Using SSM and splitting a drawing into two separate files

[jeff_rivers]

Walk me through this, please.  I have a drawing, and it uses SSM.  Let's call it "Drawing.dwg" + "Drawing.dst"

I want to now create two different drawings, using that first one, so I can present two options to mgmt.

So I want these two separate drawings and sheet sets: 

"Drawing(option 1).dwg" + "Drawing(option1).dst"

and

"Drawing(option2).dwg + "Drawing(option2).dst"

What's the best way to accomplish this, keeping the data I've already entered into the sheet sets intact?

[Jeff_M]

In File Explorer create a copy of each dwg & dst. In C3D open the copied dst, select the sheet, rt. click, Properties, edit the expected layout to be the layout in the copied dwg.

[cwr-pae]

Can have 2 layouts in one drawing, those drawing objects differing in the options on separate layers to be frozen in the oposing layouts. You can also use subsets to separate/organize the options and automat adding option names to the sheet names.

[Anonymous]

what they said unless you have certain layouts that will appear in both alternatives. a layout can only go into one sheet set. at that point you might copy the drawing, which gets dangerous keeping (2) drawings up to date. Maybe you could use an xref for duplicated sheets, if any.

[jeff_rivers]

True, I could do that. But the drawing's already getting complex, and I would rather split out the two options into separate drawings rather than wrestle with keeping all the layers & views straight.  I've kept all options in one drawing in the past, and even using layerstates & filters it gets very awkward.

[jeff_rivers]

I ended up opening each dst and detaching the layouts first.  Then I just had to add back in the correct layouts from their respective drawings, and it kept 99% of my SSM data.  The sheet Ref #s didn't come back, but it was easy enough to reenter those.