Cad filing structure is very important specially if your team is involved in differernt projects. When you have thousands of projects, consisting of thousands of drawings you will realize the proper filing and cad drawing and reference control is a must. Because good structure in filing your autocad drawings will save time in archiving, controlling and accessing the files you need to retrieve.

Here is a typical cad filing structure I proposed and implemented in our Engineering Department.

Typical CAD Filing Structure:

1. CAD Main Folder.
2. Folder alloted for files management & administration of CADD Engineering Department.
3. Key Performance Indicator Folder
4. Monthly Report monitoring files storage.
5. Folder for acad drawings, autocad blocks, common drawings & system file for Autocad MEP (previously ABS) & CADD related software.
6. Location of standard CADD drawings.
7. HVAC, ELEC, PLUMBING & ARCHITECTURAL Autocad MEP (ABS) mvpartS & catalog location
8. AutoCad blocks, ACAD title block location
9. Storage for standard logo of client, consultant.
10. Designated folder for any autodesk upgrade, utilities, patch, fixes
11. Default MEP styles & template location, including the autocad lisp routine & special script used for Autocad MEP (ABS) & Autocad
12. Information Center. Common problems resolved, tips, productivity hints including the Engineering webpage for any Cad Update & New technology
13. Folder for Data and Drawing control management and monitoring
14. Monitoring Files & drawing logs
15. Important information from client / consultant about the project
16. Drawing request receiving and outgoing monitoring.
17. Submittals and other reports, monthly, weekly as per project summary
18. Project Folder – all projects subdivided according to project index.
19. Project subfolder that have the project code and short description as a folder name for quick and easy reference.
20. Subfolder of project designated to store all the CAD drawings subdivided in four categories (construct, elements, views & sheets)
21. Constructs. Main drawing / shop drawing designed separately per services.
22. Drawing storage for Architectural discipline
23. Subparts related to Architectural as per client’s requirement.
24. Construct folder for Electrical
25. Subfolder storage for Electrical
26. HVAC drawing storage (contains subfolder related to HVAC)
27. PLUMBING drawing storage (contains subfolder related to HVAC)
28. This is one folder that consist of per project auto cad block, autocad title block, standard drawings used repeatedly on the entire project (Typical drawings, templates, special blocks..etc)
29. This is where the plot sheets are located. Composed of drawing xref’ed to views for publication, printing either by hard copy or softcopy.
30. Views, elevations, schedules xref’ed to construct. This is subdivided per discipline and may have subfolder depending on the nature of the project.
31. Any e-mail, communication correspondense important to the project – external / internal
32. Other files, drawings, or reference useful for a particular project.
33. Specifications of parts/ equipment. These are commonly scanned & soft copy of the parts specficiations provided by client
34. Transmital folder for files use to track the rawing receiving , submission, logs commitment up to completion of the project.

Shown in the Figure above is a sample of standard CADD filing structure and the coding index I implemented in our CADD/Engineering Department. I also set special permission on specific folder (per discipline) so user can customize the subfolders provided they have access on it. By default, each folder is configured per user with the permission / security applied

Under the project folder, folder creation and management is automatically generated using the Autocad MEP project navigator & project browser. It is recommended to use the project browser in creating subfolder ( if the user is permitted) in order not to mess up with the xrefing of drawing files, and folder indexing.

Typical CAD Filing Structure is a post from: Free Cad Software

It appears that this feature cannot be accessed via Autocad MEP Style Manager as I expected. Toby Smith of autodesk confirmed this in the discussion that the panel schedule wass created in Autocad table and since Autocad has no capacity of Style manager like the Autocad Architecture and Autocad MEP the electrical panel schedule will not appear in Style Manager.
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Be it in style manager or in table style, I think what is important here that finally the freedom to modify the tables and panel template is there. Here is the link for the the document that outlines the steps to modify panel schedule styles.

That’s all for now, I’ll share you more on this when I received the Autocad MEP 2009 due to arrived here in Kuwait in two weeks.

AutoCAD MEP 2009 Electrical Panel Schedule Table Style is a post from: Free Cad Software

Instead of inserting the new block one at a time, why don’t we create a lisp and automate the tedious block insertion process. By using the center point of the circles, we can create a lisp routine that will make a block and insert it in the specific center point of the circle auto-magically! This will save you many hours of drafting time compare to doing it the traditional way. If you have 3-4 circles to be replaced by block then that is tolerable but what if you have thousands of circles – that will surely be a tough job.

Here let me share you how to shortcut this long traditional method of inserting block on the centerpoint of each circle.

First, we have to create a lisp routine that is capable of converting multiple circles to block and insert it in the circle’s centerpoint automatically. Then, we will load that lisp to your autocad drawing and with a single command ^puff^ your circles will become blocks. You may use this block later so you can convert this to Electrical Device, change the symbology or whatever autocad mep 2008 manipulation you want to do.

Create the Circle-to-Block Autolisp:

• Open notepad.exe
• Copy and paste this code.
• In the notepad, saveas the file inside the folder where you want the lisp to be stored.
• Specify filename, e.g. RepCir2Blk.lsp (Don’t forget the “.lsp” extension”
• Click saveas type, choose “All files”.
• Hit the save button.

The Replace Circle to Block (RerCir2Blk) in action

• Open the autocad file that contains the circles you want to convert to blocks.
• In the command box, type “appload”
• Browse and load the RepCir2Blk lisp you created in step 4 above. (here is my lsp, in case you want to use this.  Just right click, “save target as”)
• Once the lisp is loaded, close the Load/Upload application dialog box
• You can now use convert circles to block simultaneously, by running the command: RepCir2Blk.

If in your first attempt the steps here didn’t work, I suggest you repeat step one and follow the procedure carefully.

This technique is very useful specially if you are working in Autocad MEP 2008. Most of the time you’ll receive drawings from consultant or from third party for MEP detailed drawings. There are those who provide the drawing in plain autocad with the drawing blocks intact, but there are cases where you’ll receive drawings with exploded content. Electrical symbols, upright and downright sprinklers might be represented with plain circles. In this case converting those circles to Autocad MEP device or mvpart will be forever, as you are going to insert the device or mvpart one by one . But if they are in block then there is a simple procedures that will easily convert these Autocad blocks into device or sprinkler mvparts with less hassle.

You’ll know how to do it in my coming post. so Stay tuned.

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Convert muliple circles to autocad blocks is a post from: Free Cad Software