TheSwamp
CAD Forums => CAD General => CAD Standards => Topic started by: HasanCAD on April 29, 2015, 12:18:34 PM
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Hi all
The managenet asked to to create a CAD manual.
Could some one tell me how to start and what is standard for that porpose.
Thanks all
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Whenever I created a manual I thought about what I wanted to say/"have it do" before I started (think, then think some more before you do!!).
I always liked to use LaTeX because I automated the publishing of it/them to the company intranet during the build phase.
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Your manual should at a minimum define
Layer Names and or Naming convention (so that IF or WHEN) a user believes they need a new layer
they can follow a typical format. Thus avoiding names like: Some Plumbing Crap, Details of Other Stuff, My Stuff, etc....
A full print out of current layers - and a description of what goes on those layers
Printout of accepted Linetypes - and their usage
Printout of line colors and what lineweight each produces
Text Styles and sizes.
Then name and location of All Standard Templates if you use more than one
Name and Location of the Sheet Set Template if you use one
Name and Location of Block Library(ies)
Sample of What and Where information goes in your titleblock(s)
Printout of what plot styles and Page Setups - what the do and when to use them.
Description of File Naming Convention - to avoid drawing names that do not make any sense.
Some or all of this can be avoided IF you employ Tool Palettes....
Enjoy!
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for an example, see
http://academics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/Triton%20CADD%20Standards%20Manual.pdf
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1166718.files/CAD%20Standards_092911_FINAL.pdf
http://www.aes.uconn.edu/about/cad_standards_docs/UConn_CAD_Standards_Guideline-April2011.pdf
might go looking on scribd also, probably more there
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a few more samples here http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=49314.msg544109#msg544109 (http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=49314.msg544109#msg544109)
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What do you have to keep repeating to the users? The manual is the same concept as providing a hyperlink: instead of speaking/typing everything over and over, you just link or manually point them to the manual.
How much work do you want to do? If your standards are automated from one set of data and documented in another, then every time something is changed that change must be duplicated into the manual. That requires time and introduces the possibility of error ("But it says right in the standards SOMLAYER, not SOMELAYER!!!"). We used to do that and its a royal PITA to work with. Better to have "self documenting standards"; that is, the data that is used by the standards automation should be human-readable in some way.
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I took our CAD manual many years ago and created code to automate most of it (layers styles etc..).
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What do you have to keep repeating to the users? The manual is the same concept as providing a hyperlink: instead of speaking/typing everything over and over, you just link or manually point them to the manual.
How much work do you want to do? If your standards are automated from one set of data and documented in another, then every time something is changed that change must be duplicated into the manual. That requires time and introduces the possibility of error ("But it says right in the standards SOMLAYER, not SOMELAYER!!!"). We used to do that and its a royal PITA to work with. Better to have "self documenting standards"; that is, the data that is used by the standards automation should be human-readable in some way.
I second that. I ended up setting up a template. If there is a change, I update the template. Comes out how I want every time. It has a basic layer set-up, text, dim's, etc.
I took our CAD manual many years ago and created code to automate most of it (layers styles etc..).
If I knew how to do that, I would. It is on my list but keeps ending up the least of my worries for the moment.
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I agree dgorsman and ronjonp but the last AutoCAD standards that I created (I automated quite a bit as well) I still created a CAD manual to convey the intent for those situations where something just didn't fit nicely into the standards. My manual also explained how to use Project navigator (for example) for those who never worked with it and for those projects that didn't need to have views and only needed sheets (for example).
A CAD manual also documents your intent for the automation at the time. That place I was at (where I created my last manual) now has hired a new guy to keep up with the standards but I would bet the farm that he's no where close to the level I was once at with AutoCAD, AutoLisp, and C++. My CAD Manual will help him understand why I did what I did and what I was aiming for.
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Thanks all for value ideas I'll start then show you what I ended to.