Topic Title

Hello,

If you receive a file that has floor plans that are not stacked; and worse yet, all the plans use the same set of layers -- how can you get them stacked, and have all the entities in each be on different sets of layers, so you can then use GTV's?

Here's what I came up with:

1) Make all but one of the plans into a symbol (and use an insertion point that can be snapped to on every floor), and then place the symbol on top of the base plan.

2) Open the symbol(s) in the Symbol Editor, and then open the Layer Manager -- and rename each layer by adding a prefix appropriate for that floor.

a) Highlight the first layer, and hit Enter to edit the name
b) Hit the Home key to move the cursor to the beginning of the line
c) Type in the prefix
d) Highlight the prefix and hit Control-C to copy it to the Clipboard
e) Hit Tab to enter that name, and open the next layer's name for editing. (We have Clay Rogers to thank for this!)
f) Hit Home key, then Control-V to paste in the prefix, then hit the Tab key -- and repeat this step until you are done with all the layer names.

3) Save and exit the Symbol Editor, and then Explode the symbol.

4) Turn on the layers in groups, and save GTV's for each floor.

Interesting method.

Since I don't have an acad example to work with. Would moving all the plans to the same position (aligning) and then with just the plan layers on, Use the 3D Menu Item to Hide & DelDbl work also???

Also, since i dislike having the same items draww more than once. Could one also do:
1. having the common plan layers locked, move all the other items to a main plan locaiton, or
2. With the common elements, keep one set say white, change all the rest to red. Move to align the plans, then delete all the red lines of the plan.

Neil,
If I received plans like that, I would:
1. Create new layers for each floor level
2. Move items to their new layers
3. Determine a point you can snap to, and mark it if necessary
4. Move the items from the other floor levels to align with your main floor
5. Create Go To Views for each floor
SAVE. Seems like less work to me.
Bev

Even less work is this:

1. create a separate file for each level
2. xref the files
3. edit and coordinate the xrefs to have the same location relative to A.Z.

Hi Bev,

I've done it the way you mention:
Create all the new layers, and type in all their complete names.
Move all the entities on each existing layer to their corresponding new layer, which means select by area with Layer Search Off, change the destination layer, change the active layer, select the area, change the destination layer, change the active layer, select by area...repeat until done
Then Move by area (with layer search on)

So, two steps that take a while with repeated actions. The method I mention only has one step that requires repeated steps, and it is quicker because I can copy and paste the same prefix on to each layer.

Making the symbol is one quick step.
Placing the symbol over the other plan is one step.
Then editing the layer names within the symbol is easier than typing in the whole new name (just adding the prefix).
And then exploding the symbol to all those layers is one quick step.

Neil,
I can see the value in your method.
Bev

Neil, I have v12 LT as you know and I haven't been able to find anything that resembles a symbol editor. Am I missing something, or is it just not available in LT?

Hi Kenny,

The way to open a symbol in the Editor, is to Control/Right-Click on the symbol in the drawing, select Symbol Tools/Edit Symbol. Or, to edit a symbol in the Symbol Browser, just right-click on the grid, and select Edit Symbol.

Or, if you go to Tools/Program Preferences/Misc, you can check the box in the lower right to be able to use a double-click to open the SE.

Neil, I have v12 LT as you know and I haven't been able to find anything that resembles a symbol editor. Am I missing something, or is it just not available in LT?

The Symbol Editor is not included with DataCAD LT. It is only in the full version of DataCAD 12.

Neil,

My method is similar. I create a new empty drawing file. The I cut and paste each plan into the new file keeping the original layers. After each plan is inserted into the new drawing, I rename the newly added layers by adding 1 for first floor, 2 for the second, etc. After each plan is added, I add it to the GTV list. It seems to go quicker for me this way. Then if I want to move items to other layers, I do.

Thanks, Mark. That's what I thought it was. I use AutoCAD and SoftPlan, as well as DataCAD, and I have to say that ACad's block (symbol) editor is a great tool. I'm glad that DataCAD now has an editor for symbols as well, though sad that I won't get to avail myself of its benefits just yet...........unless I nickel up to the full version!