Layer Question

[arcadia_x27]

OK,This should be a simple question. I'm working on ADT 2005 using the AIA layer standard, sometimes I need to add a description to the existing standard. For example: for electric baseboard heaters in a house I use the layer name E-Elec-Heat. I have to add the "Heat" description because its not in the standard. I have several drawings of different size heaters and everytime I open up a different one up I have to add the heat description to the Layer Standard. Is there some way to permanently add it in so that no matter what drawing I open up It will be there?

[jkramer]

Are you using a block to input the heater into your drawing?

I have taken the AIA layer standard and renamed it and modified it to add things that we use. And then defined in the block the layer that it should go on. When you insert the block it brings that layer with it.

HTH!

[arcadia_x27]

I have made changes and defined a new layer in the block drawing, I was just trying to find a way so that i wouldn't have to add it every time I go into a new block drawing. I'm in the process of redoing my companies CAD Standards and I'm converting us from our old layer names to the AIA Standard. I have about 500 blocks that i have to go through and rename the layers in and having to add in the needed minor or major descriptions I need is just a pain in the behind.:banghead:

[jkramer]

Well, your blocks should be drawn on layer 0 in the actual drawing and then as you put the blocks on a tool palette you can define which layer the block gets inserted onto. As long as the layer is in your layer key style.

An easy fix to creating the correct layer is to draw a line on the layer you want (from a template file) and drag it into your tool palette. Then everytime you use that tool, it will create the layer.

One thing I've seen that's helpful is with tool palettes, you can have more than one block in a drawing and still only pull that one block from the file that you want to insert. So you could go through and insert 10-20 blocks into your new .dwt file and modify their layers (Block editing) and then when you put those block into your tool palettes, you can control layers and scale and all sorts of things. This should help get the job done quicker.

[Chuckyd67]

I don't do electrical, but wouldn't you create a block or a multi-view block for the heater, and then assign a layer key style to it? Then, when you insert the heater it will automatically either create the needed layer or place it on the correct layer when you insert it.

If you are using the BMS or MEP versions, I would imagine that such heaters are "out of the box" as intelligent objects, and would even have electrical attributes attached.

[jwanstaett]

you need to edit the AIA layer standard an add in the new layers and then the save the edit layer standard and replace th old AIA layer file on all the Computer

or rename and edit the AIA layer Save in a place all computer can get to and set the rename layer standard as default layer standard on all computer.

[dkoch]

In the Drawing Setup Dialog, on the Layering tab, note the path and file at the top for the Kayer Standards/Key File to Auto-Import. This is where you want to make the additions to the descriptive fields in your layer standard. [Or, copy/rename that file, make your changes, then set the new file as your Auto-Import file.]

Back in the day, you used to have to strip out the layer standard and key styles from your template file so that the auto-import would be forced when you started a new drawing. Now you can just check the "Always import Layer Key Style when first used in drawing" toggle, and ADT will check to see if the Auto-Import file has a more recently saved version of the Layer Key Style and, if so, will import it and the layer standard.