Mastering AutoCAD Sheet Sets - damassets.autodesk.net

1 Qui voloreimagnihillitquela nimoloravellorendemporaecabimperitharum quedolor mint faccaboriinveleset COVERM asteringAutoCAD Sheet Sets An Expert GuideContentsIntroduction1 ProcessOverview 2 Getting Started with Sheet Sets4 Step 1: Creating a new Sheet set4 Step 2: Organizing your sheets8 Step 3: Accessing your sheets10 Step 4: Importing existing layouts13 Step 5: Plotting using default page setups15 Step 6: Publishing sheets16 Step 7: Creating archive/transmittal sets18 Step 8: Using named Sheet selections21 Transitioning to a Sheet Set Master20 Step 9: Assigning Sheet set properties23 Step 10: Creating custom properties26 Step 11: Creating new sheets27 Step 12: Automating title block data31 Step 13: Plotting using any page setup37 Implementing Sheet Sets for Maximum Efficiency43 Step 14: Creating Sheet views43 Step 15: Adding view labels46 Step 16: Automating view label data47 Step 17: Automating callout data53 Conclusion601 IntroductionBegintakingadvantageofsheets etfunctionalityforyourcurrentprojectswit hminimaleffortbyimportingyourcurrentdraw inglayoutsintoa sheetset.

2 Youcaneasilyopendrawingsfromacentralloca tionwhileyoucontinuetoeditthosedrawingsu singtraditionaltools. Createnewsheetsusingtraditionaltoolsandt henimportthosesheetsintoyourcurrentsheet set. Easilyplot,publish, ,youcanbeginassigningsheetsetpropertiesa ndevencreatecustomproperties. Assignadrawingtemplatefiletothesheetsett oeasilycreatenewsheetsdirectlyfromtheshe etsetmanagerandincludefieldstohelpautoma tetitleblockdata. Finally,youcaneasilyplottoanynamedpagese tup, , (orquickly)progressingthrougheachlevelof implementationfromthesimplesttothemostco mplex. Spendjustafewminuteseachweek(oreachmonth )untilyou vecreateda ,maps,orbuildings,thesheetsetfunctionali tyinAutoCADenablesyoutoefficientlycreate ,manage,andshareyourentiresetofsheetsfro moneconvenientlocation. Atfirstglance,thepowerfulfunctionalityof feredbytheSheetSetManagermayseemoverwhel mingbutyoudon OverviewThedrawingfilecreatedbytheSheetS etManager(SSM)isjustlikeanydrawingyoucre ateusingtraditionalmethods.

3 Youcandrawgeometryinmodelspace,createadd itionallayouttabs,etc. Theonlytechnicallimitationisthateachshee tintheSSMsheetlistcanonlypointtoonelayou tina drawingfile. Ifyouhavemorethanonelayoutinyourdrawing, thavemultiplelayoutsinyourdrawing,howeve rthenewsheetsetparadigmor bestpractice istohaveonesheetdrawing(DWGfile)foreachs heetinyourset. Themainbenefitforthisistoenablemultipleu serstoworkondifferentsheetsatthesametime . Ifyouhavetwosheetsthatpointtodifferentla youtswithinthesamedrawing,thedrawingfile willbelockedassoonasonepersonopensoneoft hosesheets, theintendedprocessforimplementingsheetse tsdeviatesfromyourcurrentworkflow,don tbedeterredfromusingthem. is a quick overview of how Sheet sets are intended to your model geometry in its own drawing file (DWG). Continue to create model geometry in modelspaceincluding xrefs, nested xrefs, etc.

4 In that particular DWG file, focus on nothing but the try to forget that the layout tab even exists, this is your model file . From now on, let the Sheet file deal with the layout. a new Sheet in the Sheet set manager. This will create a new drawing file (DWG) with an active layout tab. The Sheet name in the Sheet list is simply a shortcut to that layout in the DWG file. the Sheet , which is really opening the drawing file with that Sheet layout active. resource drawing views to the Sheet layout. This is where you create layout viewports and attach the model drawings as xrefs. Using the Sheet set paradigm as it was intended, you collect design information from other sources (external references attached in model space) and assemble them into a Sheet layout (titleblock, viewports, notes, etcin paper space).

5 The only objects that should exist in model space are the attachments to external files. Sheet information to the Sheet layout. You might add Sheet notes or other Sheet (paper space) information that is specific to the Sheet . Although you can (technically) draw in model space, create more layouts, etc, the intention is for this particular DWG file to be a single Sheet with external references to model drawings. 3 Theaboveprocessisn tstrictlyenforcedwithsheetsets. However, ,thegeneralconcepts(xrefs,modelspace,vie wports,layouts) (Steps1-8) andtransitiontoa sheetsetmaster(Steps9- 13) withoutsignificantlychangingyourcurrentp rocess. You lllikelyseethemostsignificantchangestoyo urcurrentworkflowwhenyouimplementsheetse tsformaximumefficiency(Steps14-17).It simportanttoremember,however,thatregardl essofhowmanystepsyouimplement,sheetsetse nableyoutosavetimeandworkmoreefficiently !

6 So,whatareyouwaitingfor?4 Getting StartedEvenifyouonlyhavea fewminuteseveryfewdays,weeksormonths,you canbegintakingadvantageofsheetsetfunctio nality. Thissectionshowsyouhow!Thefirststepinimp lementingsheetsetfunctionalityistocreate a sheetset. Youcancreatea sheetsetusinganexamplesheetsetorbyimport ingexistingdrawinglayoutsassheets. AlthoughAutoCADincludesseveralexampleshe etsets,itisunlikelythattheywillmeetyours pecificneeds. A simplermethodforcreatingyourfirstsheetse tistoimportdrawingsfromoneofyourexisting projects. Afteryouconfigureyourfirstsheetsettomeet yourneeds,youcanuseit newsheetsetbasedonexistingdrawings, tworryabout messingup yourdrawingsbycreatinga sheetset. A sheetsetfileissimplya filewitha DSTextension, FromtheApplicationmenu,chooseNew> SheetSet. IntheCreateSheetSetwizard, ThesheetsetfileisanXML-basedfile,witha DSTextension.

7 Youcanthinkofit asyourprojectfile. Entera nameforthesheetset. Typically,thiswouldbetheprojectname. Providea descriptionforthesheetset. Thedescriptionisoptional. Specifythelocationtostorethesheetsetdata file. Typically, ChooseBrowseandnavigatetothefolderwherey ourprojectdrawingsarelocated. Typically,thiswouldbethemainfolderthatin cludesprojectdrawingsand/ordrawingsubfol ders. Expandthefoldersanddrawingssothatyoucans eeallthelayoutsthatyouwanttoincludeasshe etsinthesheetset. Ifyourdrawingsincludemultiplelayouts, : Creatinga newsheetset5 Forexample,youwouldn Specifytheoptionsthatfityoursituation. Ifyouwantthedrawingfilenametobeincludeda spartofthesheetname,choosetheoptiontopre fixsheettitleswithfilename. Ifyouwanttocreatesubsetsinthesheetsetfil ethatmatchyourfolders,choosetheoptiontoc reatesubsetsbasedonfolderstructure.

8 Subsetsarelikevisualfoldersthatenableyou toorganizeyoursheetsinthesheetlist. Ifyoudon twanttocreatea subsetofthemainfolderfromwhichyouareimpo rtingyourdrawings,youcanchooseIgnoretopl evelfolder. Don Reviewthesheetsetstructure. Youcanpreviewyoursheetsetbeforecompletin gthesheetsetprocess. Ifthesheetsetpreviewismissingsheetsorhas extrasheetsthatshouldnotbeincluded,youca nusethebackbuttonsoselectdifferentfolder s,drawings,layouts,orimportoptions. ChooseFinish. Whenyouaresatisfiedwiththesheetsetprevie w, ,yoursheetsetdatafilewillautomaticallyop enontheSheetListtaboftheSSM. Thesheetnamesinthesheetlistarelikeshortc utsorpointerstothelayoutsinyourDWGfiles. ThedrawingshavenotchangedandAutoCADdidn' tcreatenewdrawingsorfolders. Allit didwascreateasheetsetdatafilewitha listofsheetsthatlinktoyourexistingdrawin gs.

9 SheetnameandchooseRenameandRenumbertoent era sheetnumberorchangethesheettitle. Draganddropsheetstoreorganizetheminthesh eetlist. And,double-clickonthesheetnametoopenthea ssociateddrawinginthedrawingeditor. Evenif youonlyusetheSSMasa toolforopeningyourdrawings,youwillsaveti meandincreaseefficiency. !Areyouworriedabout messingup yourdrawingsasyouexperimentwiththesheets etmanager? :At thispoint,absolutelynothingin yourdrawingshaschanged. However,ifthesheetset is openin theSSMandyouopenandsavethedrawingsthatar ebeingpointedto by thesheetset,a smallpieceof datawillbe savedwiththedrawings. Thisdatais calleda hint andit tellsthedrawing(DWG)fileswhichsheetsetth eybelongto . Havingthehintin a drawingenablesAutoCADtoautomaticallyopen theappropriatesheetsetevenif youopenthedrawingusingtraditionalmethods .

10 The hint is theonlychangethatAutoCADwillmaketo youroriginaldrawingfiles. If, for somereason,youwantto undo thesheetset,youcanright-clickon thesheetset nameandchooseCloseSheetSetandthendeletet hesheetset datafile(DST).If youdeletetheDSTfilewithoutfirstclosingth esheetset,theDSTfilewillbe automaticallyrecreated. AfteryousuccessfullydeletetheDSTfile,you canopenandsavetheassociateddrawingsto sheetsetbasedontheinformationintheprevio ussection?Ifso,you rereadytomoveontothenextstepandtakeadvan tageofmoreSheetSetfunctionalities. Right-clickona sheetnameandchooseRenameandRenumber. ,withinSubsets. Youalsohavetheoptiontorenamethelayoutand filenameoftheassociateddrawingtomatchthe newsheettitle. Inorderforyoutocreatea newsheetsetbasedonexistingdrawings, tworryabout messingup yourdrawingsbycreatinga sheetset.