1]

L'irlandais,

C'est bon & viva les frites!
Loose translation:

That's great and long live french fries!

[andy.89024]

My comapny annotates the dim name with the company name, i.e. Acme-100 for 1:100 styles, then we use suffixes for differing leader styles, so Acme-100-arch-tick.

This gives us the option of multiple styles and scales in each drawing.

[david_ellis]

Well here is my two cents worth:

I have set up and made standard that the text scales to the view port. When adding Annotation to a sheet file the user works through the view port thus the system automatically scales the annotation to the correct size. I have 2 dimension styles one for arch units and one for civil. This eliminate the need for a dimension style for every scale.

It took a little bit of time to convince my users to do it this way but they came around.

[tedg]

We name our Dim styles like:
STD_14, (1/4" = 1')
STD_112 (1-1/2"=1')

STD_50 (1"=50')
STD_200 (1"=200')

and so on.

They all use the text style "STD_DIM" which has a height of zero.
This way we can change the font assigned to it and all are updated.

Our "standard" text style is like our standard dimension text style, it's called
STD_TXT which has no assigned height. Plotted hight of 1/8".

"STD" just stands for our company STanDard.

Ted

[chillme1]

BACKGROUND
I err on the side of being a spoiled paper space user since 2K. With a job change in 2005, I subjected myself to a combined 'model space only' and other CADD paradigm. I am currently enduring and adjusting to this 'terrible' combination. Humiliating, humbling...yes!

CHANGE MY (little) WORLD
I have a contract opportunity to not only work in AutoCAD but set up working CADD standards. Being a force of one there, I want to do it right including documenting standards, introducing automated routines, etc.

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS
The preceding information has been invaluable in giving me ideas on how to proceed.

AUGI members are the best!

[daniel.dennin]

As far as setting up standards, take a few minutes to analyze what your needs are and what works for you. There is an article titled something like "What every CAD Manager should know" that I believe is on the AUGI site that covers some good points.
Some key items to keep in mind:
- Keep names in a simple format for both internal and external users.
- Compliance with external standards such as Y14.100, Y14.1, etc for text heights, formats, etc.
- Get input from your team and your customers as to what works and what doesn't. Comments like "We've always done it that way." demand a response of "Why?"

[johan d]

This is ours