How to explain Layer/Xref management to a boss

[Maverick91]

How can I explain to a boss the whys and hows of layers and xrefs and the need for both in a few short statements?

This morning I emailed a couple of DWGs to the project manager's boss: one was the base background file (from the client), the other was a conceptual floor plan with the base xrefed in. He called me in a huff, wanting to know why our work wasn't on 'one layer, so it'd be easy for the client to see what is our work'. he seemed convinced that the client wouldn't understand how to work the two different drawings. He also wasn't listening to me much. I ended up sending him the base background file with the floor plan inserted as a block.

I know; I'm ranting a little.

As a CAD tech, what could I have told him, to try to educate him on layers and xrefs? How could I reassure him? All in less than twenty seconds?

TIA

[jaberwok]

How can I explain to a boss the whys and hows of layers and xrefs and the need for both in a few short statements?

This morning I emailed a couple of DWGs to the project manager's boss: one was the base background file (from the client), the other was a conceptual floor plan with the base xrefed in. He called me in a huff, wanting to know why our work wasn't on 'one layer, so it'd be easy for the client to see what is our work'. he seemed convinced that the client wouldn't understand how to work the two different drawings. He also wasn't listening to me much. I ended up sending him the base background file with the floor plan inserted as a block.

I know; I'm ranting a little.

As a CAD tech, what could I have told him, to try to educate him on layers and xrefs? How could I reassure him? All in less than twenty seconds?

TIA

Tell him to get on with his job and let you do yours.

[dgorsman]

Agreed, as long as he is high enough up the food chain where he should be managing people and schedules and not drawing content. If not, some things are better shown rather than explained. Do it each way and show the benefits and drawbacks of each.

And don't forget to take client requirements into account - if they say "NO XREFS!" then no XREFs.

[lesleys]

Wouldn't be able to explian in 60 sec's. When I try to explain to the Guys I work with (they are not Cad users) I always tell them to think of the old transparent overhead slides you used to get & put them all together like a book.
Think of each xref as if it was a page in that book. Much quicker to remove a whole page & slip in the new one than having to edit the page. If its quicker it must mean it costs less to do it. If you have a whole set of books (drawings) that need updating tell him to think of the money he might save!

[cadtag]

If he's got any history with manual drafting room practices, just tell him that it's the electronic equivalent of pinbars.

[Wanderer]

Wouldn't be able to explian in 60 sec's. When I try to explain to the Guys I work with (they are not Cad users) I always tell them to think of the old transparent overhead slides you used to get & put them all together like a book.
Think of each xref as if it was a page in that book. Much quicker to remove a whole page & slip in the new one than having to edit the page. If its quicker it must mean it costs less to do it. If you have a whole set of books (drawings) that need updating tell him to think of the money he might save!

I've actually got some old mylar sets in my archives that I've used once or twice to explain the concept to people. There is one set of floor plans, and over each one was laid three different sheets of mylar; piping, ductwork, and major equipment. For some reason, seeing it like that is much easier for some people to grasp.

Of course, who knows how long we'll be keeping the paper archives, now that they've been scanned? I don't even bother going to see them but a handful of times per year. But, honestly, Mav, in a situation dealing with someone like that, I stick to the line that "This is industry standard, we'd look like amateurs otherwise."

[Maverick91]

Thanks, y'all. I'll keep these ideas in mind if it comes up again. Funny, though: last night my wife was able to grasp the concepts very well. Now maybe if I send this manager back to my wife's theater school....

[BlackBox]

Perhaps it would be prudent for the boss to read the basic concept from the User's Guide to start:

AutoCAD User's Guide > Create and Modify Objects > Control the Properties of Objects > Work with Layers > Over View of Layers

Layers are used to group information in a drawing by function and to enforce linetype, color, and other standards.
Layers are the equivalent of the overlays used in paper-based drafting. Layers are the primary organizational tool used in drawing. Use layers to group information by function and to enforce linetype, color, and other standards.



By creating layers, you can associate similar types of objects by assigning them to the same layer. For example, you can put construction lines, text, dimensions, and title blocks on separate layers. You can then control the following:

Whether objects on a layer are visible or dimmed in any viewports
Whether and how objects are plotted
What color is assigned to all objects on a layer
What default linetype and lineweight are assigned to all objects on a layer
Whether objects on a layer can be modified
Whether objects display with different layer properties in individual layout viewports

<snip>

[BlackBox]

As a CAD tech, what could I have told him, to try to educate him on layers and xrefs? How could I reassure him? All in less than twenty seconds?

If only in 20 seconds... I would have said something to the effect of:

AutoCAD runs on a system of Layers, which help to differentiate the different objects in our drawing(s). A good system of Layers will help us draft more efficiently and with less hassle.

[Maverick91]

If only in 20 seconds... I would have said something to the effect of:

AutoCAD runs on a system of Layers, which help to differentiate the different objects in our drawing(s). A good system of Layers will help us draft more efficiently and with less hassle.

Cool.

Layers is one thing. I still have to be prepared to explain to him and others the idea of xrefs....