HOW could I check and switch the drawing template I am in?

[Anonymous]

If I am already in a drawing and work for a while, how could I know which drawing template I am in? acad.dwt or acadiso.dwt? or something else?

How could I switch the template of and existing drawing?

How could I build up a template from the beginning by my own? Thanks

[tmachado]

Hi @Anonymous, well if you are talking about a civil 3D template created from the civil 3d imperial or metric NCS you will have more styles than just Standart, if you check the drawing setting should say Meters for the metric system and Feet for imperial.

Once you start the drawing you will have to adjust the drawing setting manually, we can bring styles from other drawing but not the drawing settings.

You can also use the _AttachReferenceTemplate command to bring other styles in the drawing as reference.

[AllenJessup · Accepted solution]

OK. A little terminology. You are never in a template unless you're actually editing one. You start a new drawing from a template [DWT] file. There is no way to tell which template you started from. As @tmachado said; you can check the drawing settings to see it you have the expected styles and if the drawing units are right.

The is no command to :"switch" drawing templates. What you would have to do is to start a new drawing from the correct template and insert the drawing you need to change. Then save the drawing. This will create a drawing based on the new template.

You can explore the QNew command.

If you want to develop your own template. I'd suggest starting with one of the better, well stocked, one provided with the software. Check out the Drawing Template File Location, 2 above the default QNew I indicated above.

[Joe-Bouza]

Ditto Tatiana and Allen.
When in doubt start a blank drawing with the template you want and insert the working file

[Anonymous]

Thank you.  May I ask what kinds of styles a template contains? Are there a list of them?

[Cadguru42]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Thank you.  May I ask what kinds of styles a template contains? Are there a list of them?

---

I highly recommend going through some kind of basic tutorials regarding C3D and watching some YouTube videos. It will explain how the styles work. The OOTB templates have what Autodesk thinks users need, but most of the time you'll need to edit them and / or create your own styles to meet your needs (and the clients). 

[AllenJessup]

You can open a template file or start a new drawing from a template and type DUMPSTYLESANDSETTINGS. Select File and it will create a text file with all the styles and definitions.

As @Cadguru42 mentioned. You need to familiarize yourself with the concept of Civil 3D Styles. They can be extremely complex.

If you give us an idea of what you want to do in the software. We might be able to suggest a template to start with. We work in roadway Surveying and design. So I started with the _AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS 2017.dwt based on the National Cad Standards.

[AllenJessup]

This is an example of the exported style definition along with how it is defined in the software.

  {Styles\Label Style Defaults\Alignment\Line Label Style\Bearing over Distance
    (Name)=(Bearing over Distance)
    (Description)=()
    (Rx Class Name)=(AeccDbAlignment)
    (New Object Default Name)=(New Style)
    (Text Style)=(Text Style\Standard)
    (Text Height)=(0.1000")
    (Label Visibility)=(True)
    (Component Visibility)=(False)
    (Display Mode)=(Label)
    (Orientation Reference)=(Object)
    (Plan Readable)=(True)
    (Readability Bias)=(110° 00' 00")
    (Flip Anchors with Text)=(False)
    (Forced Insertion)=(None)
    (Force Inside Curve)=(None)
    (Arrowhead Style)=()
    (Arrowhead Size)=(0.1000")
    (Leader Visibility)=(True)
    (Spline Leader)=(Straight Leader)
    (Used in)=()
    (Layer)=(Layer\C-ROAD-BRNG)
    (Color)=(BYLAYER)
    (Linetype)=(Linetype\ByBlock)
    (Lineweight)=(ByLayer)
    (Border Visibility)=(False)
    (Gap)=(0.0000")
    (Component Masking)=(False)
    (Leader color)=(BYLAYER)
    (Leader Linetype)=(Leader Linetype\ByBlock)
    (Leader Lineweight)=(ByLayer)
    (Stack Text)=(Stacked Text)
    (Stacked Text Border Display)=(False)
    (Stacked Border Type)=(Rectangular)
    (Stacked Text Masking)=(False)
    (Stacked Text Gap)=(0.0250")
    (Stacked Text Height)=(0.1000")
    (Leader Attachment)=(Middle)
    (Leader Justification)=(True)
    (Stacked Text Color)=(BYLAYER)
    (Stacked Text Line Type)=(Stacked Text Line Type\ByBlock)
    (Stacked Text Line Weight)=(ByLayer)