Project templates

[STEVENAR]

Hi,

Can someone please advise if its possible to create more than on template in a project. I need to create different templates for each sub-folder in the project.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

[STEVENAR]

Do anyone have any ideas?

[Icemanau]

Depends on which template you are talking about...

Drawing template or Project template.

For a drawing template, you would just select the appropriate template when creating the dwg.

As I have never used the sub project facility, I'm not sure if seperate templates for the sub projects are available and will have to look into this.

Regards Brad

[dougmcalexander]

The template choice you make when you create a new drawing is not even a project level decision; it is global.  The template field is "sticky" such that the last template used to create a new drawing is the default the next time you click to create a new drawing.

Technically, AutoCAD Electrical doesn't support sub-projects, only subfolders, which are really virtual folders, defined in the projectname.wdp file.  There are no physical folders created and no sub-project level .WDP file.  The Super Project Manager add-in from www.ecadconsultant.com does create a sub-project with its own .WDP file, to facilitate dividing a project into smaller groups of drawings that can each have unique title block data.  But even with actual sub-projects the new drawing utility points to the last template used as a default.

[Icemanau]

Yes, the previous dwg template choice is the default, but you can select a different template when you create a new dwg. This then becomes the new default. You are not locked into the first template you choose.

I regularly have a mixture of dwg templates in my projects to account for the differences in dwg types I have and I have not had any problems changing dwg templates within a project.

For example I have a template set up for Paper space which is used for panel layouts and other dwgs that are dwg to scale. Then there is another template for Model space for dwg schematics and other dwgs with no need for scale.

Project templates are another thing altogether. As you mentioned the sub project does not actually create sub projects but just creates sub folders.

The only way around this without going to the Super Project Manager add on is to create the sub projects yourself.

Add the appropriate dwgs to the sub project but also add them to the main project. Use the smaller project to do all the wiring and other sub project tasks and then use the main project for the full project tasks. This would include linking between the different sub projects with the source/destination arrows.

The only caveat would be to remember to do a FULL project update each time you swap between projects linked in this manner.

Regards Brad

[STEVENAR]

I am not sure how you can write to more than one different type of template in a project using the title block update as the description fields are mapped to the attributes on the drawing templates. Is there many description fields that allow you to map all the attributes from different templates?

[Icemanau]

The title block attributes are all the same for all the different templates I have. I also use thw WD_TB mapping rather than a seperate file.

I've never had any problems when doing a title block update apart from ACADE not recognising multiple layouts in the one dwg.

Regards Brad

[sonny3g]

I use the .wdt and _title.wdl files instead of the wd_tb block.  Probably because I don't really understand using the wd_tb block like I do with the files.  But I digress.

What I typically do is have all of the different title blocks and related blocks, like a revision stamp block or other drawing information blocks, listed in my project.wdt file.  Then I map all of the attributes to either the drawing property variables (like DD1, DWGNAME, etc) or to a line number.   This line number represents a line in the titleblock update dialog box.  In my project_title.wdl file these line numbers are assigned short description text so I will actually know what information should be entered in the project Description dialog box. 

Once everything is mapped, I can now enter all of the relevant sub-project information per unique title blocks used in the Description dialog box.  Or, and I do this more frequently, I can now add lines that use the same attributes multiple times.  In the project_title.wdl these new lines with duplicated attributes have descriptions for the sub-project within the overall project.

Now, when I do a Titleblock Update I can scroll through the dialog box and select the appropriate information for any drawing being updated or for entire sub-folders and correctly update those drawings. 

The thing to remember is that when running the titleblock update and selecting lines to update if you select two or more lines assigned to the same attribute only the entry in the last line in the list will popuplate the attribute in the drawing.  All previous selected entries to the same attribute will be overwritten by the next duplicate entry as the list is processed.

I hope that I did not make this more confusing than it already is.

[Icemanau]

The WD_TB style adds an attribute to the title block that holds all the mapping.

This allows people to have several completely different title blocks within the same project, all with different attribute mapping data and ACADE has no problems with inserting the correct data.

Why you would have different title blocks could be due to including dwgs from the client, dwgs from contractors for other parts of the project or old dwgs that have been included in an upgrade.

Regards Brad

[STEVENAR]

Hi,

Thanks for that information but not sure if I am understanding.

Is it therefore possible for me to use the unused description lines to map to the attributes of the other title blocks. Then when I am doing a title block update I just select the lines appropriate to the title block being updated?

[sonny3g]

Yes.

[STEVENAR]

Thank-you.

[john.warnerF2WEX]

I see Template being used a lot here, are we talking using actual Template (ACAD(E).DWT) or just a border from an ACAD(E).DWG. It's technically not a Template, unless it's a .DWT file. But in either case, you can have multiples as long as all the stuff mapping from the .WDT file are relatively the same. Then use the Description in the drawings tab for those drawings

I know this is an old post, but this can be done easily once you know the formula and you can have both virtual & Physical folders. My New Project Template has 5 Main Virtual/Physical Folders and a few of those have several Virtual/Physical Folders. As well as each of the 5 Main Folders having it's own Unique Template that update when you run Title Block Update.