Dealing with architects dwgs.

[Anonymous]

How best would I deal with a set of architectural drawings?  I'm basically using the site plan and building layouts. I'm putting basic electrical info on them. When I get them they typically have hundreds of layers. I deal with a few architects and each has their own layers. In the past I've opened the architects dwg frozen a pile of layers, deleted a pile of stuff, changed a pile of layer colors and possibly a bit more. It doesn't take that long but then the architect goes and changes something and sends me new drawings. Crap. 

If I xref the architect's drawing into say elecbackgound, deal with all the layers (frozen, off, color change, ...) in elecbackground  then xref elecbackground into a few other drawings will each of the new drawings look how I want them to.  

I like to have one electrical file with a bunch of tabs for all my drawings but the guy I'm working for doesn't. He gets himself into tight deadline situations all the time and ends up with 3 people making last minute changes to a set of drawings so the one file option doesn't work.

[pendean]

You seem to have the better workflow already in place.

[imadHabash]

Hi,

>> How best would I deal with a set of architectural drawings?

when you get the architectural drawings ( keep originals in your Inbox ) . take a copy and start to delete all unwanted layers and elements ( don't freeze them ) and do all changes that you need . Insert these modified plans as xref's to your work sheets . if a new architectural drawings come to you , Insert them to your attached xrefs and make again your changes ( i know it's Crap as you said ) and put it exactly over the old and deleted one . it's a loop that you have to pass it to finish your work !!!  

[Kent1Cooper]

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@Anonymous wrote:

.... In the past I've opened the architects dwg frozen a pile of layers, deleted a pile of stuff, changed a pile of layer colors and possibly a bit more. It doesn't take that long but then the architect goes and changes something and sends me new drawings. ....  

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I suggest you don't alter their drawing in itself, but XREF their drawing into yours first, then in your drawing, Freeze Layers and change Layer colors.  Set the VISRETAIN System Variable to hold onto those settings.  Then when you get an updated drawing from them, save it over the previous version in the same place [and be sure to use the same name, in case they vary the names by date or something].  That will put the newer one into your drawing, and the Layer conditions will remain as you set them.

That doesn't deal with the deleting a pile of stuff part, but if you can handle those aspects by freezing Layers instead of deleting, it would work.

[Anonymous]

What I'm trying to avoid is having to go into every drawing and freeze, and modify the architects layers. How you suggested is how I've been doing it. However if I have 15 drawings that reference the same architect's drawing I have to mess with the layers 15 times. As mentioned, the boss wants each drawing sheet in a separate file so I can't modify one file and use a pile of tabs which is what i have done in the past (prior employer). 

Can I xref a drawing, modify layers then xref the second drawing into multiple drawings and have the modified layers still show in the modified state? 

[imadHabash]

>> I have to mess with the layers 15 times.

No .. when you make your changes first time by freeze and modify the architects layers , Now when you insert the new and modifies architects plans to the previous ones all changes automatically will reflect over those new ones .