Templates

Sacramento City College Engineering Design Technology Templates 1

Objectives

 After completing this chapter, you will be able to do the following:  Start a new drawing.

 Save a drawing under a different name.

 Specify how often your work is automatically saved.

 Save AutoCAD drawings for older releases.

 Open a saved drawing.

 Search for AutoCAD files.

 Manage drawings in the Multiple Design Environment (MDE).

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Objectives

 Use the CLOSE and EXIT commands.

 Adjust grid and snap settings.

 Select linear and angular units and precision.

 Set the model space drawing limits.

 Create a template drawing.

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Templates

 New drawings are typically created using templates.  Templates  allow you to start a new drawing with preset drawing aids and objects.  Store settings and graphics content  Many templates are provided with AutoCAD, and you can also create custom templates.

 Templates can be incredible productivity boosters. Templates 4

Starting A New Drawing

 AutoCAD  comes with standard template files that meet industry standards.

 Custom templates allow you to use

an existing drawing

as a starting point for any new drawing. Templates 5

Starting A New Drawing

 This capability is extremely valuable for ensuring that everyone in a department, class, school, or company uses the same standards within their drawings.

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Starting A New Drawing

 Templates usually have values for the following drawing elements:  Standard layouts with a border and title block.

 Grid and snap settings.

 Units and angle values.

 Text standards and general notes.

 Dimensioning styles.

 Layer definitions.

 Plot styles.

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Starting a New Drawing

 To start a drawing, select  New... from the File pull-down menu,  enter NEW at the Command: prompt, or  use the [Ctrl]+[N] key combination.  This displays the Select template dialog box, Templates 8

Starting a New Drawing

 The Select template dialog box  lists the templates found in the

default template folder

.  A variety of templates conforming to accepted industry standards are included with AutoCAD. 

Templates have a .dwt extension

, which stands for drawing template.

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Starting a New Drawing

 If you just want to open a blank file, use  the acad.dwt template for

English settings

or  the acadiso.dwt template for

metric settings

. Templates 10

Templates

 Drawing templates  Store standard drawing settings and objects.

 All settings and contents of the template are included in the new drawing.

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Templates

 Templates  Can be an incredible productivity booster.

 New templates can easily be created.

 Any custom template can use an existing drawing as a starting point for a new drawing.

 Templates allow everyone to use the same standards within their drawings.

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Templates

 Starting a drawing with a template  File  New  Select template  AutoCAD comes with many templates  Templates have a .dwt file extension Templates 13

Creating Templates

 In most companies  Standard borders and title blocks are used in all drawings.

 The use of templates, saves drawing setup time.

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Creating Templates

 When a template is used  All drawing settings in the template are applied to your new drawing.

 It is easy to add additional items and settings to your own custom template.

 Layers, logos, plot styles, dimension styles, etc.

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Drawing Sheet Sizes

 Sheet sizes are standardized.

 ANSI  American National Standards Institute  ASME  American Society of Mechanical Engineers  have established the standard sheet sizes.

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Standard Drawing Sheet Sizes

 8.5 x 11 series  A  B 8.5 x 11 11 x 17  C  D  E 17 x 22 22 x 34 34 x 44 Templates 17

Standard Drawing Sheet Sizes

 9 x 12 series  A 9 x 12  B  C  D  E 12 x 18 18 x 24 24 x 36 (most common arch size) 36 x 48  Sheet sizes are based on the smallest size.

 Subsequent sizes are derived by “keeping the large dimension and doubling the small dimension.” Templates 18

Standard Drawing Sheet Sizes

 Metric sizes  A0 841 x 1189  A1  A2  A3  A4 594 x 841 420 x 594 297 x 420 297 x 210  Sheet sizes are based on the largest size.

 Subsequent sizes are derived by “cutting the previous sheet in 1/2.” Templates 19

Creating Your Own Template

 Use a drawing template when  Multiple drawings need the same setup.

 When template settings are complete, use the SAVEAS command to save the drawing template.

 Select Template for the File type.

 Select folder location.

 Specify English or Metric measurements.

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Creating Your Own Templates

 Drawing Units  Decimal  Inches or millimeters  Normally used on mechanical drawings for manufacturing.

 Engineering  Often used in Civil Engineering  Maps, plot plans, dams, bridge construction and topography Templates 21

Creating Your Own Templates

 Drawing Units  Architectural  Measurements in feet, inches and fractional inches.

 Fractional  Any fractional part of any common unit of measure.

 Scientific  Very large, or very small units  Chemical engineering, or astronomy Templates 22

Creating Your Own Templates

 Angular settings  Degrees  Degrees/Minutes  Gradients  Radians  Surveyor’s Units 45 o 45 o 0’0” 50.000g

0.785r

N 45d E Templates 23

Creating Your Own Templates

 SNAP and GRID settings  DSETTINGS  DS  SE  Right-click GRID or SNAP buttons Templates 24

Creating Your Own Templates

 GRID/SNAP settings  Most effective setting.

 An equal X Y setting  Set equal to the lowest or near lowest increment of the majority of the dimensions.

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Sheet Sets

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Sheet Sets

 A sheet set is a collection of drawing sheets for a project.  The term sheet refers to a drawing produced for the project.  In AutoCAD, sheets are created on layout tabs in a drawing file.

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Sheet Sets

 All of the sheets in a sheet set can use a single template.  The template can contain a title block with attributes containing fields. Templates 28

Sheet Sets

 The field values may include items such as  project name and sheet number.  If the project name changes during the course of the project, the field can be modified in the template, and  the change is automatically applied to all sheets within the set. Templates 29

Sheet Sets

 If a new sheet is inserted into a sheet set, the sheet numbers and all sheet references update automatically.  This automation can save a great deal of time and improve the accuracy of the set of drawings.

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Sheet Sets

 Once the sheet set is complete, you can easily print, publish, and archive the entire set in a single operation.  This is very efficient.  For example, it is far easier to plot a sheet set containing twenty sheets than to open and plot twenty separate drawings.

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Sheet Sets

 Sheet sets are created, organized, and accessed using the Sheet Set Manager.  To open the Sheet Set Manager  pick the Sheet Set Manager button on the Standard Annotation toolbar,  select Tools >Palettes >Sheet Set Manager,  type SSM or SHEETSET, or  use the [Ctrl]+[4] key combination. Templates 32

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Sheet Sets

 The window is divided into three tabs:  Sheet List  Sheet Views  Model Views.  The Sheet Set Control drop-down list at the top of the Sheet Set Manager is used to open and create sheet sets. Templates 34

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Sheet Set Manager

 The buttons next to the drop-down list control and manage the items listed in the Sheet Set Manager window.  These buttons vary depending on the currently selected tab.  The area at the bottom of the window (labeled Details or Preview) shows a text description or preview image of a selected sheet or view.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 Sheet sets are created with the Create Sheet Set wizard.  This wizard can be accessed  from within the Sheet Set Manager by picking New Sheet Set... from the Sheet Set Control drop-down list.  The Create Sheet Set wizard can also be accessed by selecting File > New Sheet Set... from the pull-down menu.  Sheet sets can be created from an example sheet set or from existing drawing files.

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Creating a Sheet Set from an Example Sheet Set

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Creating Sheet Sets

 When you create a new sheet using an example sheet set, you  select an existing sheet set as a model, and  then modify it as needed to fit the needs of the new sheet set.

 AutoCAD provides several example sheet sets based on different drafting disciplines.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 You are not limited to the examples provided—you can use any existing sheet set as an example sheet set.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 To create a new sheet set from an example sheet set,  open the Sheet Set Manager  select New Sheet Set... from the Sheet Set Control drop-down list  This opens the Create Sheet Set wizard. Templates 42

Creating Sheet Sets

 This wizard steps you through the process of creating a sheet set.

 The Begin page of the Create Sheet Set wizard provides two options.  An example sheet set  Existing drawings  Pick the Next button  to display the Sheet Set Example page.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 Sheet set information is saved in a DST file (

sheet set data file

).  The list box on the Sheet Set Example page  lists all DST files in the default Template folder.  Pick one of these sheet sets  or  Pick the Browse to another sheet set to use as an example radio button and  then select the ellipsis (...) button and  use the dialog box to locate a DST file in another folder.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 Select the DST file for the example sheet set,  Pick the Next button  Displays the

Sheet Set Details page

.  This page allows you to  modify the existing sheet set data and  create settings for your new project.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 Enter the name, or title, of the sheet set  typically the project number or a short description of the project.  A description for the sheet set can be entered in the Description area. Templates 48

Creating Sheet Sets

 Picking the Sheet Set Properties button opens the Sheet Set Properties dialog box.  The main settings for the sheet set are specified in this dialog box.  There are four sections:  Sheet Set  Project Control  Sheet Creation, and  Sheet Set Custom Properties. Templates 49

Creating Sheet Sets

 The settings in the Sheet Set section are:  Name.  Contains the sheet set name entered in the Name of new sheet set text box of the Sheet Set Details page.

 Sheet set data file.  Shows the location of the DST file, specified in the Store sheet set data file (.dst) here text box of the Sheet Set Details page.

 Description.  Contains the description of the sheet set entered in the Description area of the Sheet Set Details page.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 Model view.  Specifies the folder(s) containing drawing files that are used for the sheet set.

 Label block for views.  Specifies the block used to label views.

 Callout blocks.  Specifies blocks available for use as callout blocks.

 Page setup overrides file.  Specifies the location of an AutoCAD template file (DWT file) containing a page setup to be used to override the existing sheet layout settings.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 All of these settings except Sheet set data file can be changed by picking in the textbox to activate it.  When file locations are required, the ellipsis (...) button appears. Picking this button allows you to navigate to the location you want to specify.

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Creating Sheet Sets

 The properties in the Project Control section allow you to store and update information based on the current project. The properties in the Sheet Creation section determine the location for the drawing files for new sheets and the template used to create them.

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 When a new sheet is added to a sheet set, AutoCAD creates a new drawing file based on the template and layout specified in the Sheet creation template setting. The folder path in the Sheet storage location field determines where the new file is saved. It is important to specify the correct location so you know where the files are being saved.

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 When selecting the Sheet creation template value, you must specify both a template file and a layout. To modify this setting, pick in the text box and then pick the ellipsis (...) button. This displays the Select Layout as Sheet Template dialog box.

 All layouts in the selected template are displayed in the list box. Select the layout and then pick OK.

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 If the value in the Prompt for template field is set to No, the template layout specified in the Sheet creation template field is automatically used when a new sheet is created. This is the default setting. If the field value is set to Yes, you can select a different layout when creating a new sheet.

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 Information specific to the project can be set up in the Sheet Set Custom Properties  section. This topic is described later in this chapter.

 Once all the values in the Sheet Set Properties dialog box are set, pick OK. Templates 57

 This returns you to the Sheet Set Details page. Pick the Next button to continue creating the new sheet set.  The Sheet Set Preview area on the Confirm page displays all of the information associated with the sheet set. Templates 58

 See Figure 29-7. In the example shown, a  sheet set named Building Project has been created. This sheet set contains a number of subsets related to the project, such as General and Architectural. After the sheet set is created, sheets can be added to each subset.

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 After reviewing the information on the Confirm page, pick the Finish button to  create the sheet set. If a setting needs to be changed, use the Back button.

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

Professional Tip:



The information in the Sheet Set Preview area can be copied to a word processing program to be saved or printed. To do this, high light all of the text and then use the [Ctrl]+[C] key combination. Open a new document in the word processing program and then use the [Ctrl]+[V] key combination to paste the text into the document.

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 When you pick the opened in the

Finish button, the sheet set data file is saved to the specified

location. The sheet set can then be

Sheet Set Manager. Since a sheet set

is not associated with a particular drawing file, any sheet set can be opened, regardless of the open drawing file.

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 Creating a Sheet Set from Existing Drawing Files  You can use existing drawings to create a sheet set. Layouts are imported from  the drawingfiles to create the sheets. Each layout in the drawings becomes a separate  sheet.

  Whencreating a sheet set in this manner, organize all files used in the projectin Templates a structured hierarchy of folders. To 63

 boxes next to Furniture.dwg and its layouts have been unchecked, so they will not be  included in the sheet set. Unchecking a drawing file automatically unchecks all of  the layouts within it. If the folder is unchecked, all of the layouts in the drawing files  are unchecked. More folders can be added to the Choose Layouts page by using the  Templates Browse for Folder dialog box.

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