Creating Templates - Where to begin?

[SteveChestnut]

Greetings,

I'm still kind of new to AutoCAD and sometimes need help seeing the big picture. My company receives many AutoCAD drawings daily but creates very few new ones on our own. This is changing. I would like to create a template drawing containing out titleblock/border plus whatever else would be handy to include in a template. Where to start...

Our drawings are based upon a D size titleblock/border most of the time we plot them 11x17. I'd like to use attributes in the titleblock. I'd also like to take advantage of paperspace. Should I make a block of our titleblock.border? Will I need a separate block for D and 11x17 plotting? Do I set up viewports in my template? If I have a template with a 11x17 tab and a D size tab do I have to put text and dimensions on the drawing twice?

I have many questions. Any advice on a good source of info on setting up templates and layouts would be appreciated. Thanks much, Steve

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Check out the following Technical Documents on the Autodesk web site under the Knowledge Base section -

ID: TS17888 - Start with specific drawing template (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2895787&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS24235 - Defining a default drawing template file (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2867206&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS21055 - Creating a drawing template (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2896694&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS64255 - Automating loading a template and starting a new drawing (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2883654&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS22684 - Changing the default template directory (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2898306&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS47106 - Changes made to acad.dwt and acadiso.dwt are not displayed in new drawings created using Start from Scratch option (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2876034&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS64564 - Identical hatch elements are displayed with different scale factor (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2862580&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS52238 - Page setup is lost when you start a new drawing (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2879350&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS21410 - Creating text styles (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2897529&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS39653 - New drawing does not reflect plot style setting (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2871453&linkID=2475323)

ID: TS22798 - Set default plot style (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2898574&linkID=2475323)

+

AutoCAD 2004 Customization Tutorial: Template Files (http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/select/parsai_template_files.htm)

New Stuff and Old Favorites (http://www.cadtutor.net/michael/mc0402.html)

Tips from the AutoCAD 2004 Bible (http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/select/103003_finkelstein_tips.htm)

+

A search within the AUGI Forums (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?) for things like -

Templates
DWT
Text Styles
Dimstyles
Layers
Page Setup
etc

should turn up some useful information.

+

A search within the AUGI Exchange (http://www.augi.com/exchange/search.asp?page=415) should turn up some useful routines....

Have a good one, Mike

[RobertB]

First, the titleblock issue. Over the long run, many shops have decided upon using an XRef to bring in the non-unique elements of the titleblock. The advantage to that approach is that if, for instance, the logo changes, you can simply update the source drawing and all your titleblocks are updated automatically. However, XRefs do not easily support Attributes. So the unique elements of the titleblock (mostly attributes) are created and inserted as a normal block along with the XRef. Both of these can be done in the template.

I would not advise two layouts for full-size vs. reduced-size plots. Use two named page setups instead. One would be called "Full" for the D-size plots, and the other "Reduced" to plot the 11x17 versions. The layout itself should have one of those two page setups applied to it. Normally, I woul;d advise the "Full" page setup, but since most of your plots are 11x17 you may want to consider using the "Reduced" one instead.

You do not need two titleblocks, or layouts, if you take that approach. Therefore you don't need to needless duplicate annotation as you worried about.

I would not setup a viewport on the layout unless 75-90% of the time it is the same for new drawings.

Hope this helps.

[SteveChestnut]

Thanks Robert but I'm confused. I thought that a page setup equaled a layout tab. How do you get two page setups on one layout tab? How do you know what size to place your text?

Steve

[RobertB]

A single page setup does not = a single layout. A layout can use any number of page setups, but only one can be active at a time. It is likely more confusing to talk about than to show. I have attached one of our templates. There is one layout in the template, and several named page setups. The "Full" page setup is applied to the layout. Note what happens if you apply the "11x17" page setup instead. Reapply the "Full" page setup. Now start the Plot command, and tell the plot command to use the "11x17" page setup instead of the "Full" page setup. Do a print preview. Does that make it clearer?

[SteveChestnut]

Thanks Robert,

Your sample helps a little but all I see is a blank page. When I change to different layouts I don't have your plotter so it's forcing the device to none. I can see how one layout will fit the page on D size while another layout will fit the page on B size.
I don't understand how to include a titleblock/border into this. If it was a block would I place it on the Layout. My users draw plan drawings at a variety of scales (1/4"=1'-0", 3/8"=1'-0", etc.). Would I need a separate template for each scale option? Where is text size set? This whole way of setting up a drawing is very foreign to the other CAD system I've used, I appreciate your help in educating me in the AutoCAD way.

Steve

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

For a little info on setting up Page Setups check out the following thread -

page setup (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4773&highlight=setup)

Have a good one, Mike

[RobertB]

A layout is usually set to plot 1:1 (the Full plot style). Therefore, all annotation and the titleblock would be at a scale factor of 1. I would not create a text style with a fixed height anyway. You can set the TextSize system variable to the height you want to use in the layout. However, when the user is in modelspace, and modelspace is at a scale other than 1:1, then user will need to multiple the text height with the scale factor. Your users should be capable of doing that. Many of us also have written customization to do this automatically for us.

You do not need a separate template for each scale factor. When your users create a viewport they assign the scale then. Granted, you may need to change an attribute in the titleblock.

BTW, what version of AutoCAD are you on?

[SteveChestnut]

Robert,

We're running AutoCAD 2004. It looks like a very complicated task to set up a blank drawing. I cringe at the thought of my users setting text and dimension scales while creating viewports. Your users must be a lot smarter (heh, heh, heh).

I appreciate your advice and thank you for the time you've taken to explain some of this.

Steve

[RobertB]

Well, that's where customization comes in to play. My user's aren't smarter than the rest of the crowd, they just have those things done automatically for them. But we also only have one DimStyle, and simply set a DimScale override if the dimension is in MS, or the DimScale=0 if the dimension is in the layout.

[SteveChestnut]

Thank you for the information Robert,
I'm going to study what you've told me and work on some sample templates.
I'll be back later in a new thread with more specific questions. Take care.
Steve

[SteveChestnut]

Mike,

Thank you for the list. I will look these over and be back later.

Steve