Sheet Set Manager (fields) vs. AutoCAD Electrical Project Manager

[rwydesk500]

This past year I have successfully utilized the AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager (SSM) and fields, on a particular project that is 33% complete (Sheet Set Manager coupled with fields, has been an awesome timesaver). I'm now attempting to utilize the AutoCAD Electrical Project Manager (AEPM) to finish the project. Questions are starting to arise from the dust and I'm not exactly sure how to proceed - specifically with the title block setup.

1. Should I scrap my AutoCAD SSM Template incorporating both standard and custom fields?
2. Has the AE Project Manager effectively replaced the use of fields with respect to title block information and data cross-referencing between sheets?
3. Can custom attributes be "mapped" into the Title Block Setup dialog box if these attributes contain fields? See attached for my first attempt at this "mapping". I need about five lines for the drawing title and was handling them in SSM with five custom fields input through the SSM Properties dialog.
4. Right clicking a drawing in AEPM to Properties > Drawing Properties... presents the Drawing Properties dialog box. Is this where the Title block data is initially input?
5. What is the best source for instructions on how to set up title blocks for use with Project Manager? I'm looking at a WDT file opened in Notepad and the instructions there are still fuzzy after reading through them a couple of times (don't consider me a programmer).

Sorry for my probably overlapping barrage of questions, but it was hard to know where to start.

Any other advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Rick

[dougmcalexander · Accepted solution]

Sheet Set Manager was a crutch for plain AutoCAD. You should use the Project Manager that is included with Electrical instead.  Project Manager has been around since the mid 90s.  It shipped with Electrical back when Electrical was an add-in for AutoCAD named "Wiring Diagram."  It got an overhaul/enhancement with release 2005, after Autodesk acquired the software.

I have tutorial that steps you through the process of setting up a template that is mapped such that the Title Block Update utility in Electrical can copy information from Project Manager and from the drawings into the title blocks.  Gop to www.ecadconsultant.com and click on the Tips/Tricks page.

[rwydesk500]

Thanks for your response Doug.

I actually have looked at your "easy" setup tutorial and tried to work through it. I think one of my problems has been understanding the AutoCAD Electrical terminology (probably hampers my ability to follow some tutorials). I'll give it another try though.

What has complicated things on this current project, is trying to maintain the same 'look' as the first 1/3 of the project. I've managed to create about 100 components with all of their functional AE qualities. So far so good there, I think.