Topic: Revision Help Please

[Shelley]

I was wondering if I might be able to get some help.. My company is currently looking at the way Drawing Revions are done. We work with
Architectural and Electrical Drawings.
 
I was hoping to find out what other companies do.
 
What do you do as far as your file structure? Do you just keep with the original file name, no matter what revision? Do you keep a copy of the original (or previous revision)? If you do how do you manage this?

[Keith™]

We keep a copy of the original and the new file is suffixed with Rx where x is the revision number.

Before I am lambasted for doing this, let me explain why ...

We deal directly with the client, as such the homeowner is subject to change their mind several times before the final product is delivered. Also, we keep the revisions for a record of revision history, it has been helpful a time or two when the client insists we changed something when we didn't and we have the drawings to prove it.

It also helps us revert to a previous state of drawings, as is common when the client says, "I want you to do this" then after they find out how much extra it will cost them to build, they decide to return to the previous incarnation.

We also use revisions as sales tools. If a plan went through 3 or 4 revisions, and the client likes the base plan, we can show them several permutations and get a better starting point for the new client, thus in the end, make fewer revisions.

Of course our policy is to make all revisions in the preliminary phase and only do the construction documents once, although that is sometimes not the case.

[craigr]

In these days of Lawsuits for ANYTHING, you should ALWAYS keep any & all Revs.

That being said, we only change the Rev #s when they leave our office to anyone outside of our office.

The filenames stay the same, only the Rev # changes.

If that same dwg is used for another job, it becomes a new dwg - even though the job # is the only difference.

craigr

[deegeecees]

I used to have an "Archive" routine that would do just that. Select a button, fill out the description, and then it would increment the rev block, and then save the file to an archive folder under the project name (H:\Archive\ProjectName\ProjectDrawing.R3.dwg), as well as save the file to the work in progress folder (P:\Projects\ProjectName\WIP\ProjectDrawing.R3.dwg). When the project is complete, the folder on the P drive is deleted, and the archived folder is maintained. This was all tied to a database as well to minimize any human errors.

[M-dub]

I work at / for two different companies, so I have the Contractor method and the Client method here.

Contractor Method
Drawings come in and are filed on an 'Originals' drive as they are requested.
O:\Client\JobNumber\ORIG01\
O:\Client\JobNumber\ORIG02\
O:\Client\JobNumber\ORIG03\, etc...
Our current practice also includes creating and maintaining a CD as a backup plan, but it's REALLY labour intensive and for the number of times we've had to go back to the CD, it's really not worth spending the time to do it.  Besides, they should have a better / more reliable backup system for their server in case something happens.  This practice is soon to be tossed out the window for reasons mentioned above... and they ARE going to be getting a more reliable backup system in place.


Then they are COPIED to our Work drive
W:\Client\JobNumber\
That's where we modify the drawings while keeping the filename and drawing number the same.  All clients have different revision standards, so it depends.  (I'll give an example below in Client Methods).


When work is complete, they get MOVED from the work drive back to the originals drive but in a Transmittal directory.
O:\Client\JobNumber\XMIT01\
O:\Client\JobNumber\XMIT02\
O:\Client\JobNumber\XMIT03\, etc...
We then create yet another project CD to file with the hard copy of the project.  I don't have a problem with this CD... it's the first one I hate!


Now, the Client Method

This particular client uses Synergis Adept which maintains revision history for each drawing or file that gets modified.  File names and drawing numbers all stay the same, but when a drawing needs to be updated, the users sign the drawings out to a work area, modify them and rev them up from (ex.) Rev 5 to Rev 6A.  If there are subsequent changes / it goes up to 6B, 6C, and so on until the As Built stage when the Alpha gets dropped and we just go up to Rev 6.  The drawing is then signed back into the proper library but you can always access the older revisions if you want.

There are all kinds of ways to do it, but I believe you should always try to keep a copy of what you started with and what you ended up with.

Hope that helps...

We keep a copy of the original and the new file is suffixed with Rx where x is the revision number.

Before I am lambasted for doing this, let me explain why ...

Since you know it's "worth" a lambasting, I'll leave you alone. 

[Binky]

Everytime a set leaves the office, permitting or revision or what ever, I create a folder with the date and title of revision and copy ALL not just the changed dwgs into that folder and change them to read only.  Disk space is cheap and we do not save paths on our xrefs so that part make this process easier.

From time to time we have to go 'backward' as it were when the client gets costs of a particular change and decides not to do it.  We have a complete set of dwgs of the previous issue to slip into the 'working' folder.

The 'best' way to archive is not the same for everybody, whatever you do, just make sure that you are comfortable explaining it to others and that you can find whatever you need to about previous issues of the project in a hurry.

[hendie]

^^ what Mike said in his "client" method

Our filenames are the same as the part number - keeps things simple. So they never, ever change.
The document management systems takes care of all the revisions, we don't even think about it any more.

[Keith™]

Sounds like Binky is about as close to our method as one could get ...

Oh and M-dub .. you are doing the same thing we are, you just store them with Adept ... now how do you think adept manages the drawings?

[hendie]

Sounds like Binky is about as close to our method as one could get ...

Oh and M-dub .. you are doing the same thing we are, you just store them with Adept ... now how do you think adept manages the drawings?

it stores them - without changing the filename - in "hidden" sub libraries which can then be accessed through the relationship browser whenever required

[Keith™]

Sounds like Binky is about as close to our method as one could get ...

Oh and M-dub .. you are doing the same thing we are, you just store them with Adept ... now how do you think adept manages the drawings?

it stores them - without changing the filename - in "hidden" sub libraries which can then be accessed through the relationship browser whenever required

Precisely .. but they are stored as independent drawings, thus you have the ability to revert to a previous incarnation should you choose to do so.

Many places I have worked would just overwrite the dwg and never change the name. Thus you had no records, or a revision history.

[hendie]

Sounds like Binky is about as close to our method as one could get ...

Oh and M-dub .. you are doing the same thing we are, you just store them with Adept ... now how do you think adept manages the drawings?

it stores them - without changing the filename - in "hidden" sub libraries which can then be accessed through the relationship browser whenever required

Precisely .. but they are stored as independent drawings, thus you have the ability to revert to a previous incarnation should you choose to do so.

Many places I have worked would just overwrite the dwg and never change the name. Thus you had no records, or a revision history.

and that is pretty much suicide by dwg format

[Keith™]

heh .. yeah ... they claimed it was to prevent "bad" drawings from getting released to production. I called it stupidity...

[CADaver]

Record files in PDF only.  One dwg file, the current one, name never changes.

[CADaver]

heh .. yeah ... they claimed it was to prevent "bad" drawings from getting released to production. I called it stupidity...

?? why?

[M-dub]

Uhh.. yeah, what Hendie said.  

The only thing I don't like about the drawings going in the hidden system folders is that they pop up in search results if you're using the Windows search utility.