Newbie Shop Drawing question

[roblinger]

I have been creating shop drawings in the glass and glazing industry for many years, starting way back with drawing by hand, then moving to cad, using lower cost 2D cad programs. I have moved to AutoCAD LT back in 2018. I am the only draftsman in my office, so I am learning AutoCAD LT on the fly. I am also about 7 years from retirement, so the learning curve is great on this one, lol.

My typical shop drawings consists of 4 to 5 files:

1 . Cover sheet

2. Floor plans - using various pre-saved files, depending on the drawing scale based on the project

3. Elevations - our elevations are always either 1/2" = 1'-0" or 3/8" = 1'-0" depending on the size of the elevations

4. Specific system details (may have a second detail file if we have more than one framing system on a larger project) - drawn at full scale.

All files except the cover sheet already have a few layouts created and associated to a specific area on the model space. All layouts have a border and title block already on them and ready to go, along with one of our two company logos, that can be easily swapped depending on which company is being used.

I have learned all about using layouts for my individual pages, and love the ease of publishing when I have all project files opened at the same time.

My newbie question has to do with drawing borders and their title blocks. Currently I fill out the title block on the first layout of each file, and the copy with a basepoint and insert it into each of the other layouts. This is ok, but there has got to be a better way to fill out the title block once, and have it populate all layouts on each of the 4 or 5 files for each project.

Like I said, I am learning on the fly as I go, so any advise would be appreciated!

Rob

[pendean · Accepted solution]

You might find it easier if your TITLEBLOCK was a separate DWG file, you then XREF it into each layout: if anything changes you then only change it once, then update the XREF.

XREF overview is here https://all3dp.com/2/xref-autocad-tutorial/#:~:text=In%20AutoCAD%2C%20xref%20is%20a,cloud%20data%2C%....

[roblinger]

Thanks, I was wondering about using xref, so it looks like I will need to add another file to the job folder, but that should make things easier. Thanks for the link as well. AutoCAD is slowly growing on me.

[chadKUXTJ]

Rob,
I sent you a private message. You and I are in the same industry so I may be able to offer some help native to our trade.

[freddcad425]

Yes, XREF the titleblock file as said above. About the only things you will then need to edit individually would be of course, the sheet/page numbers and sheet title, revision info, so leave those out of the XREF.

[dianejones_bim]

Got it, Rob! Here's a simpler way to handle your title blocks across all layouts in AutoCAD LT:

1. Create a Title Block as a Block:

   • Start by making your title block a block with attributes. Attributes are like placeholders for things like project name, date, and other info. So, instead of typing everything in each layout, you just fill it out once in the block.

2. Use the "ATTEDIT" Command:

   • When the title block is set up with these attributes, you can use the ATTEDIT command to quickly change the details (like project name or date) in one place, and it'll update everywhere the block is used.

3. Insert the Title Block into All Layouts:

   • Put the title block (the block with attributes) into every layout you need. Once it’s in there, you don’t need to copy and paste it. Just edit the block in one layout, and it’ll stay the same across the board.

4. Using Fields (Optional):

   • If you want things like the drawing date to update automatically, use fields inside your attributes. Fields pull data from AutoCAD, like the current date or drawing number, and update when the file changes.

5. Link It Across Layouts:

   • Instead of copying and pasting the title block to each layout, just reference the block in each one. That way, you only need to change the details once, and it updates everywhere.

This should make managing title blocks a lot easier! Let me know if anything is unclear or if you need help with anything else.