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Templates


_James

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With the release of SP3, our practice will likely move up to 2020 from 2019 once we're all back working in the same office. I'm therefore setting up templates and resources and wondered what are people's "must-haves" for templates?

 

I thought this would be a good way to share functionality of their templates and how practices use it to remove some of the repetitive tasks to work quicker. Some things we already have:

- Class structure with attributes to control the appearance of objects

- Standard door sizes for the UK preconfigured with preferred line weights and styles etc.

- Worksheets for electrical symbol legend that automatically counts objects and displays this in the legend and door/window schedules

- Up to date furniture and symbols etc. (if anyone has some simple beds in UK sizes that would be great!) that auto-class

- Wall, floor, roof types with U-Values 

- Custom space tags to display room name, area and finishes if required

- Standard timber sizes as symbols for wall studs/furniture construction etc.

 

What other functionality are people getting from their templates?

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Some suggestions:

A really good one is setting up default tool settings. Go through ALL. the commonly used tools and set defaults.

 

Anither is document settings like units and dimension styles,

 

We have a whole bunch of custom markers that are in the templates. (Marker styles can’t easily be imported like other attributes).

 

Design layers set up for a typical project type complete with storey settings.

 

Sheet layers set up complete with correct page settings, titleblocks, scale bars, north point etc


Snap settings to office defaults.


Commonly useful scripts are handy.

 

As viewports can’t be easily transferred between files it can be useful to set up a few commonly used ones complete with class and layer visibilitiy and override settings. In particular section viewports as there are many settings options for these it’s nice to have some “preset” how you like them,

 

Note that not everything has to be in a template. Just commonly used items. In conjunction with the templates it’s a good idea to have a shared library of commonly used resources so other items can quickly be imported. 
 

Im sure there is another good thread on this so if you do a search fit “templates “ you might get more ideas. 


 

 

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Guest Wes Gardner

Additionally, if you're using stories, Default Story Levels can be saved in a template for various building types (for example, parapets, etc. for commercial work).  Also anything that can be styled - text styles for consistent "notage", window/door styles if you use a consistent frame size/shape/color/texture/class...etc.

 

Then there are "Favorites" files that can include all of your most loved and used 2D symbols for details, etc.

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I've been using a template for years, but it gets updated each project. I have all the things noted including:

Text Styles

Wall Styles

Door and Window Styles

Cabinet Styles (in the works)

Common bathroom layouts - typically one or two fixture restrooms

Slab Styles (still perfecting this)

Hatches

Renderworks Styles

Worksheets (I would love to get more of these from someone else who is willing to share)

 

 

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Mostly repeats of things above, but here's my checklist:

 

Templates:

  • Classes, including:
    • Class attributes
    • None & Dimension default colors and lineweights
  • Design Layers and all their settings, including:
    • Design Layer scale
    • Design Layer elevations, stories, etc.
  • Sheet Layers, including:
    • Sheet size
    • Title block borders
  • Saved Views
  • Resources in Resource Manager
    • Symbols, Textures, Linetypes, Hatches, etc.
  • Tool defaults (conversely, these can be removed via Tools > Purge > Special Record Formats)
  • Dimension standards
  • Everything under File > Document Settings
    • Document Preferences
    • Unit settings
  • Options for render settings, including:
    • OpenGL settings (quality, show edges, etc.)
    • Hidden Line settings (default smoothing angle)
  • View > Set Lighting Options
    • Turn on Ambient Occlusion
  • Active Class & Active Layer
  • Initial view when the document opens
  • All objects in drawing
  • And probably more… anything that’s “in” a regular file is saved into a template.

 

Edited by Andy Broomell
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