Zooming in on Architectural Desktop Layouts Alexander L. Wood

Transcription

1 December 2-5, 2003 MGM Grand Hotel Las Vegas Alexander L. Wood Code BD41-3L Take advantage of both AutoCAD and Autodesk Architectural Desktop Layout features. We'll look at the basics of setting up AutoCAD Layouts to maximize the effect of your Architectural Desktop building model. We'll also cover the basics of Display Management in Architectural Desktop. Course Objectives Page 2-3 Understand General Guidelines and Procedures for AutoCAD Layouts Page 3 Discuss advantages of Layouts within Model drawings and Plot Sheets with Externally Referenced drawings Page 4-5 Setup a drawing with a Basic Layout Page 6 Filtering Layer Information in Viewports Page 8 Examine the basics of using Display Configurations Page 9-10 Setup Layouts using Display Configurations Page 11 Changing Plot Size options Page Other Viewport Options Page Advantages and Tools for Plotting Layouts Page 18 Summary Exercise / Drawing Index Exercise Page# Drawing Exercise #1 Page 4 BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg Exercise #2 Page 6 BD41-3L-EX2-x1stFlr.dwg Extra Exercise #3 Page 7 BD41-3L-EX3-x1stFlr.dwg Exercise #4 Page 9 BD41-3L-EX4-x1stFlr.dwg Extra Exercise #5 Page 10 BD41-3L-EX5-x1stFlr.dwg Exercise #6 Page 12 BD41-3L-EX6-x1stFlr.dwg Extra Exercise #7 Page 14 BD41-3L-EX7-x1stFlr.dwg Speaker Contact Information: Alexander L. Wood - Technical Manager Mountain CAD, l.l.c Dearborn Ave - Missoula, MT services@autocadd.com - PH#

2 BD41-3L Layouts are our view into the Architectural model. They allow us to setup our sheets for plotting with great ease and, hopefully, fewer headaches when it comes to output. Using Viewports we are able to view the model several different ways, at different scales, and to isolate the layer information we want to see on particular sheets. With the functionality of Display Management we can display objects themselves in a number of different ways to get the desired look or information for our final plots. And, with the new Publish command we can easily setup a batch-plotting environment based on Layouts that can exist throughout several different drawings. Four General guidelines for drawing, page setup, and plotting: We draw our Model and Detail information in Model Space (Model Tab) at 1:1, Full-Scale. We draw (insert) our Titleblock in Paper Space (on a Layout Tab) 1:1, Full-Scale, to fit our sheet size. We plot from a Layout tab at 1:1 with Layout set as our Plotting Area. We tell our Viewports how to "Scale" the display of our objects. The Model The Layout The View 2

3 Expanded Layout Guidelines: 1. Create the Model in Model Space (Model Tab) full scale in real-world units. 2. Left-Click on an existing Layout Tab. Alternatively, Right-Click on an existing Layout Tab and choose "New Layout", "from Template", or use DesignCenter to copy an existing Layout from another project. 3. If the Layout is not already setup, use Page Setup to select the Plot Device, Plot Style, Paper Size and Orientation. Set the Plot Scale to 1:1 and the Plot Area to "Layout". 4. If the Titleblock does not yet exist on the Layout, Insert the Titleblock that is appropriate for the Paper Size. 5. Create as many Viewports as necessary on the Layout to display the desired parts of the Model. Typically we would create a specific layer for our Viewports and set the No-Plot option for that Layer. 6. Make the Viewports active by selecting the Model button on the Status bar or Double-click inside the Viewports. 7. Pan and Zoom each Viewport to show the desired area of the Model. 8. When the view inside the Viewport is showing the desired area, switch back to Paper Space by selecting the Paper button on the Status bar or Double-click outside of the Viewport. 9. Select the Viewport, Right-Click and choose Properties from the Shortcut. In the Properties Palette you can set the Scale of the Viewport and set the Display Locked option to Yes. TIP: The AutoCAD Linetype Scale (LTSCALE) can be set to a value of 1.0 or less. The Viewport Scale will scale Linetypes appropriately. 10. Annotate the drawing as needed. 11. Plot the Layout Tab using the Plot Area set to Layout and a 1:1 scale. Alternative Guidelines Standard practice and a recommended process for some is to create the Model plans in separate drawings and create the Plot Sheets as separate drawings. The individual Plans (i.e. 1 st Floor, 2 nd Floor) are Externally Referenced into a Model drawing where the Elevations, Sections, and Schedules are created. As the Model plans are developed, or when the Model plans are ready for documentation, those plans are Externally Referenced into the Plot Sheet drawings, annotated and plotted from there. This method can be extremely useful in Team atmospheres where different users are working on several different parts of one project. 3

4 BD41-3L Exercise #1 - Setup a drawing with a Basic Layout BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg Adapted from David Driver's Hierarchy.dwg The goal of this exercise is to setup a basic Layout within a Model drawing to create a quick plot sheet. This follows the General Guidelines for Layouts and is adaptable to the External Reference Plot Sheet setup. In this setup we will use the DWF6 eplot.pc3 configuration that comes standard with the Autodesk 2004 products. In an office environment the same procedure should be useful regardless of the output device that one might use. 1. Open the file "BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg" and confirm that Viewport is the current Layer. Note, in Model Space, that this is a First Floor plan for a small office building. There will be a single Layout Tab named Work on the Model/Layout Tab bar near the bottom of the interface. The Work Layout Tab is part of the Template file and is setup as a basic layout with 2 Viewports showing Isometric and Plan views. 2. Right-Click on any tab on the Layout and Model Tab bar at the bottom of the application interface and choose the "New Layout" option. This will create a new "Layout1" tab. 3. Left-Click on the new "Layout1" tab. The Layout has not been previously setup therefore the Page Setup Dialog will be immediately launched. 4. In the Page Setup Dialog, in the upper left-hand corner we can rename the Layout as Ground Floor Plan S1. Under the Plot Device Tab we can set our Plotter Configuration Name ("Where is the plot going") and the Plot Style Table ("What is it going to look like"). 5. Set the Plotter Configuration Name to "DWF6 eplot.pc3" and the Plot Style Table to "AIA Standard.stb". Rename the Layout. Where is it going? What is it going to look like? The "AIA Standard.stb" is a "Named" Plot Style Table that is preset to work with the Architectural Desktop Layers and Objects. In Page Setup you can select the Edit Button to review the Plot Styles that exist in the "AIA Standard.stb". In the Layer Manager you can see which Plot Styles are applied to which layers. 6. Switch to the Layout Settings Tab in the Page Setup Dialog. 4

5 What Paper Size? What Orientation? For most situations the only worry here is to select a Paper Size and Orientation. As the Guidelines suggest we will almost always plot with our Plot Area set to Layout and the Plot Scale set to 1:1. 7. Set the Paper Size to ARCH expand D (36.00 x inches). The Orientation will default to Landscape. 8. Select the OK button in the Page Setup Dialog. AutoCAD will automatically create a new Viewport object on the current Layer. 9. Set the Current Layer to the Title Block layer. 10. Insert the block Architectural Title Block, under the Name drop-down in the Insert Dialog, with x=0, y=0, z=0 and confirm that all of the Specify On-Screen and the Explode checkboxes are unchecked. 11. Select an edge of the Viewport to highlight it and display the grips. 12. Use the grips to resize the Viewport to fit the sheet. 13. Double-Click on an edge of the Viewport to launch the Properties Palette. 14. In the Properties Palette set the Standard Scale field for the Viewport to 1/4" = 1'-0". 15. Double-Click inside the Viewport or Left-Click on the Paper button on the Status Bar to go to Model Mode and make the Viewport active. 16. Pan inside the Viewport to position the Model at a desired location within the Viewport. It is important here to NOT Zoom inside the Viewport. Zooming will change the scale of the Viewport. 17. Double-Click outside the Viewport or Left-Click on the Model button on the Status Bar to go back to Paper Mode. 18. If the Properties Palette was dismissed, Double-Click on an edge of the Viewport to launch Properties. 19. Set the Display Locked field in Properties to Yes. This ensures that the scale or view in that Viewport cannot be changed until it is unlocked. Now we would "Freeze Layers in Current Viewport", to filter the information we want to show, begin our Annotation, and then Plot the sheet. Exercise #2 - Filtering Layer Information in Viewports BD41-3L-EX2-x1stFlr.dwg 5

6 6 BD41-3L AutoCAD allows us to "Freeze or Thaw Layers in a Current Viewport". We can use this to effectively show one building model of information, several different ways, on different sheets, and in several different Viewports. This will create a new "Ground Floor Plan S1 (2)" Layout Tab. 6. Left-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1 (2)" Layout Tab to make it current. Note that all of the elements for that Layout, the Titleblock, the Viewport, and the Page Setup, are copied to the new Layout Tab. 1. Continue with "BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg" or Open BD41-3L-EX2- x1stflr.dwg. Double-Click inside the Viewport or Left-Click on the Paper button on the Status Bar to go to Model Mode. 2. On the Layout with the Viewport current, select the Layer dropdown on the Layer Properties Toolbar. The 3 rd Icon from the left is the "Freeze or Thaw in Current Viewport" option. 3. Select the "Freeze or Thaw in Current Viewport" option to freeze the layers named A-Slab and A-Wall-Fnd in this current Viewport. We are now showing only the Wall, Door, Window, and Stair elements. Once a Layout is setup we can simply reuse it instead of recreating it every time we set up another Plot Sheet. 4. Right-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1" Layout Tab and select "Move or Copy" from the Shortcut. 5. In the Move or Copy Dialog select the [move to end] option, check the "Create a copy" checkbox, then select OK. 7. Make the Viewport on this new Layout Tab current or active (Model Mode), if it is not already. 8. Launch the Layer Manager Dialog (Format Menu => Layer Management => Layer Manager) or from the Layer Properties Toolbar. 9. Select both the A-Slab and A-Wall-Fnd layers using Ctrl+Select. 10. Right-Click on either of those selected layers and select the "Invert selection" option from the Shortcut. This will select all of the layers other than the A-Slab and A-Wall-Fnd layers. In the Layer Manager Dialog, the 10 th column over is the "Freeze or Thaw in Current Viewport" option. 11. Select "Freeze or Thaw in Current Viewport" for all of the selected layers then select the same icon for the A-Slab and the A-Wall-Fnd layers to Thaw those layers in the Current Viewport. 12. Select OK to exit the Dialog. We now have a Layout showing only the Slab and Foundation Wall layers. You might continue this by Right-Clicking on the "Ground Floor Plan S1 (2)" Layout Tab and selecting the Rename option to give the Layout Tab a logical name. Again, here we could begin our Annotation and Plot the sheet. Extra Exercise #3 - Another Method of Layout and Viewport Setup BD41-3L-EX3-x1stFlr.dwg

7 The Viewports Dialog can be used to automate the creation of a number of different Viewports that are preset for orthographic views. This Dialog can be found under the View Menu => Viewports => New Viewports option. It can also be found on the AutoCAD Viewports Toolbar. 1. Continue with BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg or Open BD41-3L-EX3- x1stflr.dwg. Right-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1" Layout Tab and select "Move or Copy" from the Shortcut. 2. In the Move or Copy Dialog select the [move to end] option, check the "Create a copy" checkbox, select OK, and then Left-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1 (3)" Layout Tab to make it current. 3. While in Paper Mode, Erase the existing Viewport. 4. Set the Viewport layer current. 5. Start the Viewports Dialog and, while on a current Layout Tab, in the Viewports Dialog, set the Standard Viewports configuration to Four: Equal (or as desired) and then set the Setup dropdown to 3D. Set the Standard viewport configuration. Set the Setup to 3D. Select the Previewed viewport and change views as desired. After selecting the options in the Viewports Dialog, and selecting the OK button, you will be prompted for First corner and opposite corner on the Layout. 6. Pick two points inside the Title Block area and this will Fit the selected viewport configuration, within those two points, to create the orthogonal views as specified. You can then scale and lock the Viewports, then filter ( Freeze in Current Viewport ) the Layers you wish to see. Basics of Display Configurations 7

8 BD41-3L Architectural Desktop objects (AEC objects) can be displayed differently depending on the view that you are using (e.g. Plan, Elevation, Model) and the Display Configuration that you are using. Individual AEC objects have an Entity or Object Display that allows different components of the object itself to be displayed differently. While more advanced use of the Architectural Desktop Display System is outside the scope of this course, the Display System setup can be defined as taken from the Architectural Desktop Help Menu. The Display System in Autodesk Architectural Desktop controls how AEC objects are displayed in a designated Viewport. By specifying the Display Configuration in a Viewport and the direction from which you want to view the objects shown in the Viewport, you can produce different architectural displays. The Display System lets you produce floor plans, reflected plans, elevations, 3D models, or schematic displays without redrawing any objects. The Display System is divided into three major categories: A Display Representation, which controls how an individual object, such as a door or a wall, is displayed. A Display Set, which is a group of Display Representations of objects. A Display Configuration, which is a collection of Display Sets assigned to particular view directions. The standard drawing templates, that Architectural Desktop 2004 uses, have preset Display Configurations for specific situations and output. When a Viewport is current or active (Model Mode) one can select a preset configuration from the Display Configurations Menu in the lower right-hand corner of the interface. The Display Manager under the Format Menu allows access to the Representations, Sets, and Configurations. Here you can manipulate how they affect the display of your objects. Some examples of how the preset Display Configurations affect object display in a Viewport are: High Detail Presentation Low Detail Reflected Exercise #4 - Setup Layouts using Display Configurations BD41-3L-EX4-x1stFlr.dwg 8

9 1. Continue with BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg or Open BD41-3L-EX4-x1stFlr.dwg. Right-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1" Layout Tab and select "Move or Copy" from the Shortcut. 2. In the Move or Copy Dialog select the [move to end] option, check the "Create a copy" checkbox, then select OK. This will create a new Layout Tab. 3. Left-Click on the new Ground Floor Plan S1 (4) Layout Tab to make it current. 4. Make the Viewport on this new Layout Tab current or active (Model Mode), if it is not already. 5. Using the Display Configuration Menu in the lower right-hand corner of the interface, select different display configurations to see their affect on the display of the Model. By selecting AEC objects within a Viewport you can manipulate how the object style or individual objects appear within that configuration. This modifies the current display representation for that object or style using that configuration. 6. Set the Display Configuration for the Viewport to the Presentation Configuration. There is an Opening object in one of the horizontal interior walls in this model. 7. Select the Opening. Tip There are a number of overlapping objects with the Opening. Using Object Cycling, one can cycle through overlapping objects to select a desired object. 8. Place the crosshairs over an edge of the Opening. 9. Press the CTRL key on the keyboard and Left- Click on the edge. The Command Line will report <Cycle on>. 10. Let go of the CTRL key and Left-Click to Cycle through the available objects until you see the Opening highlight. 11. Right-Click in the Drawing Area and select Edit Object Display from the Shortcut Menu. In the Object Display Dialog, under the Display Properties Tab, one can change the Object Display of the Object Style or Object Override the individual object for a number of different Display Representations. The Display Representations that are current for the Object, the View, and the Configuration will be bold text. Current Display Representation. Object Override. 12. Double-Click on the Plan Display 9

10 Representation in the list. BD41-3L This will launch the Display Properties Dialog for the Opening Plan Display Representation and any changes made here will affect every object that uses that style. Left-clicking on the Object Override checkbox will launch the same Display Properties Dialog but changes will only affect the selected object. In the Display Properties Dialog, one can change the Layer/Color/Linetype, Hatching, Fill Type, or use the Other Tab to see additional options. 13. Under the Layer/Color/Linetype Tab, turn on the Visibility for the Cross Line A and Cross Line B components. 14. Select the OK button in the Display Properties Dialog and then select OK in the Object Display Dialog. Note the Opening Object display. Change Visibility, Layer, Color, Linetype, and More, for the individual components of an Object or Object Style. This change has modified the Plan Display Representation of the Opening Object Style for the Presentation Display Configuration. Extra Exercise #5 Editing Object Display BD41-3L-EX5-x1stFlr.dwg 15. Continue with BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg or Open BD41-3L-EX5-x1stFlr.dwg. In the Drawing Area, select the exterior door on the right side of the Model 16. Right-Click and select Edit Object Display from the Shortcut Menu. 17. In the Object Display Dialog, Left-Click on the Object Override checkbox for the Threshold Plan Display Representation. 18. Under the Layer/Color/Linetype Tab, turn on the Visibility for the Threshold B component. 19. Left-Click on the Other Tab. 20. Set the C-Extension dimension to 2 and the D-Depth dimension to Select the OK button in the Display Properties Dialog and then select OK in the Object Display Dialog. Note the Door Object Threshold display change. This modified that individual Door Object and any other doors, using the same Door Style, remain unchanged. Quickly Changing Plot Size options 10

11 Changing Plot Size options for a Half-size or Half-scale Plot Set can be accomplished easily with Layouts but may be dependant on the Layout sheet size. In the 1 st exercise, in the Page Setup Dialog, we set the Paper Size to the ARCH expand D (36.00 x inches) and then scaled the Viewport display to 1/4 = 1-0. Changing the Plot Scale in the Page Setup or Plot Dialog for these Layouts to 1:2 would create a Half-scale plot with a sheet size of 18 x 12 inches at a 1/8 = 1-0 scale. Note: This may waste paper if the Sheet Size is not changed as well. Use Print Preview or examine the Page Setup, before Plotting, to double check your setup. Change the Plot Scale for the Layout. Alternatively, to scale the plan to a particular sheet size, we can change to the desired sheet size then set the Plot Area to Extents and the Plot Scale to Scale to Fit. This can be used to create a Half-size Plan Set. Change Paper Size Change Plot Scale to Scale to Fit Change Plot Area to Extents Exercise #6 Changing Plot Scale for Half-Size Documents BD41-3L-EX6-x1stFlr.dwg 11

12 BD41-3L 1. Continue with BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg or Open BD41-3L-EX6-x1stFlr.dwg. Right-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1" Layout Tab and select "Move or Copy" from the Shortcut. 2. In the Move or Copy Dialog select the [move to end] option, check the "Create a copy" checkbox, then select OK. This will create a new Layout Tab. 3. Left-Click on the new Layout Tab, "Ground Floor Plan S1 (5)", to make it current. 4. Right-Click on the new Ground Floor Plan S1 (5) Layout Tab and choose Page Setup from the Shortcut Menu. 5. In the Page Setup Dialog, under the Layout Settings Tab, change the Paper Size to ANSI expand B (17.00 x inches). 6. Change the Plot Area to Extents and the Plot Scale to Scale to Fit. 7. Check the Center the plot option on. 8. Select the OK button in the Page Setup Dialog. Review the Layout change. Layouts are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). We can quickly see if this Page Setup will work. We can also make this Plot Size change to other Layouts using the Page Setup name drop-down in the Page Setup Dialog. 9. Left-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1 (2)" Layout Tab to make it current. 10. Right-Click on the "Ground Floor Plan S1 (2)" Layout Tab choose Page Setup from the Shortcut Menu. 11. In the Page Setup Dialog, in the upper right-hand corner, you can use the Page Setup name drop-down to apply the Page Setup from one Layout to another. 13. Select OK in the Page Setup Dialog. Also note that you can select the Add button in that same location to Import Page Setups from other drawings. 12. Select the Ground Floor Plan S1 (5) name from the drop-down. Note the changes to the Page Setup information. Note the changes to the Layout. You should now be able to quickly create a half-size or half-scale document from an existing or copied Layout. 12

13 Other Viewport Options There are a number of new features for Viewports in the AutoCAD 2004 products as well as a couple other Viewport Tricks we can discuss. With Multiple Viewports, on a Layout Tab, and while in Paper Space (Paper Mode), one can select multiple Viewport objects and use the Properties Palette to change their Properties quickly, at the same time. Select the desired multiple Viewports. Right-Click in the Drawing Area and select Properties from the shortcut or simply Double-Click on the edge of one of the Viewport objects. In the Properties Palette, for the selected Viewport objects, one can change the Properties for those Viewports. Change the Display Locked variable for selected Viewports. Change the Scale for the selected Viewports. Change the Shade Plot options for the selected Viewports. Extra Exercise #7 Modifying Multiple Viewports BD41-3L-EX7-x1stFlr.dwg 13

14 BD41-3L 1. Continue with BD41-3L-x1stFlr.dwg or Open BD41-3L-EX7-x1stFlr.dwg. Left-Click on the Ground Floor Plan S1 (3) Layout Tab to make it the active Layout. This Layout should have four Viewports setup for orthographic (and an Isometric) views. 2. While in Paper Space (Paper Mode) select all four Viewport objects. 3. Right-Click in the Drawing Area and choose Properties from the shortcut. 4. In the Properties Palette set the Standard Scale to 1/4 = 1-0. Note the changes to the Viewport display. Each viewport is now scaled correctly for this sheet. Change the Scale for the selected Viewports. 5. Double-Click inside the upper right-hand Viewport (the Isometric view). 6. Zoom Extents in that Viewport to show the entire Model. 7. Shade the Viewport using the View Menu => Shade => Gouraud Shaded. 8. Double-Click outside of the Viewport or select the Model button on the Status Bar to return to Paper Space (Paper Mode). 9. Select the bottom two Viewports. 10. Right-Click in the Drawing Area. Note the options in the shortcut menu. 11. Choose the Shade Plot => Hidden option from the shortcut. Alternatively you could select the same option from the Properties Palette under the Shade plot field. 12. Execute a Plot Preview by choosing File Menu => Plot Preview. Note the look of the Viewports in the Plot Preview. 13. Right-Click and choose Exit from the Plot Preview shortcut. 14

15 Other Viewport Options AutoCAD 2004 still has the Viewport Hide Plot option as before, but now includes options for Shaded and Rendered Viewport Plotting as well. Shading while within a Current Viewport (on a Layout in Model Mode) and then setting the Shade Plot option in the Properties for that Viewport to As Displayed will create a Shaded plot as shown on-screen. As Displayed Prints Viewport as shown onscreen. Wireframe Prints Viewport in Wireframe regardless of display onscreen. Hidden Prints Viewport in a Hidden display (as Hide Plot in previous versions). Rendered This will Render the Viewport at the time of the Print. The look of the Rendered Plot can be dependant on the materials and lighting applied to the Model. Also note that the Shade Plot method that you choose can greatly impact the regeneration times and plot times for that Layout. In the case of Rendered Viewport plotting, with several Viewports, Plotting times can increase dramatically, and may also be dependant on your System speed and the memory available in the print device. An alternative method is still to Render to an image file and then insert that as a raster image onto the desired Plot Sheet. Below is a Plot Preview of the Layout with four orthographic Viewports of one Model. Viewport set to 1/4 =1-0 scale with Shade Plot set to As Displayed. Viewport zoomed to Model Extents, Shaded, with Shade Plot set to As Displayed. Viewports, showing Elevation, set to 1/4 = 1-0, with Shade Plot set to Hidden. 15

16 BD41-3L Advantages and Tools for Plotting Layouts Whether you are creating several Layouts in one Model drawing, to create your Plan Set, or creating several individual Plot Sheet drawings for the sheets in a Plan Set (Externally Referenced drawings into Plot Sheet drawings), Architectural Desktop has a couple basic methods to automate the output. In a drawing with several Layouts, as in this exercise drawing, one can use CTRL+Select to select the specific Layouts to plot. By selecting Multiple Layouts, then Right-Clicking on any selected Layout, you can choose the Plot option from the shortcut, review the Plot Dialog information, then select OK in the Plot Dialog to print the selected Layouts. The Plot Dialog in Architectural Desktop simply uses the settings as defined in the Page Setup Dialog. There is usually no need to adjust the Plot Dialog settings. Use CTRL+Select to select Multiple Layouts. Right-Click on one of the Selected Layouts and choose Plot from the shortcut. Without Multiple Selected Layouts, one also has the option to go directly to the Plot Dialog (from the File Menu or the Standard Toolbar) and select Plot from there. In the lower left-hand corner of the Plot Dialog, under the Plot Device Tab, one can choose the option to Plot All layout tabs. This will Plot all the Layout Tabs with respect to the current Page Setup of each individual tab. This will also send Plots to multiple devices (e.g. Half-size plots send to an 11x17 printer and Full-size sheets send to a 36 plotter as defined in the Page Setup). Plot Dialog select All layout tabs. The advantage here is there will be less time spent configuring individual plots, as we have done in the past, plotting from Model Space, and output will be faster. 16

17 Advantages and Tools for Plotting Layouts When plotting Layouts that are in many different drawings, Architectural Desktop 2004 has a new feature called Publish which allows one to create a Multi-Sheet DWF file, an electronic Plan Set. The Publish tool can also be used for Batch plotting several Layouts throughout several drawings, again, as defined in the individual Layout s Page Setup. The Publish command can be found under the File Menu => Publish or on the Standard Toolbar. In the Publish Drawing Sets Dialog, one can Add Sheets, Remove Layouts from the List of drawing sheets, move individual sheets up or down in plot order, and even save the List of sheets to use for continuing revisions of the Plan Set. Add Sheets to the List of drawing sheets. After a List of drawing sheets is created, save and load the same sheet set for replotting the same Plan Set. Use CTRL+Select to select sheets that do not belong in the current Plan Set and remove them from the list. Move individually selected sheets up or down in the Plot order. Select a Multi-sheet DWF or set Publish to use the Plotters named in page setups. The advantage is, again, to simplify and automate plotting, throughout several different Layouts and several different drawings, even if the individual Layout s Page Setup and device differs. Prior to Plotting, in each individual Layout, remember to use the Plot Preview as a plotting troubleshooter Plot Previews are WYSIWYG If the Plot Preview shows up correctly but the plot doesn't come out correctly at the device then there is typically a problem with the operating system's communication with the device, a problem with the device driver, or with the Printer/Plotter hardware settings. If the Plot Preview shows up incorrectly then adjustments to the drawing, the Layout, the Plot Style or paper settings may need to be made Always check your Plotter/Printer manufacturer's website for the newest or updated device drivers. 17

18 BD41-3L Summary: By using multiple Viewports on Layouts, Freezing Layers in a Current Viewport, and using Display Configurations, we can show one Model several different ways. We can easily create a number of Viewports and have each of them automatically setup for orthographic views, using the Viewports dialog. We can modify the Properties of single or multiple Viewports using the Properties Palette. We can also show, for instance, a Plan View, Sections, and Details all on one sheet, by creating multiple Viewports, sizing them for position on a sheet, and setting the appropriate scale for each one (e.g. Plan View at 1/8 = 1-0, Section at 1/2 = 1-0, and a Detail at 1-1/2 = 1-0 ). Additionally we can speed up the output process by plotting multiple Layouts or using the Publish command to either create a Multi-sheet DWF (electronic Plan Set) or batch plot to devices defined in Page Setups. 18