assembling docs in Plotmaker

[Anonymous]

Getting ready to assemble all my first project dwgs into Plotmaker. I think I'm okay with bringing drawing views in, but what is the best way to bring in blocks of text, for instance, this is a small remodel job and so I don't have a whole sheet dedicated to project info text. I do want to have flexibility to move the text box(es) around the Plotmaker sheet, does anyone have suggestions on how best to do this? i.e. create a separate drawing file for each block of text , or create MS Word files and somehow bring that in to Plotmaker (havent' done that)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Josephus wrote:
... does anyone have suggestions on how best to do this? i.e. create a separate drawing file for each block of text , or create MS Word files and somehow bring that in to Plotmaker (havent' done that)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I actually use two methods (and someday I will take the time to do more of the MS Word OLE.)

Method 1 :

Since I do mostly residential drawings I have the following Stories that I mainly use:

4. Notes
3. Third Story
2. Second Story
1. First Story
-1. Pony Level
-2. Foundation
-3. Datum

The Notes Story contains the "Notes" for all of the different Layer Combinations. I.e. - The generic Floor Plan notes are on a Layer that displays with the Floor Plan Layer Combination.

I think some guys multiple Stories "above" the project that have thes notes. I like the notes to all be on story 4 and use layers to define what is displayed, and of course save this as a view in your view sets to link to PM.

Method2:

Use MS Word (and MS Excel) to cut and paste information. You should paste this information as a "Linked" object in your Template file. I actually link more Spreadsheets than word docs. I believe there is a "limit" on how many pages of a Word Doc are actually linked. Many guys "scale-down" in font size the doc to get as much info on one page and then "scale-up " the linked object in PM.

[Anonymous]

Jay, that is VERY helpful. Thank you for taking time out to spell it out

We're really newbies w/AC, having used Autocad and Drawbase before. Although the first few weeks were exasperating, I'm really beginning to like this program a lot. Can't think of another CAD program I would like better.

[TomWaltz]

Josephus wrote:
Getting ready to assemble all my first project dwgs into Plotmaker. I think I'm okay with bringing drawing views in, but what is the best way to bring in blocks of text, for instance, this is a small remodel job and so I don't have a whole sheet dedicated to project info text. I do want to have flexibility to move the text box(es) around the Plotmaker sheet, does anyone have suggestions on how best to do this? i.e. create a separate drawing file for each block of text , or create MS Word files and somehow bring that in to Plotmaker (havent' done that)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've usually just made independent details out of them, so you can include as many or as few groups of notes as you want without having to crop them.

[Anonymous]

What we've done is create a static detail on a Construction layer (a layer that's never turned on), and put all the notes in there. We use this idea for almost all the details, riser diagrams, etc.

As for placing the notes, what we've found is that due to the limit of how much can be imported (OLE) from word, the simplest thing seems to be to just copy the text in Word and paste the text object inside the text window. In other words, start a text object, and then paste the text inside (if you were to paste the text without starting the text object, each line would become its own text object).

As for Excel, we have been having better luck with it than word, though we did get to a point with one schedule where it had apparently reached its limit. The solution is pasting two areas next to each other so they "read" as one.

[Anonymous]

Sergio wrote:

simplest thing seems to be to just copy the text in Word and paste the text object inside the text window.

Got it, thanks.

[Anonymous]

I personally use an independent detail window to place these types of notes. Each of these can be saved as a view and placed in plotmaker. Independent detail windows have taken over what I used to use "empty" stories for.

[Anonymous]

That's 2 for the independent detail window, I'll look into it. We just started using AC and haven't gotten as far as using the detail window.

Thank you very much, BTW, is that Carlsbad, CA?

[Anonymous]

It is Carlsbad CA

[__archiben]

Josephus wrote:
That's 2 for the independent detail window, I'll look into it. We just started using AC and haven't gotten as far as using the detail window.

make that 3. they can be saved as a view just like the floor plan windows but the independent detail window route allows you to have both floor plan and notes window open at the same time - meaning that you can drag-and-drop notes from to and from either if you need to . . .

~/archiben