Automating Drawing Standards via Tool Palettes

[TerribleTim]

OK all knowing gang of Omnipotent beings! (Otherwise known as CAD Managers! ) I got a good one for ya'! I have been going through the emotional trauma of setting up tool palettes with our company standards on them. So far I have it under control when it comes to dimension styles and blocks. What I would love to know is, can you set up a palette with your template files instead of opening them from the typical "new file" method? We have a template for our title block, another one for our cover sheet and yet another one for our actual drawing file. I don't want to force the "new file" to come from a single template, because some times we need to use one of the others, or even a standard "acad.dwg" to start from. So can this be done in a way that allows me to make small modifications to the template and save it in a place where everyone on the server will have the latest template without even knowing it? Also, is design center the only way to drag and drop layers into a file? Maybe preset layers from a tool palette should be on the wish list!

[CADDmanVA]

Hmm...you have a good one here. I might suggest looking into the features of Enterprise CUI configurations. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'd recommend condensing all your settings into one template file (KISS principal here). Our standard uses just one template, and any relevant elements (such as title blocks, tables, symbols, etc.) are located in the block library.

[Mike.Perry]

Hi "TeriblTim"

Please note I have *moved* this thread from the AutoCAD Customization forum to this one, as I feel this particular forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Manager

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Yes Template files (DWT) can be placed on / opened from Tool Palettes.

Layers can also be created / inserted via Tool Palettes.

All the information you need / require on this very subject can be found via searching THIS forum.

Have a good one, Mike

[rkmcswain]

Also, is design center the only way to drag and drop layers into a file?

Not really drag/drop, but you can easily call a script file from a tool palette button.

[TerribleTim]

Very cool guys! Thanks for moving this one to the right spot. Sometimes I never know where to ask some of this stuff. The "Search" turned up nothing. So how do you place a template (.dwt) on a palette? And how do you place individual layers on a palette?

[CADDmanVA]

Very cool guys! Thanks for moving this one to the right spot. Sometimes I never know where to ask some of this stuff. The "Search" turned up nothing. So how do you place a template (.dwt) on a palette? And how do you place individual layers on a palette?

Well...the template file is what you would have to start the drawing in, not insert later. For that situation, I have a block called XBIND with all the same features of my template. If I cannot feasibly transfer an incoming drawing to a template, I'll insert the block to drop in my standard settings.
Now for layers, you can build them into your template (or XBIND block) as one option. Our standard has about 200 layers in it, and not all are needed for each job. We use AutoLayer from ArchMedia to manage layers. Check out the trial version, and the cost is not bad to purchase your licenses.

[TerribleTim]

Yea, I've been using a template file with our layers already in it. I was hoping for a way to have individual layers on a palette, that way I can add more to that palette as the need arises instead of piling more into the template that we would just purge 90% of the time anyway.

[CADDmanVA]

Yea, I've been using a template file with our layers already in it. I was hoping for a way to have individual layers on a palette, that way I can add more to that palette as the need arises instead of piling more into the template that we would just purge 90% of the time anyway.

Definitely look up AutoLayer. Your situation is almost exactly like ours.

[TerribleTim]

Guess that still leaves the "How do you place a .dwt file on a palette?"

The Autolayer program looks pretty cool. Just not as easy as a palette or even just dragging from design center.