Notes for the CAD Manager
Setting up a Project for the Project Navigator
Setting up a project is really a fairly simple process – and it can be a very helpful tool when a company spends the time to setup a few sample projects to work from. Our suggestion is to take a few minutes to copy some of the sample project folders that are included with Architectural Desktop and Building Systems (2005 or 2006 versions), then create their own “project seed” files (also referred to as a cartoon set). These project seeds can be used to include default folders, drawing, sheets, etc. that typically appear in all projects. Here are some short step by step methods to create your own seed files, or to even create a project from the seed files.
Start with Windows Explorer. Browse to the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\ADT 2005\enu\Template\Architectural Desktop Project Templates folder – copy the sample project that most closely matches your construction type to the project directory. For seed files, copy them to a shared location on your server, and then edit the copy as a master for other projects. Name the seed files based on what type of project you’ll want this to work for.
- Open ADT 2005/2006 with a blank or open drawing.
- Go to the File pull-down – Project Browser command.
- Browse to the project folder (or seed folder if you’re creating masters).
Prior to double clicking on the project file, right click and rename to the current project name. - Double Click on Project to set it current.
- Accept the new location and re-path the entire project when prompted.
Right-click on the project and choose project properties – edit as required:
Make sure you re-path all template files to use your base template. You can also create your own bulletin board or project logo to appear with the project when it’s set current – use Word to create these files, and start by editing the ones listed above. For more detailed tracking, you can also edit project details at this point for project management information.
Close the Project Browser. The Project Navigator will open as a palette.
- Switch to the Project Tab – set the levels and divisions of the project.
- Switch to the Constructs tab – set up folders as needed for bases under constructs, and under elements for repeating items (note: project seeds can have these folders predefined).
- Switch to Views tab – set up folders as needed for plans, sections, elevations, details, schedules, etc. Views can be dragged into paper space in the sheet files, cutting a viewport at a specific scale during the process (note: project seeds can have these folders predefined).
- Switch to Sheets tab – right click on the master sheet file at the top of the dialogue and choose properties.
- Edit the sheet set properties as required:
From here you want to go ahead point the page setup overrides to your default sheet template. You can also set what layout tab (determining the sheet size) is the default for the project by choosing one from the sheet template. Add custom properties as needed to match project title block. For more information on how to use the custom properties, read up on the fields command or contact one of our application consultants.
Add categories as needed to separate sheet types or disciplines. Predefine categories as is appropriate for the type of job.
Once the project is setup, when using the Project Navigator in 2005-based products, make sure you have the patch for the project navigator installed – in some cases the Navigator will be slow or can possibly corrupt the sheet file, when multiple users attempt to edit a project. The patch can be downloaded from this URL:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=5280739&linkID=2476059
Note: You must have SP 1 for Architectural Desktop 2005 or SP 2 for Building Systems 2005 installed prior to applying this patch. This fix does not apply to 2006-based products.
Now you can begin to add constructs, elements, views, sheets, etc….and that’s another tutorial.
