How do you deal with plotting within your company?

[plazawest690480]

We have been drawing and plotting from model space since forever. On each of our projects we set up a DSD file and batch plot (DWG TO PDF).

With this down time, we are exploring paper space, viewports, sheet sets, title block templates etc.

My question is how do most architects deal with plotting? Do you set up a layout for each page? Does this mean that, since our residential projects including structural and energy have 40-60 sheets we would have a layout tab for each of these?

Any examples or references to examples would be appreciated.

[rkmcswain]

Non-architect here, but I'd say add "xrefs" to your list of things, then you can spread out the date between more DWG files, and then have fewer layouts in each of your sheet files.

...and SSM is the way to go for fast, predictable publishing.

[Tom Beauford]

Non-architect here, but I'd say add "xrefs" to your list of things, then you can spread out the date between more DWG files, and then have fewer layouts in each of your sheet files.

...and SSM is the way to go for fast, predictable publishing.

Second that!
While I do Civil/Survey work we have an Architectural group down the hall. Every Architectural drawing I've ever seen used paper space, viewports, sheet sets, and title blocks.

[plazawest690480]

Although we have a sheet layout template (Title Block) and can use this for each sheet that will need to be plotted...Do we then in theory have 1 sheet for every page that would be plotted? So in theory our sheet set could have 40-60 pages comprising of all the sheets needed to be plotted for a project?

Thanks

[Tom Beauford]

Although we have a sheet layout template (Title Block) and can use this for each sheet that will need to be plotted...Do we then in theory have 1 sheet for every page that would be plotted? So in theory our sheet set could have 40-60 pages comprising of all the sheets needed to be plotted for a project?

Thanks

In theory yes, but it's cleaner to have that in several drawing with all the sheets referenced in one SSM file. Say you had one drawing with all the details, notes, quantities and such and another with the building, that building could be referenced into another drawing with landscape and infrastructure. Layouts can be added or removed as needed for utilities or whatever and SSM allows you to add, remove or rearrange the sheets as needed and allow you to plot the referenced layouts from those drawings as a Sheet Set.

[plazawest690480]

Tom,

Thanks.

We have been using one drawing that contains all pages (avoiding using the word sheet). My confusion is that our sheet set would have 40-60 sheet setups and because we have been using only one dwg that contains everything, we would have in that drawing 40-60 tabs....
We will revise our project to separate elements, ie one dwg that contains floorplans, elevations, sections?, another dwg that would contain the structural, another the energy, another MEP etc.

Again Thanks

[blippold]

Although we have a sheet layout template (Title Block) and can use this for each sheet that will need to be plotted...Do we then in theory have 1 sheet for every page that would be plotted? So in theory our sheet set could have 40-60 pages comprising of all the sheets needed to be plotted for a project?

Thanks

I'm also using Civil 3D for my design. Have used layout tabs from day one.

Are you saying you have only one .DWG file and you plot 40-60 pages out of paper space? How do you do that?

As many others have mentioned, layout tabs with viewports is a great way to work. Use XREF's for different backgrounds. Break up your .DWG files by types of drawings. For example, Architectural, Details, Elevations, Sections, Tables, Notes, etc. AutoCAD recommends limiting the number of layout tabs per .DWG file to 10. You can have more if not a lot of detail per page. Using Sheet Set Manager to organize and plot your pages is also a great way to work.

Best of luck.

[BIG-AL]

I had 88 layouts in my biggest one not a problem, 3 methods use sheet sets, use publish, or for me had a custom lisp that matches our title block and printers. The last version matched users to their closest printer. There are a couple of versions depending on printer output.

Here is the program for plotting a range of layouts to pdf you will need to change sheet window size. We have used this for years. The next version joins the pdf's back into 1 pdf.

You need the multi getvals.lsp its a library routine for dcl input.

[digitect788893]

For nearly 20 years I've used the same process I developed at some huge firms as I now use in my small practice: separate model files for each "slice" of model information. The NCS provides for this option. The trick is that it is MUCH easier to manage objects between files than across layer names.

For example, A-XP (existing), A-DP (demo), and A-FP (floor/new). You can cut/paste-in-place between the XP and DP in five seconds. Moving objects back and forth across layers with status designation tails (-DEMO) takes much longer.

The approach helps the team manage a very large info stack, assists in manipulating lineweights and types by XREF, and atomizes the amount of info in each file so that larger teams can all be working on a project at the same time. File writes and cloud updates are faster, and less needs to be transmitted in minor updates. But the biggest advantage is organizational.

NCS didn't provide as simple a method for additional parametric slices, so we extrapolated: CX, CD, and CP are ceiling eXisting, Demo, and Plan. Same goes for RP (roof plan), SC (sections), EL (elevations), DT (details), EP (enlarged), and so on.

And by "manage," I don't just mean keeping object status straight. If you plan ahead, you draw your plans stacked about 0,0,0 in some fashion. Then elevations are drawn *below* the plans so that they can reference it, usually with copies of the originally positioned XREF plans "twisted" along for each elevation. Then sections can be drawn over the elevations. And details can be drawn over the sections and plans. I use tails to designate scale for details to further segregate annotation. (I dislike auto-scaling annotation because I still have to go through and tweak it for each scale anyway in the rare instance I reference it more than once.) Develop a clever XREF model file coloring routine that automatically pounds XREF layers into prescribed colors and light weights based on model file, and perhaps floor level, and you instantly know what every piece of the large stack is that you're looking through no matter the model file you're in. Use an intuitive color scheme that casts each type of file in it's associated hue area on the color wheel. Saturate new work and darken/dash demo versus existing for renovations. We sometimes create a master reference file that embeds all the model files just to double check design logic and drawing execution, but this is never used for authoring.) Develop them for sheet files, too.

About the only kickback I've gotten over this scheme across the decades using it are from the "folder people" who like to make endless subdirectories that make managing XREFs disastrous. Don't let them win. I've seen very, very large buildings executed with all the model and sheet files in the same folder simply by teaching everybody how type-ahead works in a file manager and file open dialog.

Custom menus with shortcuts for all this is available in LT via CUI and scripts if you do it right. Cheap, fast, and easy. Which is really the best way to do great design, avoid mistakes, and go home on time.

[Tom Beauford]

For nearly 20 years I've used the same process I developed at some huge firms as I now use in my small practice: separate model files for each "slice" of model information. The NCS provides for this option. The trick is that it is MUCH easier to manage objects between files than across layer names.

For example, A-XP (existing), A-DP (demo), and A-FP (floor/new). You can cut/paste-in-place between the XP and DP in five seconds. Moving objects back and forth across layers with status designation tails (-DEMO) takes much longer.

Welcome to the AUGI Forums!
NCS starting with our installed Civil 3D templates organizes drawings with ±200 layers very well. Made creating layer filters that only display the handful of drawing layers we're working on easy as well.