In this exercise, you select the starting point for your structural template.
Whenever you create a new project or template, a group of settings are used to specify the project
environment. For example, when you create a new project, you can select an existing template or begin the project with no template. Even if you choose not to base that project on a template, certain baseline settings are still assigned to the new project. When you create a new template based on an existing template, the same rules apply. You can use an existing template as the baseline or use no template at all. Depending on your needs, choose the option that will help you develop the best template with the least amount of work.
Review existing templates
1 Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Project.
2 Under Template File, click Browse.
Notice there are a number of different templates to choose from. The template selection may vary depending on your installation. Other than the default template, each is modified in a way to make it useful to a particular industry, such as structural or construction.
The first step in creating your structural template is deciding which template to use as your starting point. If your work requires a variety of templates, you can modify one template and use Transfer Project Standards to copy the changes to other templates.
3 Select the Structural Analysis-Default.rte template, and click Open.
4 In the New Project dialog, select Project for Create new.
5 Click OK.
6 In the Project Browser, expand Views ➤ Elevations, and double-click Building Elevation.
7 Click View menu ➤ Zoom ➤ Zoom in Region and, in the drawing area, drag a zoom region around the level heads.
Notice that there are more predefined levels than you normally see in the default template.
8 In the Project Browser, navigate throughout the various views and schedules.
Notice that the structural analysis template is more complex than the default template. Other templates, such as the structural template, are simple in respect to the predefined views and schedules, but the view properties have been modified to maximize the use of the structural tools.
9 Click File menu ➤ Close.
If you have additional projects open, close them.
10 Click File menu ➤ New ➤ Project.
11 Under Template File, click Browse.
12 Select a default template.
TIP This template is the starting point for your new template. If you want to use a template other than the default, you can select it now.
13 Click Open.
14 Under Create New, select Project Template, and click OK.
15 Proceed to the next exercise, Modifying Project Settings on page 131.
Modifying Project Settings
In this exercise, you modify the project settings for your new template. These settings control the appearance of components and their subcomponents within a project. In order to maintain office standards and reduce rework, you can establish the settings that are common to most projects. For example, you can create the materials commonly used in most projects. When you create the material, you can dictate its appearance in all views and renderings.
In addition to the list above, there are additional commands on the Settings menu that allow modifications that can be saved in a template. The specifics regarding each of these are addressed at the end of this exercise.
During this exercise, specific modifications are not dictated. You are merely pointed to each area where you can adapt the template to your needs. For more details on modifying these settings, see the previous lesson, Modifying System Settings on page 107, or refer to the Help documentation.
Create and modify materials
1 Click Settings menu ➤ Materials.
2 Scroll down the Name list.
Observe the materials that are already defined. You may want to rename or modify some of the existing materials. If there are materials that are commonly used within your office or industry, create and modify them as needed.
3 Click OK twice to close the Material Library and Materials dialogs.
Create and modify fill patterns
4 Click Settings menu ➤ Fill Patterns.
5 Scroll through the list of model and drafting patterns.
TIP Drafting patterns represent materials in symbolic form. Model patterns represent actual element appearance on a structure. You can align, rotate, and move model patterns.
6 Create new fill patterns as needed, or modify existing patterns.
RELATED See Modifying Project Settings on page 115 for more information on creating new fill patterns.
7 Click OK when finished.
Specify object styles
8 Click Settings menu ➤ Object Styles.
In the Object Styles dialog, you can set line weights, line colors, line patterns, and materials for different categories and subcategories of components or imported objects.
TIP When the material of a component is set to by category, it adopts the material assigned to its object styles category.
9 Click the Model Objects tab, and scroll through the list of categories.
10 Modify the properties of any existing categories as needed.
11 If necessary, create new subcategories.
12 Click the Annotation Objects tab.
13 Modify categories, and create new subcategories as needed.
14 Click OK to close the Object Styles dialog.
Modify line weights
15 Click Settings menu ➤ Line Weights.
The Line Weights command controls the display of line widths for each scale of a view. You can add and delete view scales.
In the dialog, there are 3 tabs: one for model component line styles, one for perspective model line styles, and one for annotation symbol line styles.
The Model Line Weights tab controls the line width of structural components, such as beams and columns in orthographic views. The widths are dependent on the scale of the design. You
The Perspective Line Weights tab controls the line width of objects in perspective views.
The Annotation Line Weights tab controls the line width of annotation symbols, such as section lines and dimension lines. Annotation line widths are independent of the view scale.
16 Click the Model Line Weights tab.
17 Modify existing line weights as needed.
18 Add and delete view scales as needed.
19 Click the Perspective Line Weights tab.
25 Scroll through the list of line patterns.
26 To modify a line pattern, select it, and click Edit.
27 Add and delete line patterns as needed.
28 Click OK.
Modify line styles
29 Click Settings menu ➤ Line Styles.
30 For existing line categories, modify the line weight, line color, or line pattern as needed.
31 If necessary, create new line subcategories using line weights and line patterns previously modified or created.
32 Click OK.
Modify arrowheads
33 Click Settings menu ➤ Annotations ➤ Arrowheads.
The arrowheads configured within this dialog can be applied to text notes, tags, and dimensions.
34 Select the Type drop-down list, and notice the list of existing arrowhead styles.
To see the details of a particular style, select it from this list.
35 Modify the properties of existing arrowhead styles if necessary.
36 Click Rename if you want to rename an existing arrowhead.
37 If you need to create a new arrowhead style, click Duplicate, name the style, and specify the properties.
38 Click OK.
Modify Dimension Styles
39 Click Settings menu ➤ Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Linear.
Linear, angular, and radial dimensions are modified separately.
40 Select the Type drop-down list, and notice the list of existing linear dimension styles.
To see the details of a particular style, select it from this list.
41 Modify the properties of existing linear dimension styles if necessary.
42 Click Rename if you want to rename an existing style.
43 If you need to create a new linear dimension style, click Duplicate, name the style, and specify the properties.
44 Click OK.
45 Repeat the previous 5 steps for angular and radial dimensions.
■ Click Settings menu ➤ Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Angular.
■ Click Settings menu ➤ Annotations ➤ Dimensions ➤ Radial.
Modify loaded tags
46 Click Settings menu ➤ Annotations ➤ Loaded Tags.
The tag assignments in this dialog dictate the default tag for each category. For example, when you add a structural framing tag with the tag option selected, the beam is tagged using the tag assigned to the structural framing category in this dialog. You can override tag assignment using the Type Selector.
47 Scroll through the list of loaded tags.
Notice many categories do not have loaded tags. You can have multiple tags loaded for any category. When more than one tag has been loaded for a category, the last loaded tag becomes the default tag. In the Tags dialog, you can override the assignment by selecting a different tag from the drop-down list.
48 To load new annotation tags, click Load.
49 After you have loaded the necessary tags, make sure each category is assigned the desired tag, and click OK.
54 Repeat the previous 2 steps for the Area, Volume, and Angle settings.
55 Specify the Slope option, and choose a decimal symbol.
56 Click OK.
Specify temporary dimensions
57 Click Settings menu ➤ Temporary Dimensions.
58 Under Walls, specify where you want the temporary dimensions to measure from by default.
TIP In the drawing area, you can modify the location of temporary dimension witness lines.
59 Under Doors and Windows, specify the default location for temporary dimensions.
60 Click OK.
Specify detail levels
61 Click Settings menu ➤ Detail Level.
When you create a new view, the detail level of that view is automatically assigned using this table. The detail level is based on view scale. You can override the detail level at any time by specifying the Detail Level parameter in the View Properties command.
View scales are organized under the detail level headings Coarse, Medium, or Fine. Using the arrows between the columns, you can move view scales from one detail level to another.
62 Review the table, and move view scales as needed.
NOTE You cannot select specific scales in this dialog. To move the view scales, click the arrows between columns. The view scales move from the lower-left to the upper-right and vice-versa.
63 Click OK.
Modify project browser organization
64 Click Settings menu ➤ Browser Organization.
In a typical project, you often produce multiple packages of related drawings. These drawings and sheets can become so numerous that navigating the lengthy Project Browser list is cumbersome. In order to organize the views and sheets into sets of deliverables, you can use the Project Browser settings to instantly modify how the Project Browser groups and sorts.
65 In the Browser Organization dialog, click the Views tab.
66 Delete, Rename, or Edit existing organization types.
67 If necessary, create new browser organization types.
68 Click the Sheets tab.
69 Delete, Rename, or Edit existing organization types.
70 If necessary, create new browser organization types.
71 Click OK.
Setting View Direction
72 In the Project Browser, right-click any plan view of the Structural Plan Family, and select Properties.
In certain projects, engineers view plans using different orientations in different countries. This parameter makes it possible for you to select a different view direction. For example, you can view the project from the slab looking up (up direction), or from the roof looking down (down direction).
73 In the Element Properties dialog, click Edit/New.
74 In the Type Properties dialog, click View Direction.
75 Use the down arrow to change the parameters to Up or Down.
76 Click OK to exit the dialogs.
Additional project settings
77 On the Settings menu, there are several additional commands that control the project
environment. Although these settings can be saved within a template, you should consider each carefully before applying changes to a template.
For example, you can save rendered scene settings to a template. However, you may only want to add generically named settings that would be applicable to most projects. In such a case, you must decide if the time investment is offset later by the reduction in repetitive work.
Each of these areas is covered later in this lesson or in other tutorials. Use the table below as a checklist, and make modifications in each area as necessary. Links to associated tutorials are provided. You can find additional information in Help. Each command is available on the Settings menu.
Considerations Associated Tutorial
Settings Menu Command
If necessary, you can add project (and shared) parameters to a template. This could be useful for things such as title blocks, and framing tags.
This command is covered in an exer-cise later in this lesson. See Setting up Shared and Project Parameters on page 144.
Project Parameters
Create and modify the view templates to control the appearance of default views.
Considerations Associated Tutorial
Settings Menu Command
If necessary, you can set the symbolic represent-ation settings for cutback distance, brace
78 Proceed to the next exercise, Loading and Modifying Families and Groups on page 137.