Basic drawing tips from an ADT or ABS class

Templates – If you are using either an AutoCAD Architecture (ADT) or AutoCAD MEP (ABS) product of any version, you should create a template by first opening a template out of the box for these products. This assures that you will have display configurations and annotation scales. The ADT templates are named “AEC…” while the ABS templates are named “ABS…” Those templates with “sheet” in the name contain titleblocks. You will typically want those with “model” in the name.

From that template, add anything else that you want in the template.

· Options that are drawing specific (have the dwg icon in front of it)
· Snap
· Grid
· Drawing setup (units, layer key styles)
· Text and dimensions (though these are better served on palettes)

If you were to use your old stand-by, you would be missing out on any display configurations.

In the 2008 products, all products from basic AutoCAD and those built on AutoCAD will have annotation and scales built in like we are used to having in ADT & ABS.

Drawing Cleanup – AUDIT & PURGE are our friends, but they do not do enough in ADT or ABS. Styles are only cleaned up with the Purge Styles

and in ABS you also need the Purge Building Systems Objects. Purging ABS objects used to be found under the MEP Common pull-down menu. In 2007.1, that menu has gone away and the tool is now found under File>Drawing Utilities.

Layer Filters must be deleted separately as well.