"Enhanced" Phasing in AutoCAD?

[pkirill]

Here is the issue: We have project that is going to require multiple construction phases. So we will have phases like Phase 1 Demo, Phase 1 New, Phase 2 Demo, Phase 2 New, etc. About 16 total. We have a layering methodolgy to work with "simple" phasing like this. Something Demo'd in Phase 1 Demo would be copied to the Phase 1 Demo Layer and that layer frozen in a viewport or file showing the Phase 1 New and all subsequent phases - simple.

The trick is when something gets demo'd in Phase 1 Demo, and is brought back in Phase 5 New, for example. It needs to show up in Phase 1 Demo with demo linetype and weight, then disappear through Phase 1 new, Phase 2 thru Phase 4 and then show up again in Phase 5 New with the new work linetype and weight, and then in Phase 6 Demo show up with the existing linetype and weight - not so simple.

Our initial thought is to utilize three layers per phase: Phase 1 Demo, Phase 1 New, and Phase 1 Existing and copy objects to the relevant phase layers. So in the example above, the object would be MOVED from a general existing layer to the Phase 1 Demo, then copied to the Phase 5 New and Phase 6 Existing. So a new work drawing would show the new work for that phase, and the existing work for that phase and all previous phases.

My question to the group is: If you've had to deal with this, what did you do? and/or does the logic of the above make sense? We are using AutoCAD 2008 primarily but have 2011 on deck if there are nifty new tools there. (For the record, we are 99% Revit MEP and this is a huge legacy project...)

Thanks!

[J.A.Mounteer]

The way I'd handle it is to break the parts that are changing into separate x-refs and swap them in and out of a different file for plotting/ annotating each demo phase.  You can then control their layers color & visibility separately in each drawing.

If you layer these walls instead of making use of x-refs you're redawing the same information multiple times, introducing more chances for errors and omissions.  "Did I move that wall on layer Phase-5-Demo before the phone call or was I on layer Phase-6-New?"

Bonus feature of such a setup: You keep the walls on a single wall layer, the doors on a door layer, etc.