Topic Title

All these great responses are prompting me to keep asking....thanks in advance.

1. Can you set the snap angle in the GRIDS menu to default to 8 instead of 4? If so, how?

2. I'm still using my old template/symbol function from DC10, but the divisions in grid layout, which pops up on the left side of the screen, are so darn small that I can't see my symbols clearly. I've tried decreasing the number of x/y divisions but it does very little to help. Also, I tried unlocking "toolbars" and stretching it, but that doesn't work. It seems that that particular "menu" that displays my symbols is a set width. How can I make it wider so the divisions within it are wider and more legible? See attached screenshot.

1. You should have your own personal default drawing with all your personal settings to start all new drawings with. In that file, set the grid to 8.

2. Not sure on Templates. I still use my old standards. A long time ago, I left them in the basic C:\Datacad folder and never updated them with each update. That way paths etc always work and don't need updating. I'll use Templates to add symbols to a drawing, but then use the Symbol Browser set to show only the Drawing Symbols, to place additional occurances of symbols already in the drawing.

Every few year or so I bite the bullet to create new template drawing files for my common sheet sizes and project types. Nice, clean files from "new" with the layers, fonts, symbol defaults, etc... rather than continually recycling old template files to reduce the "layer creep" and the odd formattings, grids and settings. Revisiting the pen-table settings is also useful.

I encourage you to use the Symbol Browser in Folder mode. And to really use it well, it almost requires a second monitor - you can undock it, and make it larger and wider so you can see the symbols.

You can snap to the symbol to use a custom insertion point.

The only thing you need to do sometimes is to add a prefix to the symbol names to get them to appear in the order you want. So, for folders that you need this, make a Copy of the whole folder, and then edit the symbol names adding 01-, 02-, 03-, etc. so they appear in the order you want. You can do this by clicking on the Save Symbol on the Options menu in the SB, and then right-clicking on a symbol and add the prefix. Cancel out of saving a new symbol - this is just an easier way to get to the symbol folder.

The Symbol Browser uses the structure of the folders to organize your symbols - rather than the templates - that have the added complication of all those pathnames. The pathnames are the single biggest headache in the way DataCAD used to do things. The Symbol Browser lets you leave pathnames and makes it MUCH easier to use symbols.

Arrange the folders in a CSI format.

Use long descriptive "English" names.