digitalcarbon

right now everything works fine. i connect using tcp/ip and it's good but could be a little faster. i have DSL. so do i get a faster computer? or get cable and not dsl? does my screen size have something to do with it? what if i got a 23" monitor? we just did a full morning of work were i was connected to the office using timbuktu and skype and it was pretty good. i just want to tweak it.

I'm doing a lot of VW work remotely. (timbuktu) is there a site that can help streamline the process? or could we have a vw topic devoted to this? does anyone else do this? you can skype me if you like. after 4pm EST USA

is anyone using this? comments? i think i export a 3d file and others can view it. www.adobe.com/products/acrobat3d/

islandmon, thanks for your input. i need the other kind of fan housing. see http://www.sovplym.com/pic/fan/fa.jpg

i'm going to be modeling a centrifugal fan housing. i need to make one up to be the right size. i used to know how to do the layout, but have forgotten. can anyone point me in the right direction? also, any suggestions on how to model it? the end product will be a metal casting of some thickness , in two halves. thanks for your input

if i set opacity for a layer, will it not show up in all places? ie floor plan greyed for electrical plan sheet and also grey for floor plan sheet which is not good. opacity should be set for layers in the view port also. yes no?

if we use grey layers in our plots then they need to keep their fill as to masking only. currently i end up seeing lines that i have masked showing up in grey layer. not the greatest for a final image.

the ability to have a master file w/ referenced symbols is very powerful for keeping many projects up to date. the naming system seems to evolve as the symbol library gets bigger, but if you already have several projects that reference the library, any changes to symbol names ends up breaking the reference link. hence, name changes to the master symbols should update the names also and not break the reference.

can we make lines like this? ----P----P----P---- if not why not. is this not something basic.

thank you! thank you! thank you!

the batch print seems to require me to ok every sheet. why can not i select the 23 sheets i want printed and push print and walk away? also, i have acrobat and i print to it and want to have all my prints in one pdf file. not 23 seperate pdfs.

we use font "Times". when i open the file on other computers the fonts for the dimensions always changes to "NewYork" comments?

i know one can import a pdf as an image but this seems like a new thing to replace dwg/dxf. comments?

i would like to know if i can have the volume of my concrete wall show up in a schedule. also if i do a concrete slab and use the floor tool can i then get that volume to a schedule? thanks

i hear that companies provide symbols of their products in visio. im not talking about line drawings but symbols that look like a color photo but are really vector images that have snap points. i saw a 19" equipment rack symbol and computers symbols that snaped together. when you zoomed in you could see all the buttons, eveything was in color and looked real. is there a way to use these in VW?

why not have your mech/elec etc plans on another layer and draw over the the one and only floor plan?

a bit rough on Arch.Ken. no excuse for that.

"It was the Reader/vs full Acrobat issue with a little summer-office-help thrown in on the side to add to confusion." when i send my pdf to a professional printer i get scalable drawings. when they reduce them to 12"x18" i get exactly 50% reduction. when i have a friend do it for me on the cheap, i get a disaster. there is no issue. you get what you pay for.

thanks for all your comments. below is a explanation of Freds noting system. this i would like to do but as we already know the notes tool does not work well with this system. such a system would be very useful on big projects as well as small. from the book "Standard Notes & Keynotes" by Fred Stitt INTRODUCTION: Construction drawings commonly have an average of three to six significant errors in each working drawing sheet. For many years, we've found this to be true in drawings for projects of all types and sizes. Some firms have many more errors on average; some have virtually none. Most of the errors are notation errors: omissions, contradictions, mis-identifications, over-notation, duplication or conflict with specifications, and misspellings. A standard notation system is the first step toward eliminating these errors. It's also a significant step toward reducing drafting time, clarifying drawing content, and improving overall coordination among all the construction documents. A standard notation system has other advantages: ? Standard notes serve as checklists of drawing content. Standard lists of drawing notes help avoid omissions in drawings and instruct drafters in drawing content. ? When combined with the CSI MasterFormat specification numbers, standard notes are a guide to all items that will require specification. They show the contractor exactly where to look in the specs for additional information. ? In addition, when combined with the five-digit CSI MasterFormat numbers, the notes are automatically linked to standard detail files. ? And perhaps most usefully, they provide the basis of a master keynote system. INSTRUCTIONS: The first rule of efficient notation is to start with "identification notes" rather than "assembly notes." In other words, most notes in the broadscope drawings (plans, elevations, cross sections) just name objects and construction materials. Once items are identified, information can then be added relative to dimensions, assembly instructions, etc. But such added notes are not to overlap, duplicate, or substitute for written specifications. Over-elaborate notation is the most common cause of errors and contradictions in working drawings. Senior drafters and project managers often want to explain their construction intent in considerable detail, and it's hard for them to resist doing so. Sometimes notes will extend into full sentences, even paragraphs. While their intention is to clarify the drawings, long notes have the opposite effect. We urge users of our system to start with simple "identification notes." Use them as keynotes, and elaborate on them later as necessary, with "assembly notes" wherever appropriate in the fields of the drawings. USING CHECKSETS AND INSTRUCTING DRAFTERS: Here are the most efficient ways to use standard notes: 1) Drawings should start as raw line data, without notation. Notes should not be started until line work is well under way. If a drafter observes an important note that should be included, it can be jotted down and added later. 2) Whoever is supervising and/or checking drawings should use the standard notes list as a working drawing content checklist for each particular sheet. 3) When the supervisor or drawing checker finds a note that should be included, he or she can write the keynote prefix number on the check print. Thus if the note "R21 GRADE SLOPE AT BUILDING LINE" should be included in the Site Plan, only the "R21" needs to be written in red on the check print, with an arrow pointing at its object. The drafter will then refer to the same standard notation list and either copy the complete note into the field of the drawing, or onto the keynote list on the right-hand side of the drawing sheet. Or the supervisor may be primarily responsible for managing the final keynote legend. Details of systematic notation procedures and other options will become clear as you use the system. ON KEYNOTING: This Guidelines Standard Notation and Keynotes System introduces a new alpha-numeric approach to keynote numbering. Instead of abstract numbers, each keynote is preceded by a letter (or pair of letters) that indicates the type of construction being noted. All are based on the CSI MasterFormat divisions and subdivisions. These letters are: G General Notes -- general identifications and instructions to contractor. R Reference Notes T Temporary Facilities (CSI Division 1: General Requirements) E Earthwork (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) FN Foundation (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) U Utility Materials & Services (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) D Drainage & Containment (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) P Pavements & Appurtenances (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) S Site Improvements/Amenities (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) L Landscaping (CSI Division 2: Site Construction) C Concrete (CSI Division 3: Concrete) M Masonry (CSI Division 4: Masonry) MT Metals (CSI Division 5: Metals) W Wood, Rough Carpentry (CSI Division 6: Wood) WF Wood, Finish Carpentry (CSI Division 6: Wood) WW Wood, Architectural Woodwork (CSI Division 6: Wood) TM Thermal & Moisture Protection (CSI Division 7: Thermal & Moisture Protection) DR Doors (CSI Division 8: Doors & Windows ) WN Windows (CSI Division 8: Doors & Windows) F Finishes (CSI Division 9: Finishes) SP Specialties (CSI Division 10: Specialties) EQ Equipment (CSI Division 11: Equipment) FR Furnishings (CSI Division 12: Furnishings) SC Special Construction (CSI Division 13: Special Construction) CV Conveying Systems (CSI Division 14: Conveying Systems) PL Plumbing (CSI Division 15: Mechanical) HV Heating & Ventilation (CSI Division 15: Mechanical) EL Electrical (CSI Division 16: Electrical) These keynote letters are listed throughout the standard keynote lists and are easy to recognize and remember after they have been used a couple of times. The keynote numbers are consistent throughout the various types of drawings. For example, the "FN4 CONCRETE PIERS" keynote number is the same on the Site Plan, Foundation Plan, and Cross Section drawings. An alternative, commonly used system uses short reference numbers preceding a note and categorized by CSI division. For example, concrete notes are preceded with a 3, such as: 3.3 Reinforced concrete Slab; Masonry notes are preceded with a 4, like this: 4.1 Brick 4.2 Brick wall 4.3 Brick cavity wall This is a good system, but it has a limitation: The same keynote numbers often won't be usable for the same objects on all drawings. The new Guidelines system presented in this manual has eliminated that problem by using alphabetical prefixes. A few firms use another method: They use full five-digit CSI MasterFormat numbers as keynote numbers. Some offices use this system and say they have no problem with it. But most architects and contractors prefer a simpler method that doesn't require people to remember a five-digit CSI number as they scan from a keynote in a drawing to a keynote legend. This system is unwieldy for most users and unlikely to be widely adopted.

bclydeb, thanks for your input. i think people are missing my point. when an office has a pig project and many people are working on it. one runs into the problem of keeping the notes uniform. hence, the question about the note tool referencing a master file that everyone could access. (i never said anything about having all notes on one big drawing sheet and only keynotes everywhere else) if a change needs to be made, one just needs to change the master file. then all the drawing notes update throughout the office. like WGR. hence, the reason for the AutoCad post above. as to Fred Stitt: my keynote example above "4.04" is right out of his "joy of drafting" book. and "C1 WATERSTOP 03150" which is another type of keynote, is from his book "Standard Notes & Keynotes" neither of these keynote systems can be used with the notes tool. (Markers for Keynotes see pervious post) as for "duplication leads to error" not true. IF your notes are symbols or managed by the notes tool. so, on a big project if you want to control the notes, one needs to use symbols which are then referenced and not the notes tool. the notes tool will give you the same note but use a different keynote # which would make checking a nightmare. i thank everyone for their input.

i think we need something like this: "The new keynoting system utilizes the AutoCAD 2005 field technology and uses keynotes defined in a Microsoft Access database, ensuring that they are standard notes controlled from a central location. The Reference Keynote tool can be used to quickly annotate 2D sections and elevations, detail components, and AEC objects in accordance with the centrally defined standards (see Figure 2). Additionally, because the keynotes use field codes, their display can be dynamically set to Key only mode, Note only mode, or Key and Note mode, as required for the task at hand. A separate tool is available to create sheet keynotes. Accompanying both kinds of keynoting tools are Legend tools for automatically creating and maintaining keynote legends, based on the new AutoCAD 2005 style-based Table object. You can generate a legend of one sheet or of selected sheets in a project."

thanks for the imput. this is what i am doing. in the example i gave above the number 4.04 is the keynote just minus the oval. this takes you to the note; 4.04 BRICK TIES (04082) 16" VERT & HORZ SIMPSON TIE BR-T 6d COMMONS MIN GALVANIZED this is the complete note for 4.04 because it is all related to the brick tie. at any rate, the notes tool does not keep the same keynote for an item for different files such as the post for "Project Setup" hence the "make notes symbols" seems the way to go. thanks for your input.

this is what i am doing. it works great, but the set up of such a system is a bit much. just wanted to know if there was a better way. an example of the system: 4.04 BRICK TIES (04082) 16" VERT & HORZ SIMPSON TIE BR-T 6d COMMONS MIN GALVANIZED the number 4.04 is a symbol and gets placed on the drawing. then the number and the note (which is also a symbol) gets placed in a 4" wide column on the sheet. any detail that shows a brick tie gets marker 4.04 regardless of what sheet it is on. makes checking a lot faster the problem is managing all of this. it would be great to have a notes tool that could do all this.

"why would you want to continue sequential numbering across your printed sheets?" you would if you had a bunch of elevation sheets. some elevations would have the same item. if this same item had different numbers because of being on different sheets then it makes things harder.

how does the notes tool work with big projects like the one posted "project setup"? the numbering system needs to be the same on all files. yes/no?