Sheet Set Manager - combining projects? Is there another way?

[MbMinx]

I have four projects that were developed separately, and now are going to be submitted as one project under one title sheet.

I have been told to "keep the sheet sets" for the individual projects "just in case".

But when I try to create a new sheet set that contains all of the drawings in question, I can't "get" all of them, and I see the error that the sheet belongs to another set.

Yes...it does...the old sheet set that I need to keep around in case the client changes their mind again.

But I need it in THIS sheet set now!

If I can't do what I want (combine these sheets into a new sheet set) what other choices do I have?

No, we're not going to make extra copies of perfectly good drawings just because we need a new sheet set. That makes no sense, clutters up our project directories, and leads to chaos, confusion, and embarassment (not to mention lost hours when someone did a bunch of modifications in the wrong copy).

I'm not an AutoCAD Guru...and I don't know how to work around these production roadblocks. Is there any way to create a new sheet set for existing drawings?

Thanks.

[murray-clack]

Try creating duplicate layout tabs of the sheets you need to bring into the new sheet set.

+ The original tabs stay intact for each separate project

- You will have to recreate the detail views and callouts for the new Sheet Set

[MbMinx]

You guys really have to redo all of that work every single time?
You guys really have to keep four or five copies of your sheets around? How do you keep track of the dead ones?

That's horrific...So much wasted time and space, so much room for error!

Is that REALLY the only way this works?
I can't be the only person who's ever wanted to split or combine a project before. But "just make another copy of everything and do it all over again" is the solution?

Why can I not just assign the sheet to whatever sheet set I need, and have anything update according to whichever sheet set I'm working with?

What happens if I just rename the old sheet set, or move the *.dst to another directory?

What am I not understanding? Where's the efficiency?

[JTBWorld]

You might have use of our JTB DST Tool app that can merge Sheet Sets among other things. 

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

+1 for JTB WORLD!

I don't use Acad MEP anymore and I miss you.

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

"Is that REALLY the only way this works?
I can't be the only person who's ever wanted to split or combine a project before. But "just make another copy of everything and do it all over again" is the solution?"

Frankly, it's your company that wants parallel projects. Why not angrily rant at them about all of this instead of those that are choosing to help you in your situation, regardless of how ridiculous it might seem?

[JTBWorld]

I might add that a specific sheet can not belong to multiple Sheet Sets.

You can purge the reference if you want. Remove Sheet Set association on a sheet drawing. 

[pkolarik]

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@MbMinx wrote:

You guys really have to redo all of that work every single time?
You guys really have to keep four or five copies of your sheets around? How do you keep track of the dead ones?

That's horrific...So much wasted time and space, so much room for error!

Is that REALLY the only way this works?
I can't be the only person who's ever wanted to split or combine a project before. But "just make another copy of everything and do it all over again" is the solution?

Why can I not just assign the sheet to whatever sheet set I need, and have anything update according to whichever sheet set I'm working with?

What happens if I just rename the old sheet set, or move the *.dst to another directory?

What am I not understanding? Where's the efficiency?

---

I've been using SSM since shortly after it was introduced and we *never* have duplicate copies of cad files. Never. Ever.  If a pm were to say "let's keep the old Sheet Set just in case" (they never say this in our office, as they allow us to do our jobs without their meddling in things they knew very little about) I would just tell them "we can't. Period". Rather than getting mad at people here, you should be telling those in your company who had this "bright idea" that it's a stupid idea.

As for some of your questions:

Splitting a Sheet Set apart is a simple affair. Combining, not so much (I haven't tried any third-party tools for this). Renaming or moving the old sheet set is a non-issue. It'll repath itself if you double-click it (with Acad open) in Explorer, etc.

The "efficiency" is in using the tool the way it was designed, and is able, to be used. Complaining that you can't do something the tool is unable to do is just that;  complaining.

[MbMinx]

"Other software" allows me to make as many plot sets as I want, so I assumed that AutoCAD would have the same capability - we've been doing it for a decade or more. It's not new technology...

This is a project that was several different contracts, that's getting combined into one single contract, that could in the future get split back out (client preferences...). I want to maintain one set of sheets so that there is no duplicate/dead information. I also want to retain the old sheet set information so that, if these do indeed get split back up, we don't have to redo work that has already been done. Not unreasonable - if the client didn't want their job in AutoCAD, this wouldn't even be a problem.

But the responses here let me know this community will be as "helpful" as this software.

[pendean]

Never assume, that only adds to your evident frustration.

What's the 'other software'?

Can you elaborate more on your need(s)? We all do what I believe you want to do all the time, x>1>y, but its hard to confirm since you only wrote at high level instead of a detailed one.

Or perhaps you can do it all in the "other software"?

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

The solution is quite simple, but you won't be able to do it without some legwork on your part.

You currently have a set of projects - call them 'a'. This comprises of multiple DSTs, Constructs, Views & Sheets.

You need to combine 'a' into a single Project - call it 'b'. This can be achieved by copying the current components of 'a' and re-organising/editing the Sheets. You now have a single DST.

All the elements of 'a' are archived / superceded. Only project 'b' is updated from this point.

There is an option to go back to multiple projects at a future date - call it 'c'. For this you copy the DSTs & Sheets from 'a', and cut&paste the Constructs and Views from 'b'. Then all that is left is to update the Sheets.

If you haven't already done so, get some software from JTBWorld, especially the Sheet Set Manger. It will save a lot of time.