Discover the process of managing layers and XREFs in CAD drafting, including how to attach, detach, and rearrange elements within a drawing. Learn how to modify layer properties, sort layers by color, and align your projects with AIA naming standards for optimal organization and clarity.
Key Insights
- The article demonstrates how to properly manage layers in a CAD drawing, starting with opening the A2.1 sheet and handling differences in the design.
- It provides specific instructions on using the XREFs Manager, attaching and detaching elements, and setting a scale factor. The article also elaborates on the process of inserting a title block from a Corporate Blocks folder into the drawing.
- Apart from layer and XREFs management, the instructions also cover recording layer states on the model file, sorting layers by color, and applying AIA naming standards for file names, demonstrating a holistic approach towards CAD drafting organization.
Note: These materials offer prospective students a preview of how our classes are structured. Students enrolled in this course will receive access to the full set of materials, including video lectures, project-based assignments, and instructor feedback.
Well, let's go on and tackle the A2.1 sheet. So I'm going to go File, Open, and I'm going to open in my CDs folder, VDCI, CDs, my A2.1 sheet. And I'm going to say Ignore the Differences so we can pop things in ourselves.
Again, I'm looking at the drawing up here. I see that I'm on Layer 0. I can see that I have the title block that needs to be XREFed in and the keynotes for the floor plan. So I'm just going to go to the XREFs Manager.
I'm going to take the keynotes for the floor plan, pick Right Button, Detach, Right Button, Attach. I'm going to be in the XREFs, My Floor Plan, Keynotes. Scale Factor of 1, Specify Base Point on Screen, OK.
I'm just going to pop it right here for right now. And again, the reason I'm doing that is I really should have brought the title block in first because the title block has the guidelines for me to move that. But I'll go back to the XREF.
I will take the title block file itself, Right Button, Detach, Right Button, Attach a Drawing. The title block is in the Corporate folder. I will go up to 304, Corporate Blocks, the title block, Open, Scale Factor of 1. This is going in at 0, 0, OK.
There's the title block and then Enter for Move. This guy from the end of here up to the end of here, Control-S to save. Now we have all of the layout space done.
Go to the model file. Again, I have my XREF. Just for fun, I'm going to do Control-Open.
I'm going to go up a level to VDCI. I will go to my XREFs. I will go to my floor plan.
And again, remember how we just changed the layer states on the floor plan model file. So I'm going to go back to the Layers Properties box. I will go to my Layer States, Floor Plan, Restore.
There's my floor plan. I'm going to go back into Layers, LA for Layers. I'm going to sort by color.
And I'm looking for color magenta. I'm going to turn that off. What I'm going to do now, again, is go to the On button, sort by on-off.
Slide all the way up. Anodims 12 down to the title block. I will also go on and freeze that information.
And now the drawing looks fine. Save the drawing. I will now go back to my A201.
Go to the XREFs Manager. Plan Model, Right Button, Detach. Right Button, Attach Drawing.
Again, I was in Corporate Blocks. Go to CAD 304, VDCI, XREFs, Floor Plan 01, Open. I'm going to pop it in at 00.
Scale Factor of 1. Go OK. Go to my Layout Space. Control-S to save.
Zoom Extents. Zoom Realtime. Once again, save.
If I type in my layers, you can see that my layers are now appropriately referencing all of the new file names with the AIA naming standards. So this is a really advisable process and procedure, and so we're going to tackle another drawing in a couple more seconds. So I'm going to save the file and get ready for our next project.