Making the jump from AutoCAD R14 to AutoCAD 2007...

[Jenos]

Ok by some divine intervention the partners of our firm have decided to take the plunge, however i do not want these transitional bumps in the road to give them a change of heart.

In R14 we draw our foundation, floor plan, electrical and roof plan all on top of each other. We switch between the sheets through a custom button configuration, which i am assuming is just a series of lsp routines. So for instance on our floor plan the exterior walls are drawn at a certain lineweight, but when you switch to electrical all exterior walls, interior and fixtures become the same color and lineweight... and so on and so forth for the rest of the drawings.

They way i was looking to set up 2007 is to create our blockout of the house, and then xref it into each sheet. At that point we wanted to label, dimension and everything that you would do to the different sheets on top of the xref, and then put the conglomeration into the paper space and sheet sets. What we can not figure out is how to import the xref and alter the layers only in the new sheet and not on the original. I was trying to have it be automated or just work like that by default in the template that everyone will draw from. I really hope there are options beyond setting up lsp routines.

Anyway i hope this is not in the wrong area, and it is i apologize. And should this turn out to be something really easy for you guys to figure out, keep in mind i have still been using R14 all these years.

[Opie]

Do you currently (in R14) setup your sheets with a reference to the base drawing?

Can you post what code is in your custom button?

[Jeepin]

You can use layer states to change your xref colors and linetypes. The layer states can be included in your DWT file when you set up new drawings or they can be imported and exported. The only catch w/ that is you have to always use the same layers, in other words have cad standards set up for your office. Good luck With the jump as there are HUGE advantages for making it. Rich

[Jenos]

Do you currently (in R14) setup your sheets with a reference to the base drawing?

Can you post what code is in your custom button?

There is not a reference right now... everything is drawn in real time and any alterations to the drawing are made to everything. The buttons i am speaking of are basically a gui for the bonus layer manager that we use. I am not sure how to post the code, because this was in place long before i started here.

[Jenos]

This layer states seems to be what i am looking for. One more question about the integration of layer states and sheet set manager... Is is possible to define a sheet as only one type of layer state?

So i could assign the A4 sheet to my Electrical layer state?

I am trying to eliminate as much user error as possible, the idea that someone has to open layer manager --> open layer states and choose the applicable state for that drawing is more thinking then i want to occur.

Again i know i should try some of this out, but i am pressed for time during this transition and you guys seem to have a wealth of information.

[Opie]

Since you can access the Layer States at the command line version of the Layer command, some fairly simple LISP routines can be created to accomplish the layer state changes.

[Jeepin]

This is the way I do it. I have a template folder set up on the server for a project. This main project folder has sub folders, one of which is called civil. I have drawings set up in the Civil folder that already have the correct xref's in them, this way all one has to do is copy the template rename it to the project name and then start working. As the project progresses nothing needs to be done w/ layer states as it was set in the beginning. This helps especially for the morons, I'm sorry people that can't seem to look at what they are plotting before plotting. I also use sheet manager to gather them all. Not that a lisp routine wouldnt help, but for me that's a last resort as I don't have time to learn lisp. Rich

[Jenos]

I have drawings set up in the Civil folder that already have the correct xref's in them, this way all one has to do is copy the template rename it to the project name and then start working.

The only problem i would have with that is the xref is what changes from project to project... most everything else is blank tables and title block. I wish i was more up to speed on writing lisp routines because i think that is the most accurate way of doing this. I think i may have to spend some of this weekend reading up on lisp routines.

[Wanderer]

you can always start here with free training...

and here for your questions...

there are some other sites that could prove to be valuable resources.

The only problem i would have with that is the xref is what changes from project to project... most everything else is blank tables and title block. I wish i was more up to speed on writing lisp routines because i think that is the most accurate way of doing this. I think i may have to spend some of this weekend reading up on lisp routines.

[Jeepin]

I just wanted to clarify something. We are civil, so on every project the maximum about of drawings have already been set up in the civil folder. I.E. survey, site, grading, drainage, and so on. In the template these drawings have no line work that is added as the project grows. Hoped I helped you out some. Rich