workflow design-plot-export and layer links

[michael@arc]

in our drawings, we use layer links to set up different documents from the same building, e.g. to print all floors of a building plan on one document, though they are drawn all at the same position in the file (as is the only reasonable way, i think).

despite the lack of an option to show different scales in such a layer link, this pretty much helps to work around the missing model space - paper space feature of vectorworks.

this would be fine except from 2 problems:

- is there any way to modify the list of linked layers in such a layer link (german version: "ebenenmodell")

- whenever we try to export one of these drawing, the dxf/dwg-file is empty except from the data drawn directly on the layer with the links to it.

please help!

we need an option to export the documents as they print to keep our consultants from getting all confused...

michael.

@arc

[David L]

Use the Workgroup Reference function to create drawings that can be translated to dxf/dwg. Draw your master drawings (floor plans, etc.) in one file and reference them to another file using Workgroup Referencing. Everything would be setup the same except that the items that are layer linked would be Workgroup Referenced to a separate file. The referenced file will contain a copy of the master file that is exportable to dxf/dwg.

And, unlike Autocad the X-ref file is not needed when you send the file to someone else, because the actual vector data is copied to the referenced file.

Read about this function in the User's Guide page 3-32, Using Workgroup References.

[michael@arc]

thaks for your answer,

but i think, the reference function does not fully meet our needs; as far as i know, references are always put into a drawing at exactly the same coordinates as in the source drawing; so again, we would have to draw several floor plans at different positions on the drawing.

dissolving the refenences to be able to unlock an move them is not usefull as well, since if we do so, changes in the source drawing have no longer effects to the plan.

one more advantage of the layer link procedure would be the possibility to ROTATE layers for display; this is usefull e.g. to be able to draw a floor plan using orthogonal structures and to PRINT this floor plan on an oriented (turned northwards) site map.

thanks for any assistance!

michael