Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Why Templates Are Important
Beth's CAD Blog: "In AutoCAD (or any AutoCAD-based product), you don't want to take the time with each drawing you begin by adding layers, setting your dimension style, or changing options. For this reason, you create a template. You set a drawing up exactly the way you want it once, then you save it as a template."
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3 comments:
I completely agree. I think that the template coule even include your own title blocks and your font style which would save time when creating a new drafting project. Another tip for lighting drafting that I have found in Vectorworks, not sure about autoCAD. Is creating a library of commonly used fixtures that you put in as a designer. This permits you to skip the often multi leveled folders from different manufactures.
Just my two cents.
Setting up a template is a basic time saving practice. Although the initial set up of a document may not take that long, those few minutes on every file do add up. The real advantage of a template is standardization though. You can set up a layout in each common size with a standard title block, so that all drawings for a project will look the same, regardless of who did them.
I have grown to really appreciate templates recently not just in CAD but Excel and Word. I found that having a template is essential when working in an environment where paperwork is somewhat repetitive and needs a degree of standardization. Initial set up may take a while especially in programs where margins begin to become a problem for plotting but in the end, as Aaron has pointed out, the few minutes here and there really do add up.
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