nesad-cadd-standards

NESAD CADD Standards

Shortcut to 2003-NESAD-start.dwg (right-click "save target as" to download)

The NESAD CADD Standards are designed to make it easier for students to implement :

     1. - lineweights
     2. - colors
     3. - dimension styles
     4. - linetypes
     5. - borders, titleblocks
     6. - drawing layouts

There are several keys to implement the standards :

     I.    ctb files
     II.   dwt start templates
     III. dwg modular layer sets
     IV.   dwg block libraries
     V.    designcenter libraries
     VI.   written guidelines
     VII. online file library
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I. ctb files
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(ctb files determine color and lineweights on plotted output)

NESAD-Black.ctb - CTB file (which controls lineweights/colors) for use with 2003-NESAD-start.dwg - no color, black output
(for most drawings - plans, sections, elevations, details)

NESAD-Color.ctb   -    CTB file (which controls lineweights/colors) for use with 2003-NESAD-start.dwg
                                       - original colors, first 8 have lineweights
                                        (for color rendered drawings, and 3D work)

CAD-Standard2004.ctb   --   CTB file (which controls lineweights/colors) for use with 2003-NESAD-start.dwg - no color, black output
                                        (for most drawings - plans, sections, elevations, details)

CAD STANDARD-2002.ctb --- CTB file (which controls lineweights/colors) for use with 2003-NESAD-start.dwg - no color, black output
(in english imperial inch dimensions, only first 12 colors defined as black (used with AutoCAD 2002)

II. dwt start templates
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NESAD Start Drawings - Containing Standard Layer Names, Colors, Lineweights, Dimension Styles, Titleblock Layouts

2003-NESAD-start.dwg - Standard Start Drawing for most projects - for AutoCAD2004

2003-NESAD-start-00.dwg - Standard Start Drawing for most projects - for AutoCAD2002, 2000, 2000i, LT, and IntelliCAD

NESAD-old-layers.dwg - Start drawing used in the past with AutoCAD2002

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2003-NESAD-start-sept.dwg - Revised Standard Start Drawing 9/30/03
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A. The Basic simple starting template
    - includes many AIA CADD Standard Layers,
     colors/lineweights/linetypes,
     and Dimension Styles, and is sufficient for most plans,
     sections, elevations, details done
     by interior design students
     adds :
     viewports
     titleblock
     x-image
     xref

Note that the National CAD Standards lists litterally thousands of standard layer names categorized for dozens of different design industries. Since scrolling through ALL of them would seriously hamper a designer, each profession cuts this down to a "short list" specialized for the types of drawings each office needs to do.

Thus, if or when our students need to expand the layer list to accomodate other activities (work with engineers/architects/landscape designers, do space planning, wood framing, roofs, multi-story buildings, etc. the general proceedure is to add a new cluster of layers with a modular layer set. The new Autodesk ArchitecturalDesktop2004 has a menu choice for this in the CAD Standard menu.

Note, there are several different techniques on how to deal with multi-drawing files, and at NESAD we need to teach each of those. (A multi-drawing file is one with alternate designs, reflected ceiling plans, second/third stories, seperate furniture plan/architectural plans.) Some of these techniques require another set of layers, other techniques do not - thus, we leave these to be added (if necessary, with our dwg modular layer sets.)

Note - standard section/elevation/detail layers should be added as modular sets to keep the list of basic layers shorter

B. ADT starting template
- includes just a minimal skeleton of layers, as layers are created (named/colored/linetyped) automatically by ArchitecturalDesktop as different architectural elements are drawn/modeled.

C. 3D modeling template
- includes a starting plan, axo, elevation, section view, and just a few layers
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III. dwg modular layer sets
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A. Set for Multi-story projects
(for people not using ADT or older non-recommended side-by-side technique)

B. Set for Section / Elevations

C. Set for Detail Sheet

D. Set for Schedules

E. Set for entire list of layers relevant to Architecture, Int. Design, Engineering
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IV. dwg block libraries
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V. designcenter libraries
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VI. written guidelines
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A. How To :

1. How to Plot to the NESAD Network Plotters
2. How to Create an Acrobat PDF of a Drawing
3. How to Create an HPGL plt file
4. How to Retrieve the NESAD CADD Standards online to install at home
5. How to Install the NESAD CADD Standard ctb file
6. How to Install the NESAD CADD Standard dwg file
7. How to Install the NESAD CADD Standard dws file
8. How to Install the NESAD CADD Standard dwt file
9. How to run the AutoCAD CAD Standards Wizard Program
10. How to bring in modular sets of standard layers into a drawing

B. Why and When to Use Different Plotting Approaches
(i.e., color/BW, plotting later offsite at home or at plotting service,
getting consistant lineweights)

C. Articles about CADD Standards

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VII. online file library
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A. Printer and Plotter Setup Files
(you need to install these on your home computer as a printer
in order to layout your drawings, for either 24x36 or 11x17 sizes)

1. HPdesignjet500 plotter setup file
2. HPdeskjet1700 printer setup file

B. Where to Obtain Adobe Acrobat PDF Writer

C. NESAD CADD Standard ctb, dwg, dws, dwt files

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VIII. Definitions :

DWG - AutoCAD drawing format
DXF - AutoCAD exchange file
DXB - AutoCAD 2D binary file
ctb - AutoCAD plot style
dws - AutoCAD drawing file used for standards check
dwt - AutoCAD template drawing
pdf - Adobe Acrobat file - used for electronic plots - ANY printer - any size
plt - plot file - used by some plotting services (set up for a particular printer)
ADT - new flavor of AutoCAD that has automatic layers, walls, windows, stairs, etc.

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NESAD CADD How-to File

How to :

1. How to transfer a drawing from AutoCAD 2004 to AutoCAD 2002
2. How to transfer a drawing from ArchitecturalDesktop to AutoCAD
3. How to extract 2D plans, sections, elevations from an AutoCAD 3D model
4. How to transfer a 3D AutoCAD model to another program
5. How to develop a 3D model based on 2D plans
6. How to take a drawing from AutoCAD into ArchiCAD
7. How to save a 2D AutoCAD drawing from ArchiCAD
8. How to save a 3D AutoCAD model from ArchiCAD
9. How to transfer an ArchiCAD model to LightScape
10. How to transfer an AutoCAD model to Viz and LightScape
11. How to purge unneeded layers, linetypes, dimstyles, from a drawing
12. How to use the CAD Overlay technique to trace a scanned existing drawing into AutoCAD
13. How to get a object (chair, car, tree, etc.) from www.3dcafe.com and use it in a 2D production drawing

glangdon@suffolk.edu --- 09-01-03