"Cad Blocks" Make(2)sizes?One for Layout?

[Bob Levin]

Is it better to create two Cad details for the library? One would be scaled to insert into plan(model view) and one scaled much smaller to insert into layout view.
I'm finding that a lot of times I want to insert a cad block into layout and it comes in huge, and then I have to re-scale it. I was wondering if I could get others opinions. Thanks Much Bob L.

[Ben Palmer]

Bob,

I would not insert any details into the layout via the library or copy/paste. The best way to handle this is to put it into a cad detail window. You can use the cad detail windows in the plan file, or the layout file, then send to layout at your desired scale. This give you full control over the details scale without resizing it.

HTH

[louis]

Do as Ben suggests.

[tezw1]

I have Cad blocks that I use for Layouts. I was doing a lot of repitive layout pages for plans to do with clading details.
As the set of details are genric for each cladding type (brick , weatherboard, etc) I created scaled blocks of each detail, placed them on a layout page, and then blocked and saved the entire page. Now if a house has weatherboard I just insert the page block on a layout page and carry on to the next job.
Note that the scales are set before hand are not needed to be changed from plan to plan.
I also have blocks of genric connection details stored on my layout template, on the appropate page. When I get to the connection layout part they're there ready to go.
This way you don't have to try and remember 'what scale did I use last time?'
Keep the full size version in case you have to make changes and note the reduction factor on it somewhere.
I only started doing this last month, but it seems to be working well and has knocked 1 hour off plan production.
Hope this helps

[Ben Palmer]

Terry--

The way I handle this is by putting the details in a cad detail window of the layout, and send to layout (it will send even though it is with the layout already). Then you can save that as your layout template just the same as you have described....it helps avoid having items at different scales in case you need to use for an individual page, or email to another etc....much more universal.

[Bob Levin]

Ken I was ok re: your first post. I used cad detail window and then to layout.
In Your last post, I think you said open up a cad window in layout and insert the cad block from the library. When I did that it, the detail came in huge. what did I do wrong?

[ACCUREST]

Once I Make A Cad Detail Properly Sized For Layout And Know I Will Use It Often. I Create A Cad Detail In The Profile Plan So That Most Of The Recuring Details Will Be In My List Of Cad Details When
I Open The Cad Detail Command. In This Way Open , Send To Layout , Done. Since They Are Individual Cad Details And Choose Which Ones Are Appropriate To A Specific Plan And Maximize The Area In Each Layout Page.

[Ben Palmer]

Bob-

I'm using version 9, and so it works a little different in 10, but it still works. The detail actually comes in at the proper size in the cad detail window, but it appears big because the sheet size is set up very small. The easiest way to resize the sheet, is to grab the borders and drag the corner border to fit. Or go to File>Print>Scale to Fit. This will pur the detail in the printable "white" area for better viewing. The white area doesn't affect the send to layout dbx or viewability in the layout. The other thing I noticed is when I was choosing the scale in the "send to layout" dbx, the scale was preset to 1 inch = 1 inch. So the second inch needs to be set to feet to get the scale to be proper.

The plan cad detail and the layout cad detail both work....it looks like Chief needs to change the scaling on the cad detail windows within the layout.

Hope I was able to clear that up, but if not, feel free to ask any follow up questions.

[Ben Palmer]

Michael-

I use to do it the way you described years ago, but my profile plan started to get to big, which resulted in all of my plan being larger files then necessary which can effect the speed efficiency of the plan. If they are details that are used in every plan, this works well.

[JoeArchitect]

Ben..for my purposes and probably many others...can we clear this up...lots of info floating around out there...it should be simple...I've created cad details..in plan cad windows..then sent them to a layout sheet...at many different scales from 1/4" =1' to 1" = 1"...I dont want to use that layout sheet in many different plans..just want to keep the dets somewhere at proper scale. I do want to paste details into a new layout sheet on new plans as they come up. utilizing what I've worked out in sending them to layout. What is the best way to do that...dont want to keep track of the scales that I sent them to layout...cause they vary alot. Shouldnt one be able to simply insert from the library..I'm using v10 t.i.a...J

[Ben Palmer]

Simplified: The best way to handle new details at varying scales is to insert them in a cad detail within the plan. Then you can control the scale, any scale when sending to layout.

More: To go to the next level of standard layout templates, you can place details that occur in every layout within the cad detail window of your standard layout (the one used as the template). This helps keep everything in one place, and less chance of loosing links from details. I avoid having multiple plans, or a standard detail plan file for these details, as file/folder structures change over time, and linking can be lost. I do insert my structural details into the plan>cad detail in a grid, and insert the applicable details into that grid, then send that grid to layout.

I can clarify this more if needed. Maybe someone knows of a training video on this that can be referenced.

[JoeArchitect]

Thx...still seems a bit cumbersome however or is it just me? Seems like once created they should just go in the library in layout form so you can just paste them into a layout sheet with in a given set of plans. This raises a problem I've run into. When creating a detail in 1/4" or 1/2" not much of a problem. But when doing say a jamb detail in 1" = 1"...what is the best way to approach it. When hand drawing its easy to letter, get the right line weight but its a bit of a challenge in CA. Is it better to draw the detail at say 4 times actual size or at some multiple and then compensate on the sending to layout with a scale conversion. After having a refined hand drawn technique for 20 years its difficult to trade the flexibility of hand drawn for the practicality of cad drawn/e mailing capability etc if you follow my drift. But I've probably done 60 plans in CA in 3 years..only utilitizing maybe 50% of its power and its won me over...t.i.a.

http://www.stevensarchitect.com

[Ben Palmer]

Yeah, it could be more efficient...perhaps this will change as Chief follows the trend of automatic linking of details, callouts and pages.

For now, the best thing to do is draw everything at 1:1 scale, and upsize or down size when sending to layout by choosing the appropriate scale, and don't put any scalable items directly on the layout. I do have some basic information on the layout: blocks, titles, etc....but even my standard notes and text come from a cad detail window so that I have full control over resizing and repositioning.

HTH

[joey3032]

Joe,
I have had this problem in the past, here is how I handled the situation. I have a CAD detail, call it DetailX, I made the detail for a set of plans, saved it to the library, sent the detail to layout at 3/8"=1'-0"...next time I used it, I sent it to layout at a larger scale, this throws off line weights, and text sizes, so I opened the detail, adjusted it to the larger scale, and saved it to the library as DetailX-3/4. Now I have a copy of the detail that works for two different scales, without any further changes or adjustments.

Hope this method helps...sounds like a PITA...but after you do it once, you won't have to deal with it again.

[Dan Park]

Line weight should not be a problem so long as you set the printer scale of the detail to the scale you are using.

See this article:

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/suppor...?faqNumber=705

The dialogs are slightly different in X1 but the principal is the same.