Multiple drawings in One Layout Tab with SSM?

[briansi]

OK, our company is a little behind the times, and we've finally upgraded to a version of ACAD that includes Sheet Set Manager. Many of our drawings have multiple title blocks/frames in Paper Space. Is there a way to bring them into the sheet set manager AND use all the field conveniences without moving them to separate Layout Tabs? I know that there must be a way to do this that someone has figured out already, becuase I know this practice is not as uncommon as some of the snappy repliers would have others believe. Or maybe I just need to be pointed to the right thread where this is already answered....

Thanks
Brian

[sinc]

No, there is no way to do that.

The SSM is designed to be used with 1 layout = 1 plotted page in your sheet set. This is a core assumption in its entire design.

[briansi]

I know this can't be true because others claim to do it already... I've just never seen a how-to on tricking it

[sinc]

Well, then maybe you should ask one of the people who claim to have done it, because I'm fairly certain it can't be done. I'd be very curious to see how, if anyone has done it.

Like I said, the entire SSM is based on the 1 layout = 1 plotted page paradigm. I can't see any way of hacking that, let alone any reason why anyone would want to. The 1 layout = 1 plotted page paradigm works very well.

[rkmcswain]

I know this can't be true because others claim to do it already... I've just never seen a how-to on tricking it

Just to clarify....

Do you mean multiple plotted sheets in a single layout -or- multiple layouts in a single DWG file?

[briansi]

Ok, to clarify, I refer to multiple plotted sheets in a single layout ("tab"), NOT multiple layout "tabs" in one .dwg. I thought I had it by naming the different plot setups as "Layout2" and so forth, and then I renamed the layout tab that contained my multiple sheets (from "Layout1" to "Existing Conditions" or something similar) and it lost them again and won't allow me to add them again.

[james.126519]

im confused...

even without SSM, i have never seen more than one "paper layout" in a paperspace tab.

i understand that it is certainly possible to have multiple title blocks and viewports in paperspace, but when you go to plot you have to either select a preset page setup that is windowed around a particular title block, or individually window each title block and click plot.

one of the main selling points to me of using SSM is the ability to have a template title block set up that each time you create a new sheet it is automatically imported with any and all of your page setups programmed, so you can highlight a group of sheets in the sheet set manager and just plot them.

if you would like some help setting up a SSM i would be happy to help. just send me a message. i can send you some examples if you like.

[briansi]

I assure you that there is a valid reason for doing it this way, and not going to one sheet per tab - in Civil plan sets, for example, when we work on a roadway corridor, much of the text, notes, callouts, etc. are the same, these drawings generally have large x ref's behind them (existing conditions, proposed conditions, existing 2ft contours, etc) so if we have to switch layouts, or from model space to paper space often, it's constantly regenerating, and sometimes rather slowly (yes we do have fairly new equipment, it's just how large the drawings are) This practice may seem silly, but then we can annotate all the sheets in a corridor set extremely quickly. In the past we have used named plot setups to differentiate between them, and we do use page/title block templates to bring in all the fields for sheet set manager. This make sense?
Something like this picture:

[SRBalliet]

Are you using the Page Setup Manager on this Layout (right click on the Tab) or are you rewindowing three times, once for each plot?

[james.126519]

Unfortunately I think what you are doing defeats the whole reason to use sheet sets.

you mentioned that regen time is the problem when switching between layout tabs. it should not be as much of a problem with sheet set manager since you only use one layout tab in one drawing file as a sheet. there are no "multiple" tabs in a drawing to regenerate this way.