Label Block for SSM not working

[bhuhn]

I'm attempting to use the sheet set manager as a tool for dragging and dropping standard details into a drawing. As a standard, we typically don't use sheet sets for anything. I've created a new sheet set, defining the "label blocks for views" as the .dwg wblock that is our standard drawing label, but when I insert a model view, it doesn't come with a title block at all.

I then created an example sheet set where the "label blocks for views" definition is pre-defined using a default title block. Upon dragging and dropping a model view into the drawing, the same thing happened... Not sure at all why this is happening. Scale maybe? Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!

[john.vellek]

Hi @bhuhn,

Where did you modify the block? Did you do it inside the template file I sent using Block Editor? Or did you do it outside of the template? If outside, how did you bring it back into the template file?

[bhuhn]

I'm just trying to make a brand new dynamic block at this point. But if you're suggesting I work off of the existing ones, I could do that.

Also - the file sent has no callout block, only a title block and view label block.

[john.vellek]

Hi @bhuhn,

Try this. Make your new dynamic block with a unique name. Insert it into the template and rename the existing view block and then name the new dynamic block with the original name.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.

[bhuhn]

Alright - well I figured it out. The blocks we've been using weren't exported as WBLOCKs, which affects the dynamics and attributes. I'm pretty well set to get things set up over here. I do have one question, but I'd like to give you some background info on the process I'm working on so you can better understand the question. (this might be a very typical way to go about sheet sets, but this is my first encounter with them... so I really don't know)...

Here's the process I'd like to get people going on around here...

Firstly, I'd open up our company shop drawing template and save the new drawing to a specified project folder. Then I'd start a new sheet set from the existing one that I've set up and then save the new sheet set to the same project folder as the current shop drawings. Then I'd import the shop drawings I've currently got open and start naming/numbering the sheets so that the sheet numbers will correlate with the view labels...

...my question is: is there a way to pre-number the sheets so when the sheets are imported, they are already assigned a number, or will this have to be a manual process for every project?

[john.vellek]

HI @bhuhn,

I am glad you got the blocks figured out.

Is there a reason not to start with a New sheetset based upon your template and locate it in the new project folder? And then, create a new drawing from within the sheetset? That might be a faster approach for you.

[bhuhn]

You mean from the start tab, clicking on the templates drop down and going to "Create New Sheet Set"? That is what I plan to do. Once I've created a new sheet set though, AutoCAD won't let me import sheets unless a drawing is open. I could simply click the "+" tab to create a new drawing, but I thought it'd be just as easy to open up our shop drawing template first, since I'd be working off of that anyway.

Is there a way to import sheets from a drawing template through the sheet set manager?

never mind - I see what you're saying. Our template has multiple layouts, though...

[john.vellek]

Hi @bhuhn,

Can you share this information with me either here or privately? I would like to see your progress and try to make additional suggestions.

[bhuhn]

Well - basically our current template has 8 layouts (G1.0; A0.1; A1.0; A2.0; A3.0; A4.0; A5.0; A 6.0). There's not much difference between the Ax.x sheets, but the G1.0 has our disclaimers and sheet index and whatnot...

I'm not about to redo the templates, so I guess to answer your previous question - yes... there is a reason I'm not building sheets directly from the SSM. I think it would be easier to import all 8 sheets at once and renumber them than to add each sheet individually.

We're in the process of test driving our new template, which is the one I've been working off of for all this. I may have to collaborate with my boss (who put the template together in the first place) and see where she wants to take this (i.e. if we want to remake the templates and use the SSM as it was intended to be used, or if we want to use the SSM in conjunction with the current template set). Give me a bit to figure that out. I'll get back to you next week if I have any questions. Thanks for all your help so far!

[john.vellek]

Hi @bhuhn,

It sounds like you are working through this fine.

One other way that I have done this if much of the work remains the same, is to create a Standards set of drawings with its own sheet set. In this set I had a titleblock dwg that would be referenced into each sheet. Each sheet was it's own drawing so for the most part, every drawing had only one layout.

The text parts of the Titleblock were all connected to the SheetSet.

Certain sheets like the cover sheet had all the general notes and such pasted into the layout. A viewport was provided so that a xref plan could be used for a keyplan.

Other sheets, such as a detail sheet, had most of the common  details (views) in modelspace. Any that were not pertinent to the project would be deleted.

So, to use this set, one would simply copy it out of the read-only folder and paste it to their project folder. As long as you are careful with paths this seems to work pretty well.

[stevenh0616]

@john.vellek , this seems to be a defect to me as I've been encountering the same exact issue.

Sheet set has the View Label Block defined to a simple location on the C drive and verified it's there and working. Detail template does not have the block in it.

If I place the block using the Sheet Set Manger "Place View Label Block" option, nothing happens.

If the block is preexisting in the template then it works just fine. Clearly SSM has a defect in which it cannot place a new block in the file.

[rkmcswain]

Just an FYI: You replied to a 3+ year old post. @john.vellek hasn't been with Autodesk for a while. Not sure he is still here participating. We'll find out soon perhaps.

[stevenh0616]

Hi @rkmcswain 

Yes, I'm aware it's a 3 yr old post, but I'm also aware that it's still broken in 2021 and was trying to figure out what was causing it. Just bringing it back up.

I was not aware that @john.vellek was no longer with Autodesk though. I'll be posting this in other channels as well as it needs to get resolved.