We tend to store our engineering drawings in one set of folders and our survey drawings in another. The surveyors are a bit picky about people messing with their stuff, which is fine. Is there a way to have data shortcuts for the surfaces in their drawings available to our engineers since the folders are in different places? Plus it would be handy for the surveyors to be able to access alignments for their stakeouts.
We're running 2010 currently, but if its possible in 2012 that wouldn't be a problem either.
Thanks,
Shawn Caldwell
Anderson & Associates, Inc.
Funny how each discipline thinks there stuff is the most important!
Are the files on a server? All our project information goes into project folders on the server where each discipline only has write access to their folder. That way we only need one DS folder, but each disciplines file are available to anyone that needs them but can only modify there own.
I don't quite understand the delimma.
The way we do shortcuts is a working folder for each client, and a shortcuts folder for each project. The source file for the shortcuts doesn't need to be in the same file location or subdirectory as the other files in the shortcut folder. A shortcut can be added to other folders to be associated with other projects. We do that a lot with common data like alignments and existing surface data.
Data shortcuts are just pointers to locate data in other files to be referenced into your active design file. They don't require that the source file be in any particular directory, and there is no limit to the number of data shortcuts that can be created to point to a specific data block in a specific file. On one of our projects, we have 3 different design projects referencing a runway alignment. I have the runway alignment in a base file located in the general data folder under the client name, and a data shortcut pointing to the alignment data in each of the three project data shortcut folders. It may seem redundant and wasteful, but when you need to create a new file, and reference the alignment, having a shortcut in each project shortcut folder just makes it easy to pull and use.
The project specific data, like a shortcut to my finished surface, is also in the project folder, even though the design file is under the project folder, not the client general folder. And the finished surface for one project is the existing surface to the next project, so that next project also has a shortcut referencing that surface in the previous project. The nice thing about doing it this way, is that changes to the surface in the one file stays updated through the entire process through multiple projects..
Our project folders are laid out by job number and then the engineers and surveyors each have a set of subfolders under the JN folder, ie.
JN1234
JN1234eng
JN1234surv
Then each dept has their own dwg's directory.
I'm with ccoles, don't really see the delima.
Put your _shortcuts folder at the same level as your discipline folders for the project and the shortcuts will work for each discipline. Just lock down the discipline folders for each discipline if they don't want each one changing the others files.
Here's how we are setup:
Civil3D_Projects (this is the Shortcuts folder)
Project 1
_shortcuts
discipline1
discipline2
Project 2
_shortcuts
discipline1
discipline2
The user then just sets the working folder to which project they are working (note in 2011 files can be associated to a project that should automatically handle the working folder).
There really was never a dilema. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to set this up and make it work with the least amount of hassles and crying from users.
I appreciate the insight on the matter.
Shawn