Understanding the importance of templates

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When creating plan and profile sheets for your Civil 3D project,

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it is important to use a template that has the title block and layout viewports properly set up in advance.

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This includes making sure that the plan and profile views, as well as the view frames,

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are correctly constructed to meet your project requirements.

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Properly setting up a template beforehand ensures that the scale, visibility, and positioning of your model content are accurate.

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If you need to edit or create a new layout, it is best practice to modify an existing template whenever possible.

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This helps to maintain the consistency and accuracy of layouts within your template.

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To edit an existing template, in the Application menu, select Open.

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In the Select File dialog, ensure that Files of type is set to Drawing Template (*.dwt).

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This allows you to select from all available templates.

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In this example, open the Plan Production folder.

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Next, select the template that contains most of the information that you want to include in your template.

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Here, select Civil 3D (Imperial) Plan and Profile, and then click Open.

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Notice that there are multiple tabs for this template, each with a specific layout.

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Layouts allow you to organize and present different views of your design.

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In this case, each layout includes a different scale,

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and each scale is set up so that the title block includes a viewport for both a plan and a profile view.

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For example, in the ARCH D Plan and Profile 20 Scale layout,

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if you select the plan viewport, you see that the scale is set up at 1" = 20'.

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Select the ARCH D Plan and Profile 40 Scale layout,

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and the plan viewport scale is set up at 1" = 40'.

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To create a new scale layout, such as 1" = 100',

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the easiest method is to modify an existing layout.

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Right-click the 20 Scale layout and select Move or Copy.

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In the Move or Copy dialog, select Create a copy, and then click OK.

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To locate the copy, click More Layouts and select the layout with the 2 in parentheses to display its tab.

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Then, right-click the tab and Rename it accordingly.

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Next, after confirming that the title block is the correct size, set the viewports to the correct scale.

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With the Plan Viewport selected, click the down arrow and select 1" = 100'.

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Then, adjust the size of the opening to match the available space.

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To verify the viewport type, right-click and select Properties.

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In the Properties dialog, scroll down to the Viewport Type,

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and you see that it is set to Plan.

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Press ESC to deselect the plan viewport.

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Similarly, select the Profile Viewport to confirm in Properties that its Viewport Type is set to Profile.

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And once again, use the arrow to adjust the scale to 1" = 100',

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then resize the opening.

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Once you are finished creating the layout, make sure to Save it as a template file in the same location as your title blocks.

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Now, the next time you use that template to cut your plan and profile sheets,

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your new layout will be included, and the view frames will be set to the correct size and scale.