Entire set of plans in a single AutoCAD file? Details in post.

[batola4797]

I have a possible job offer coming up that has gotten me quite excited, though there are a few things I’m curious about due to my experience. My current professional drawings are not very large, usually being around 8-15 pages. This possible opportunity will require a lot of re-drafting of existing plans of large commercial buildings. The place essentially is trying to create a virtual replica of as-built drawings that are on sheets of paper currently. When it comes to these plans and being upwards of a couple hundred pages, how does that typically work with AutoCAD? Is each section of MEP/structural and other drawings put onto separate files to prevent a file from having too much data and slowing everything down? Or is everything lumped into a giant DWG?

[Steven P]

So the job is essentially redrafting the paper copies? Every company will be different, and even within a company some projects will be set up differently to other. Perhaps the only way to know will be once you are working there!

 

Without knowing too much I suspect that each plan will be a separate drawing, different drawing number, though there might be some with the same number and a few sheets. So without knowing what they want my first thought would be recreate each accordingly - so a lot of separate files. Might be you can use the power of xrefs to save a lot of work (perhaps the basic layout, and xref that into the file for say electrical, mechanical or whatever services drawing).

 

The CAD manager or project manager for this task might ask for something other than pure recreate the drawing as they are... however once in digital format, you can copy and paste as required,

 

 

So I'd be assuming recreate each paper copy as a single CAD file

[BIGAL]

Agree "So I'd be assuming recreate each paper copy as a single CAD file", you can always make into 1.

 

Set up stuff like a title block then can copy and paste into each dwg with all the common details filled in. I would scan the dwg we had a A0 scanner, then bring in as a underlay image, maybe play with colors of image if possible, I would use colors like red green magenta as drafting over so make it easy to see what your drawing over. A secret this image was a flat plan and drafted over to demonstrate some 3d software. Make sure ortho is on. For us oldy's use a GTCO 48" digitiser.

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by BIGAL

[CyberAngel]

On 11/19/2023 at 10:05 AM, batola4797 said:

I have a possible job offer coming up that has gotten me quite excited, though there are a few things I’m curious about due to my experience. My current professional drawings are not very large, usually being around 8-15 pages. This possible opportunity will require a lot of re-drafting of existing plans of large commercial buildings. The place essentially is trying to create a virtual replica of as-built drawings that are on sheets of paper currently. When it comes to these plans and being upwards of a couple hundred pages, how does that typically work with AutoCAD? Is each section of MEP/structural and other drawings put onto separate files to prevent a file from having too much data and slowing everything down? Or is everything lumped into a giant DWG?

 

If they want a "virtual replica" of a multi-story building, there's no sense tracing every single sheet when the floor plan is the same across several pages. At the very least, you can trace the layout for each floor (or section of floor), then add notes in layouts that are unique to each sheet. That could well be how they drew it in the first place. That way you have your replica in model space and your plans in paper space, which is a best practice.

 

If you have access to Revit, this project might be even easier. You build a 3D model and pull the plans from it.

[BIGAL]

Almost forgot, where I worked we would make a Pdf or PNG or Tiff, of every sheet, these were saved into our GIS system we could click on a location and ask for plans and they would be displayed. I ask this as we would also just scan paper plans and save these no need to redraw them, or are you making the updated "As Built" plans. Where say cables etc are in different locations. We did save "As built" when advised by our construction crew of onsite changes.

 

Oh a side comment we could pull Acad dwg's that were created after 1999, as they where all stored and we had a good index system to find them.

[SLW210]

10 hours ago, BIGAL said:

Almost forgot, where I worked we would make a Pdf or PNG or Tiff, of every sheet, these were saved into our GIS system we could click on a location and ask for plans and they would be displayed. I ask this as we would also just scan paper plans and save these no need to redraw them, or are you making the updated "As Built" plans. Where say cables etc are in different locations. We did save "As built" when advised by our construction crew of onsite changes.

 

Oh a side comment we could pull Acad dwg's that were created after 1999, as they where all stored and we had a good index system to find them.

Same here, we just scan to PDF and file electronically, would only recreate as editable files on an as needed basis. Some old plans were scanned before I got here to TIFF, those are left as TIFF unless needed as an edible file as well.