Key Notes/Construction Notes/Ref Notes Management

[cwitzel5NL5H]

We are working on a large project that requires key notes on approximately 80 sheets per discipline.

The sheet drawings where we are doing the annotation have between 3 and 10 sheets each for better layer and sub consultant control.

I am trying to find a way to manage keynotes across these drawings.  I would like a master lists that can be updated when the list changes across these drawings.  If it said 10, and we deleted 9, then I would like the key note to be updated or updateable.

We are open to third party apps, especially f they can be shared easily with subs. 

I am curious about how others are managing this across large multi-years projects where change is inevitable.

I have looked at some options, but so far nothing seems to fit the bill.

I may resort to Civil3d notes, but this is not the answer I want.

Thoughts or links to 3rd party would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[ChrisRS]

Good luck in your quest. There is defiantly a need.

I recall seeing some "keynote" or "callout" lisp/add-ins products.
I quickly checked the Autodesk App Store and did not see anything that looked promising.

What programs are your subs using? I think Achitecture includes keynote capabilities. I do not know about the other "Toolsets." As you said, you will also want your process/solution to work for the subs.   

I often remind myself that accurate, complete, and legible drawings are our goal. Perfection is not included in that list. "Sometimes Good Enough is Enough." I started in the pre-cad era. Hand-drafted plans were ink on paper. Late additions to the master list were added at the end. In your example, "Item 9" would be replaced by a late addition or "NOT USED." You have a big project, so your research/development time may be the budget. It will yield benefits for future projects. I suggest thinking twice before investing a lot of effort to move past "Good Enough."

Getting input here is a good start.

Please share your results here.

Good Luck!

Chris Stevens 

[TerryDotson]

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Thoughts or links to 3rd party would be greatly appreciated.

Your openness to add-ons is appreciated.  One tool to consider is the Keynotes tools in DotSoft's ToolPac product.  It is a floating palette that allows placement of keys in the form of blocks, leaders or mtext strings.  It includes a large database of code / descriptions across multiple disciplines and that content is easily edited or appended.

At any time the end user can reprocess the keys and build a table (AutoCAD Table Object) that pulls in only the description paragraphs that are referenced in the drawing key annotation.  We would be happy to work with you if the tool needs improvement.

[cwitzel5NL5H]

Terry,

This is one of the tools I have been looking at.

The biggest challenge I face is updating the leader blocks if the list changes.  It is not 100% clear from the on line documentation if this package can do that.

It appears it does with the Process side of the dialog box, but can you confirm?

Thanks,

Conan

[TerryDotson]

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The biggest challenge I face is updating the leader blocks if the list changes.  It is not 100% clear from the on line documentation if this package can do that.

It appears it does with the Process side of the dialog box, but can you confirm?

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From our experience, KeyNotes work by placing a short "Key" indicator in the body of the drawing near the object, in your example a Leader.  The result would be a code (like 00210) for the leader text, not the actual (long) paragraph (REMOVE ...).  This also minimizes the battle of space in busy areas, sometimes using a basic block insert like <00210>.

Then when the note indication process is complete, (before plan completion) this tool scans the drawing for KEYS, sorts them, and builds a CAD Table object containing KEY + PARAGRAPH for the rows, but obviously not the whole database but only those matching the keys found.  The 'Table' looks like the grid on the left above.

Feel free to email me dotson [at] dotsoft [dot] com to discuss specifics of our tool.