Few basic CAD setup questions!!!

[Dave Buckley]

Feel like I'm going back a few years but hey ... not really used CAD plans for a while and never really realised how much I've relied on sketches, models, photos.

 

Just wondering what peoples order of ceremonies are inside of AutoCAD when cleaning plans.

 

For example:

 

-open

-explode all

-clean

-purge

-copy to new file at 0,0

-save

 

Also I have another quick query, when modeling a building with numerous levels, what plans are you all importing, i.e. surely you don't clean every floor plan?

 

do you simply stick with ground floor, and elevations and then use the others as reference in autocad?

 

or do you clean all floors and place in respective positions in Max.

 

Again sorry for basic questions but just trying to save myself a bit of work

[JonRashid]

I do exactly the same with the cad plan. I don't really neaten up the elevations as I trace most agin in max. I only really use the ground plan elevations and roof plan unless there are staggered floors or the internal detail is to be visible in some way. I don't tend to actually use the cad splines for anything but generating my new splines iI find it quicker than closing splines and finding where verts arent welded.

[Fooch]

Instead of explode all, i use filter for block and explode those.. and then hatches and explode those (running filter a few times to make sure every block / hatch is taken care of)

[Thablanch]

I never ever move at 0,0.. there is going to have some changes on that layout on the long run and I want new plans that I import to be bang on with any previous imports.. so I would for sure skip this step.. Leave the drawing wherever it was drawn.

[JonRashid]

You only need a common reference point to get around that. If the original model has been drawn far from the origin this can cause extensive probelms in Max. I would always suggest working around 0,0 to avoid these large number problems which can effect everything from zooming in to scaling and lighting.