& Construction

Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing

Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Transcript
00:00
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:11
ELVIS SVERKO: Hello and welcome to this accelerator
00:13
presentation, where I will discuss
00:15
how to meet industry and company-specific standards when
00:18
using the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset.
00:21
So let's begin.
00:22
This safe harbor statement is just a reminder
00:25
that the Autodesk software changes regularly
00:28
to continually improve the software
00:30
and make it a better experience for you.
00:32
If I happen to make any forward-looking statements
00:34
in this presentation, please do not make any buying decisions
00:38
based on it.
00:40
Let me introduce myself.
00:41
My name is Elvis Sverko, and I'm a Senior Application Engineer
00:44
with IMAGINiT.
00:46
I have 30 years experience with multiple Autodesk products
00:49
including AutoCAD and its various tool sets, Inventor
00:52
solid modeling, and Vault data management,
00:55
where I provide implementation solutions and training
00:57
services of these products.
00:59
After obtaining my master's degree,
01:02
I worked in industry for a dozen years
01:03
where I then brought that experience
01:05
into my current role, where I am also
01:08
an Autodesk certified instructor and had presented
01:11
at Autodesk University.
01:13
The purpose of this accelerator is
01:15
to teach you about standards based design within the AutoCAD
01:18
Mechanical toolset.
01:20
Where standards help control how geometry and annotations
01:24
display in a drawing that meet industry
01:26
or company-specific standards such as ANSI, ISO, and DIN.
01:31
We will look to understand the AutoCAD Mechanical standards
01:34
management, how to select the standard to use,
01:37
defined a new standard, modify an existing standard,
01:42
create a new drawing standard template to be used,
01:45
and set drawing layer in object properties.
01:49
Industry standards such as ANSI, ISO, or DIN
01:52
or company-specific standard variations
01:55
may be used to create geometry and annotations.
01:58
Within a standard, there are multiple elements
02:01
that you can edit to achieve the settings
02:03
specific to your requirements.
02:05
Some settings may include things such as assigning
02:07
specific layers for individual types of geometry,
02:11
arranging how dimensions are to be displayed,
02:14
selecting welding symbols that can be utilized,
02:17
or defining the information that is to be stored
02:20
in the Bill of materials.
02:22
With these standards set, you can then
02:24
use the AutoCAD Mechanical tools to create drawings
02:27
that consistently follow notation and layer settings,
02:30
while you simply focus on creating the design.
02:33
An example is configuring center lines
02:36
so that when they are being created,
02:38
their properties meet specific settings,
02:40
such as the layer they are placed on
02:42
and their color and line type.
02:45
The AM:Standards tab in the Options dialog box is used
02:48
to activate or modify a standard that is to be used
02:52
in a drawing.
02:53
There are four main items that are controlled
02:55
by the AM:Standards.
02:57
And they include a selection for which industry standard is
02:59
to be used, a couple of scaling options,
03:03
the choice for the default standards template,
03:05
and the individual elements of the selected standard.
03:09
To access the Options dialog box,
03:11
you can type options at the command line,
03:13
then switch to the AM:Standards tab once this dialog box is
03:17
open.
03:18
In the Standard section, use the dropdown list
03:21
to select an industry standard, or enter
03:24
the name of a new standard.
03:26
Also select the unit of measurement for the standard.
03:29
And if the properties of existing drawing layers
03:31
of the same name should be updated
03:34
based on the settings in the newly activated standard.
03:37
In the Scale section, use the dropdown list set the scale
03:41
factor for model space, which sets the scales
03:44
factor for symbols such as balloons, parts
03:47
lists, weld symbols, leader notes, dimensions,
03:50
and many other symbols including their text.
03:53
You also need to select the initial plot scale
03:56
factor for a newly created layout to either one to one
03:59
or the selected model space.
04:02
With a particular standard active,
04:04
drawings can be created that follow
04:06
industry-accepted standards for notations, such as symbols
04:10
and dimensions, and company-specific standards
04:13
for layer settings and use.
04:15
Can apply your drawing standards to all new drawings that you
04:19
create in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset,
04:21
and to previously existing AutoCAD software drawing
04:24
files that are now opened in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset.
04:29
Selecting and activating a standard for use in a drawing
04:32
is accomplished in the AM:Standards tab of the Options
04:35
dialog box.
04:37
To access the Options dialog box,
04:39
you can type options at the command line,
04:41
then switch to the AM:Standards tab once this dialog box is
04:45
open.
04:46
In the Standard section, use the dropdown list
04:49
to select one of the supplied industry standards,
04:51
such as ISO, ANSI, DIN, or any other.
04:54
You can also select the unit of measurement for the standard.
04:58
And if the properties of existing drawing layers
05:01
of the same name should be updated
05:03
based on the settings in the newly activated standard.
05:08
Rather than overriding any industry standards that
05:11
come supplied with the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset,
05:14
you can create a new custom company-specific standard
05:17
based on a supplied industry standard.
05:21
To create a new custom drafting standard,
05:23
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
05:27
In the standard dropdown list, type a name for the new custom
05:30
standard you want to create and press Enter.
05:34
In the Selection dialog box that then appears,
05:36
select a supplied industry standard from the dropdown list
05:40
to use as a base standard or starting template,
05:43
then accept all dialog boxes.
05:46
The benefit of creating a custom standard
05:48
instead of overriding a supplied industry standard
05:52
is that custom standards remove certain restrictions that
05:55
are imposed on supplied industry standards,
05:58
such as modifying the text height to a value that
06:01
would violate the standard.
06:03
With a new custom drafting standard created,
06:06
you can now configure the elements for the standard.
06:10
To make these elements configuration modifications,
06:13
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
06:17
With the new custom standard selected
06:19
in the standard dropdown list, double click on the element
06:22
that you want to change in the standard elements list.
06:26
The corresponding settings dialog box
06:28
appears for that element.
06:30
Make the required changes and click OK
06:32
until all dialog boxes are closed.
06:35
Note that modifications to elements
06:37
are applied only to objects that are created
06:40
with the current standard.
06:41
If an object is created with one standard,
06:44
and then the active standard is switched to a different one
06:47
and its settings are modified, then only new objects
06:50
created after the active standard switch are affected.
06:54
Objects created under the original standard
06:57
do not change.
06:59
You may need to modify an existing standard.
07:02
In the AM:Standards tab of the Options dialog box,
07:05
select the standard from the standard drop-down list.
07:09
With the standard selected, you are now
07:11
able to modify any of the elements
07:13
for that standard that are listed
07:14
in these standard elements area.
07:17
To modify a particular element, you
07:19
can either double-click on it or right-click on it
07:22
and choose Settings.
07:24
Each element type will have its own specific dialog
07:27
box and settings to set.
07:29
After all elements have been modified according
07:31
to your requirements, click OK to accept and close
07:34
all dialog boxes.
07:38
As an example of modifying an existing standard,
07:41
let us add alternative units to linear dimensions.
07:44
To start, we open the Options dialog box and switch
07:48
to the AM:Standards tab.
07:50
After selecting the specific standard
07:52
we want to modify in the Standard area,
07:55
we double click on Dimensions in the Standard elements list.
07:59
This action will open these specific Dimensions Settings
08:02
dialog box, where we will click Edit in the Dimension style
08:06
area.
08:07
The Edit Dimensions Style dialog box will open,
08:10
and we will select Linear in the Dimension style area
08:14
and then click Modify.
08:16
Finally, the Modify Dimension Style dialog box will open,
08:19
and we will switch to the Alternate Units tab.
08:23
Here, we will check the Display alternate units option
08:26
and set any other settings we want to modify.
08:29
We will then click OK in all the open dialog boxes
08:32
to accept our modification of adding alternative units
08:35
to only Linear dimensions.
08:39
Starting new drawings from an established template
08:41
is good practice, as it sets all specific settings
08:45
and configurations for that new drawing.
08:48
To create a new template, create a new drawing
08:51
based on an existing template.
08:53
Make any basic drawing adjustments, if required,
08:56
such as title block, et cetera.
08:58
Open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
09:02
Set or define a drafting standard
09:04
in the Standard drop-down list.
09:06
Set the required measurement setting in the Measurement
09:09
drop-down list.
09:10
In the Scale area, set the required scale in the model
09:14
scale dropdown list and choose the radial button
09:17
that sets which scale is to be used in layouts.
09:20
The final step is to save the drawing as an AutoCAD
09:23
Mechanical drawing template, .dwt file,
09:27
by choosing Save As in the application menu,
09:31
then setting the corresponding file type in the files of Type
09:34
drop-down list.
09:36
Be sure that the required standard is set as active
09:39
in the saved template.
09:42
Setting a default standards template
09:44
in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset
09:46
enables non-AutoCAD Mechanical drawings
09:49
to be opened in the mechanical toolset,
09:52
and have the active standard from the default standards
09:55
template drawing file added to it and set to active.
09:59
After a drawing template file has been configured and saved,
10:02
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards.
10:07
In the default standard template area,
10:09
click Browse and navigate to and select the required template
10:12
file that has the specific standard set as active.
10:16
Once set, click OK in the Options dialog box.
10:20
With its default standards template file set,
10:23
if a non-AutoCAD Mechanical drawing is opened,
10:26
the active standard from the default standards template file
10:29
is imported into the open drawing and set as active.
10:33
If the drawing being opened has a measurement system that
10:36
differs from that of the default standard template file,
10:39
then the standard is not imported.
10:43
It's important to control how geometry is displayed
10:46
to meet your requirements, and this is accomplished
10:49
based on a set of standards.
10:51
The AutoCAD Mechanical toolset manages the creation of layers
10:55
and the placement of geometry on those layers automatically,
10:59
all based on the settings in the active standard.
11:02
These layer settings are set in the Mechanical Layer Manager,
11:06
and the Object Property Settings dialog boxes.
11:09
The Mechanical Layer Manager dialog box
11:12
can be opened either from the Home tab layers panel
11:15
or by typing AMLAYER at the command line.
11:19
Once this dialog box opens, you can rename the default layers,
11:23
create new layers, modify layer properties,
11:26
set the current layer, or even import layer definition
11:30
and object settings.
11:32
The associated objects column lists all the objects
11:35
that are currently configured in the standard
11:38
to be created on that specific layer.
11:41
Before you create custom mechanical standards,
11:43
be sure to rename the default layers so that they
11:46
match your company standards.
11:49
Once all the required layers are named and created
11:52
in the Mechanical Layer Manager to meet
11:54
your specific standard needs, the Object Properties
11:57
and settings need to be set.
11:60
These settings are accomplished in the Standard Settings
12:03
and Object Properties Settings dialog boxes.
12:06
First, open the Options dialog box and switch
12:08
to the AM:Standards tab.
12:10
With the required standard that you
12:12
want to configure selected as active,
12:14
double-click on its name at the top of the Standard elements
12:17
list.
12:18
If required, set any settings in the Standard Settings dialog
12:21
box for items such as text, leaders or symbols.
12:25
In the Object properties area, click
12:27
Settings to open the Object Property Settings dialog box.
12:31
In the Object Property Settings dialog
12:33
box with a particular category selected, such as drafting,
12:37
you can set which layer a particular item of that type
12:41
is to be automatically created on, such as having centerlines
12:45
automatically being created on the layer titled Centerlines.
12:49
Click OK to accept all dialog boxes.
12:53
Let's take a look at creating a complete custom
12:56
company-specific standard and template as a working example.
13:00
We'll go through the steps of creating a new document,
13:03
creating a new custom standard, renaming a default layer,
13:07
and adding dual linear dimensions.
13:10
Once we complete the configuration of our custom
13:12
standard, we will then save the file as our template file.
13:17
The first step is to simply create a new drawing based
13:20
on an existing template.
13:22
The existing template can be one that is already set up
13:25
with basic AutoCAD settings, such as a title block, that you
13:28
likely already have been using.
13:30
With the new drawing open and active,
13:32
we are now ready to create the new custom
13:35
company-specific standard based on a supplied industry
13:39
standard.
13:39
And we'll choose ANSI.
13:41
To accomplish this task, we first
13:43
opened the Options dialog box by typing Options
13:46
at the command line.
13:47
In the Options dialog box, we switch to the AM:Standards tab.
13:51
In the Standard drop-down list, we'll
13:54
type Company XYZ as the name for our new custom
13:58
company-specific standard.
14:00
As soon as we tab out of the field,
14:02
the Selection dialog box appears.
14:05
For our base standard, we will select
14:07
ANSI in the drop-down list then click OK.
14:11
We will then click OK in the Options dialog box.
14:14
Our named company-specific standard is now created and set
14:18
as the active standard.
14:19
All we need to do now is configure all the settings
14:22
for our company requirements.
14:25
With our new custom company specific standard created,
14:29
we can now customize some settings
14:31
to meet our requirements.
14:33
We will first rename a default layer for centerlines.
14:36
On the Home tab of the ribbon in the Layers panel,
14:39
click Mechanical Layer Manager.
14:42
In the dialog box that opens, right-click on the layer name
14:45
AM_7 and choose Rename Layer.
14:49
Enter Centerlines for the new name.
14:51
We then click OK in the Mechanical Layer Manager
14:54
dialog box to accept the change.
14:57
To verify that centerline objects are being created
15:00
on the renamed centerlines layer,
15:02
let's open up the Options dialog box switching
15:06
to the AM:Standards tab again.
15:08
With our custom standard Company XYZ still listed
15:11
in the standard drop-down list, we
15:14
will double-click on Company XYZ in the Standard elements list
15:18
on the right hand side.
15:20
This action opens the Standard Settings dialog box,
15:24
where we will click Settings in the Object properties area
15:27
to open the Object Property Settings dialog box.
15:31
In the Object Property Settings dialog box,
15:33
select the Drafting category.
15:36
Verify that the Centerline object type
15:39
is set to be placed on the newly renamed layer Centerlines.
15:43
We then click OK in all the dialog boxes
15:46
to accept any changes.
15:49
For our custom company-specific standard,
15:51
we also want to add dual or alternative dimensions for only
15:56
linear type dimensions.
15:57
To accomplish this setting, we navigate back to the Options
16:01
dialog box, AM:Standards tab.
16:04
With our custom standard still selected
16:06
in the standard drop-down list, we
16:09
can double-click on Dimensions in the Standard elements list
16:13
to open the Dimension Settings dialog box.
16:16
In the Dimension Settings dialog box,
16:19
we click Edit in the Dimension style area
16:22
to open the Edit Dimension Style dialog box.
16:26
Once this dialog box opens, we select
16:28
Linear in the Dimension Style area and click
16:31
Modify, which ultimately opens the Modify Dimension Style
16:35
dialog box.
16:36
We switch to the Alternate Units tab,
16:39
check the Display alternate unit checkbox,
16:42
and adjust any multiplier precision
16:45
or other values if necessary.
16:47
By clicking OK and all the dialog boxes,
16:50
we have successfully configured our custom standard
16:53
to contain a dual dimension style.
16:56
Our final step is to save the file as a template file.
16:60
In the application menu, we select Save As.
17:03
In the Save Drawing As dialog box that appears,
17:06
we set the Files of type to AutoCAD Mechanical Drawing
17:10
Template, .dwt.
17:12
We navigate to the appropriate folder, if not already set,
17:16
enter a name for our template in the file name field then
17:20
click Save.
17:21
In the Template Options dialog box that appears,
17:23
we can enter a Description, if desired,
17:26
verify that Measurement is set correctly then click OK.
17:30
Our template file with our custom company specific
17:33
standard is now created and saved.
17:36
Thank you for joining me today for this accelerator
17:38
presentation about meeting industry
17:40
and company-specific standards when using the AutoCAD
17:44
Mechanical toolset.
17:45
And I hope you found the information useful.
Video transcript
00:00
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:11
ELVIS SVERKO: Hello and welcome to this accelerator
00:13
presentation, where I will discuss
00:15
how to meet industry and company-specific standards when
00:18
using the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset.
00:21
So let's begin.
00:22
This safe harbor statement is just a reminder
00:25
that the Autodesk software changes regularly
00:28
to continually improve the software
00:30
and make it a better experience for you.
00:32
If I happen to make any forward-looking statements
00:34
in this presentation, please do not make any buying decisions
00:38
based on it.
00:40
Let me introduce myself.
00:41
My name is Elvis Sverko, and I'm a Senior Application Engineer
00:44
with IMAGINiT.
00:46
I have 30 years experience with multiple Autodesk products
00:49
including AutoCAD and its various tool sets, Inventor
00:52
solid modeling, and Vault data management,
00:55
where I provide implementation solutions and training
00:57
services of these products.
00:59
After obtaining my master's degree,
01:02
I worked in industry for a dozen years
01:03
where I then brought that experience
01:05
into my current role, where I am also
01:08
an Autodesk certified instructor and had presented
01:11
at Autodesk University.
01:13
The purpose of this accelerator is
01:15
to teach you about standards based design within the AutoCAD
01:18
Mechanical toolset.
01:20
Where standards help control how geometry and annotations
01:24
display in a drawing that meet industry
01:26
or company-specific standards such as ANSI, ISO, and DIN.
01:31
We will look to understand the AutoCAD Mechanical standards
01:34
management, how to select the standard to use,
01:37
defined a new standard, modify an existing standard,
01:42
create a new drawing standard template to be used,
01:45
and set drawing layer in object properties.
01:49
Industry standards such as ANSI, ISO, or DIN
01:52
or company-specific standard variations
01:55
may be used to create geometry and annotations.
01:58
Within a standard, there are multiple elements
02:01
that you can edit to achieve the settings
02:03
specific to your requirements.
02:05
Some settings may include things such as assigning
02:07
specific layers for individual types of geometry,
02:11
arranging how dimensions are to be displayed,
02:14
selecting welding symbols that can be utilized,
02:17
or defining the information that is to be stored
02:20
in the Bill of materials.
02:22
With these standards set, you can then
02:24
use the AutoCAD Mechanical tools to create drawings
02:27
that consistently follow notation and layer settings,
02:30
while you simply focus on creating the design.
02:33
An example is configuring center lines
02:36
so that when they are being created,
02:38
their properties meet specific settings,
02:40
such as the layer they are placed on
02:42
and their color and line type.
02:45
The AM:Standards tab in the Options dialog box is used
02:48
to activate or modify a standard that is to be used
02:52
in a drawing.
02:53
There are four main items that are controlled
02:55
by the AM:Standards.
02:57
And they include a selection for which industry standard is
02:59
to be used, a couple of scaling options,
03:03
the choice for the default standards template,
03:05
and the individual elements of the selected standard.
03:09
To access the Options dialog box,
03:11
you can type options at the command line,
03:13
then switch to the AM:Standards tab once this dialog box is
03:17
open.
03:18
In the Standard section, use the dropdown list
03:21
to select an industry standard, or enter
03:24
the name of a new standard.
03:26
Also select the unit of measurement for the standard.
03:29
And if the properties of existing drawing layers
03:31
of the same name should be updated
03:34
based on the settings in the newly activated standard.
03:37
In the Scale section, use the dropdown list set the scale
03:41
factor for model space, which sets the scales
03:44
factor for symbols such as balloons, parts
03:47
lists, weld symbols, leader notes, dimensions,
03:50
and many other symbols including their text.
03:53
You also need to select the initial plot scale
03:56
factor for a newly created layout to either one to one
03:59
or the selected model space.
04:02
With a particular standard active,
04:04
drawings can be created that follow
04:06
industry-accepted standards for notations, such as symbols
04:10
and dimensions, and company-specific standards
04:13
for layer settings and use.
04:15
Can apply your drawing standards to all new drawings that you
04:19
create in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset,
04:21
and to previously existing AutoCAD software drawing
04:24
files that are now opened in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset.
04:29
Selecting and activating a standard for use in a drawing
04:32
is accomplished in the AM:Standards tab of the Options
04:35
dialog box.
04:37
To access the Options dialog box,
04:39
you can type options at the command line,
04:41
then switch to the AM:Standards tab once this dialog box is
04:45
open.
04:46
In the Standard section, use the dropdown list
04:49
to select one of the supplied industry standards,
04:51
such as ISO, ANSI, DIN, or any other.
04:54
You can also select the unit of measurement for the standard.
04:58
And if the properties of existing drawing layers
05:01
of the same name should be updated
05:03
based on the settings in the newly activated standard.
05:08
Rather than overriding any industry standards that
05:11
come supplied with the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset,
05:14
you can create a new custom company-specific standard
05:17
based on a supplied industry standard.
05:21
To create a new custom drafting standard,
05:23
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
05:27
In the standard dropdown list, type a name for the new custom
05:30
standard you want to create and press Enter.
05:34
In the Selection dialog box that then appears,
05:36
select a supplied industry standard from the dropdown list
05:40
to use as a base standard or starting template,
05:43
then accept all dialog boxes.
05:46
The benefit of creating a custom standard
05:48
instead of overriding a supplied industry standard
05:52
is that custom standards remove certain restrictions that
05:55
are imposed on supplied industry standards,
05:58
such as modifying the text height to a value that
06:01
would violate the standard.
06:03
With a new custom drafting standard created,
06:06
you can now configure the elements for the standard.
06:10
To make these elements configuration modifications,
06:13
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
06:17
With the new custom standard selected
06:19
in the standard dropdown list, double click on the element
06:22
that you want to change in the standard elements list.
06:26
The corresponding settings dialog box
06:28
appears for that element.
06:30
Make the required changes and click OK
06:32
until all dialog boxes are closed.
06:35
Note that modifications to elements
06:37
are applied only to objects that are created
06:40
with the current standard.
06:41
If an object is created with one standard,
06:44
and then the active standard is switched to a different one
06:47
and its settings are modified, then only new objects
06:50
created after the active standard switch are affected.
06:54
Objects created under the original standard
06:57
do not change.
06:59
You may need to modify an existing standard.
07:02
In the AM:Standards tab of the Options dialog box,
07:05
select the standard from the standard drop-down list.
07:09
With the standard selected, you are now
07:11
able to modify any of the elements
07:13
for that standard that are listed
07:14
in these standard elements area.
07:17
To modify a particular element, you
07:19
can either double-click on it or right-click on it
07:22
and choose Settings.
07:24
Each element type will have its own specific dialog
07:27
box and settings to set.
07:29
After all elements have been modified according
07:31
to your requirements, click OK to accept and close
07:34
all dialog boxes.
07:38
As an example of modifying an existing standard,
07:41
let us add alternative units to linear dimensions.
07:44
To start, we open the Options dialog box and switch
07:48
to the AM:Standards tab.
07:50
After selecting the specific standard
07:52
we want to modify in the Standard area,
07:55
we double click on Dimensions in the Standard elements list.
07:59
This action will open these specific Dimensions Settings
08:02
dialog box, where we will click Edit in the Dimension style
08:06
area.
08:07
The Edit Dimensions Style dialog box will open,
08:10
and we will select Linear in the Dimension style area
08:14
and then click Modify.
08:16
Finally, the Modify Dimension Style dialog box will open,
08:19
and we will switch to the Alternate Units tab.
08:23
Here, we will check the Display alternate units option
08:26
and set any other settings we want to modify.
08:29
We will then click OK in all the open dialog boxes
08:32
to accept our modification of adding alternative units
08:35
to only Linear dimensions.
08:39
Starting new drawings from an established template
08:41
is good practice, as it sets all specific settings
08:45
and configurations for that new drawing.
08:48
To create a new template, create a new drawing
08:51
based on an existing template.
08:53
Make any basic drawing adjustments, if required,
08:56
such as title block, et cetera.
08:58
Open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards tab.
09:02
Set or define a drafting standard
09:04
in the Standard drop-down list.
09:06
Set the required measurement setting in the Measurement
09:09
drop-down list.
09:10
In the Scale area, set the required scale in the model
09:14
scale dropdown list and choose the radial button
09:17
that sets which scale is to be used in layouts.
09:20
The final step is to save the drawing as an AutoCAD
09:23
Mechanical drawing template, .dwt file,
09:27
by choosing Save As in the application menu,
09:31
then setting the corresponding file type in the files of Type
09:34
drop-down list.
09:36
Be sure that the required standard is set as active
09:39
in the saved template.
09:42
Setting a default standards template
09:44
in the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset
09:46
enables non-AutoCAD Mechanical drawings
09:49
to be opened in the mechanical toolset,
09:52
and have the active standard from the default standards
09:55
template drawing file added to it and set to active.
09:59
After a drawing template file has been configured and saved,
10:02
open the Options dialog box and switch to the AM:Standards.
10:07
In the default standard template area,
10:09
click Browse and navigate to and select the required template
10:12
file that has the specific standard set as active.
10:16
Once set, click OK in the Options dialog box.
10:20
With its default standards template file set,
10:23
if a non-AutoCAD Mechanical drawing is opened,
10:26
the active standard from the default standards template file
10:29
is imported into the open drawing and set as active.
10:33
If the drawing being opened has a measurement system that
10:36
differs from that of the default standard template file,
10:39
then the standard is not imported.
10:43
It's important to control how geometry is displayed
10:46
to meet your requirements, and this is accomplished
10:49
based on a set of standards.
10:51
The AutoCAD Mechanical toolset manages the creation of layers
10:55
and the placement of geometry on those layers automatically,
10:59
all based on the settings in the active standard.
11:02
These layer settings are set in the Mechanical Layer Manager,
11:06
and the Object Property Settings dialog boxes.
11:09
The Mechanical Layer Manager dialog box
11:12
can be opened either from the Home tab layers panel
11:15
or by typing AMLAYER at the command line.
11:19
Once this dialog box opens, you can rename the default layers,
11:23
create new layers, modify layer properties,
11:26
set the current layer, or even import layer definition
11:30
and object settings.
11:32
The associated objects column lists all the objects
11:35
that are currently configured in the standard
11:38
to be created on that specific layer.
11:41
Before you create custom mechanical standards,
11:43
be sure to rename the default layers so that they
11:46
match your company standards.
11:49
Once all the required layers are named and created
11:52
in the Mechanical Layer Manager to meet
11:54
your specific standard needs, the Object Properties
11:57
and settings need to be set.
11:60
These settings are accomplished in the Standard Settings
12:03
and Object Properties Settings dialog boxes.
12:06
First, open the Options dialog box and switch
12:08
to the AM:Standards tab.
12:10
With the required standard that you
12:12
want to configure selected as active,
12:14
double-click on its name at the top of the Standard elements
12:17
list.
12:18
If required, set any settings in the Standard Settings dialog
12:21
box for items such as text, leaders or symbols.
12:25
In the Object properties area, click
12:27
Settings to open the Object Property Settings dialog box.
12:31
In the Object Property Settings dialog
12:33
box with a particular category selected, such as drafting,
12:37
you can set which layer a particular item of that type
12:41
is to be automatically created on, such as having centerlines
12:45
automatically being created on the layer titled Centerlines.
12:49
Click OK to accept all dialog boxes.
12:53
Let's take a look at creating a complete custom
12:56
company-specific standard and template as a working example.
13:00
We'll go through the steps of creating a new document,
13:03
creating a new custom standard, renaming a default layer,
13:07
and adding dual linear dimensions.
13:10
Once we complete the configuration of our custom
13:12
standard, we will then save the file as our template file.
13:17
The first step is to simply create a new drawing based
13:20
on an existing template.
13:22
The existing template can be one that is already set up
13:25
with basic AutoCAD settings, such as a title block, that you
13:28
likely already have been using.
13:30
With the new drawing open and active,
13:32
we are now ready to create the new custom
13:35
company-specific standard based on a supplied industry
13:39
standard.
13:39
And we'll choose ANSI.
13:41
To accomplish this task, we first
13:43
opened the Options dialog box by typing Options
13:46
at the command line.
13:47
In the Options dialog box, we switch to the AM:Standards tab.
13:51
In the Standard drop-down list, we'll
13:54
type Company XYZ as the name for our new custom
13:58
company-specific standard.
14:00
As soon as we tab out of the field,
14:02
the Selection dialog box appears.
14:05
For our base standard, we will select
14:07
ANSI in the drop-down list then click OK.
14:11
We will then click OK in the Options dialog box.
14:14
Our named company-specific standard is now created and set
14:18
as the active standard.
14:19
All we need to do now is configure all the settings
14:22
for our company requirements.
14:25
With our new custom company specific standard created,
14:29
we can now customize some settings
14:31
to meet our requirements.
14:33
We will first rename a default layer for centerlines.
14:36
On the Home tab of the ribbon in the Layers panel,
14:39
click Mechanical Layer Manager.
14:42
In the dialog box that opens, right-click on the layer name
14:45
AM_7 and choose Rename Layer.
14:49
Enter Centerlines for the new name.
14:51
We then click OK in the Mechanical Layer Manager
14:54
dialog box to accept the change.
14:57
To verify that centerline objects are being created
15:00
on the renamed centerlines layer,
15:02
let's open up the Options dialog box switching
15:06
to the AM:Standards tab again.
15:08
With our custom standard Company XYZ still listed
15:11
in the standard drop-down list, we
15:14
will double-click on Company XYZ in the Standard elements list
15:18
on the right hand side.
15:20
This action opens the Standard Settings dialog box,
15:24
where we will click Settings in the Object properties area
15:27
to open the Object Property Settings dialog box.
15:31
In the Object Property Settings dialog box,
15:33
select the Drafting category.
15:36
Verify that the Centerline object type
15:39
is set to be placed on the newly renamed layer Centerlines.
15:43
We then click OK in all the dialog boxes
15:46
to accept any changes.
15:49
For our custom company-specific standard,
15:51
we also want to add dual or alternative dimensions for only
15:56
linear type dimensions.
15:57
To accomplish this setting, we navigate back to the Options
16:01
dialog box, AM:Standards tab.
16:04
With our custom standard still selected
16:06
in the standard drop-down list, we
16:09
can double-click on Dimensions in the Standard elements list
16:13
to open the Dimension Settings dialog box.
16:16
In the Dimension Settings dialog box,
16:19
we click Edit in the Dimension style area
16:22
to open the Edit Dimension Style dialog box.
16:26
Once this dialog box opens, we select
16:28
Linear in the Dimension Style area and click
16:31
Modify, which ultimately opens the Modify Dimension Style
16:35
dialog box.
16:36
We switch to the Alternate Units tab,
16:39
check the Display alternate unit checkbox,
16:42
and adjust any multiplier precision
16:45
or other values if necessary.
16:47
By clicking OK and all the dialog boxes,
16:50
we have successfully configured our custom standard
16:53
to contain a dual dimension style.
16:56
Our final step is to save the file as a template file.
16:60
In the application menu, we select Save As.
17:03
In the Save Drawing As dialog box that appears,
17:06
we set the Files of type to AutoCAD Mechanical Drawing
17:10
Template, .dwt.
17:12
We navigate to the appropriate folder, if not already set,
17:16
enter a name for our template in the file name field then
17:20
click Save.
17:21
In the Template Options dialog box that appears,
17:23
we can enter a Description, if desired,
17:26
verify that Measurement is set correctly then click OK.
17:30
Our template file with our custom company specific
17:33
standard is now created and saved.
17:36
Thank you for joining me today for this accelerator
17:38
presentation about meeting industry
17:40
and company-specific standards when using the AutoCAD
17:44
Mechanical toolset.
17:45
And I hope you found the information useful.
How to buy
Privacy | Do not sell or share my personal information | Cookie preferences | Report noncompliance | Terms of use | Legal | © 2025 Autodesk Inc. All rights reserved
Sign in to start learning
Sign in for unlimited free access to all learning content.Save your progress
Take assessments
Receive personalized recommendations
May we collect and use your data?
Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?
Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.