Layout Book – Part 1

ARCHICAD Training Lesson Outline

The Navigator palette has 4 tabs:

• Project Map - Viewpoints on the model and data for your project

• View Map - Views of these Viewpoints, with defined settings for different contexts (layers, scale, Model View Options, etc.)

• Layout Book - Layout sheets organized in Subsets (folders with numbering conventions) and Masters (title block and background)

• Publisher - Sets of Views and/or Layouts that can be Printed, Plotted, Saved (as PDF, DWG, BIMx etc.) or Uploaded

LAYOUT BOOK BASICS

The Layout Book is where you compile your Drawings on sheets, and set up the sheet backgrounds including Title Block, sheet and drawing numbering and reference systems, and manage Transmittal Sets (also known as Issues) and Changes (from earlier printing or publishing sets).

• Each Layout uses a Master for background graphics and Title Block; you can switch this at any time.

• Each Layout can be "loose" inside the Layout Book, or placed inside a hierarchy of one or more Subsets.

• Subsets are folders that control the Layout Number or ID.

• Masters control the sheet size and margins as well as Drawing numbering and arrangement.

Views from the View Map are placed onto Layout Sheets and become Drawings which can be automatically or manually updated.

External Drawings can also be placed, including PDF, DWG, JPG or other graphic formats.

Create a New Layout by right-clicking on any Layout and choosing New Layout; then choose the Master, the Layout Name and other options.

Create a new Subset from the same popup menu; choose numbering settings from the dialog.

BOOK SETTINGS

The top item in the Layout Book list shows the overall name of the Project; this is set in the File menu > Info > Project Info dialog.

Right-click on this item to open up Book Settings, where you can control the ID system (Hierarchy or Flat) and Overall Prefix (this is helpful when you are compiling multiple project files together for a larger project).

Transmittal History allows you to create or edit Transmittals (also known as Issues) and control which layouts are included.

Change Numbering is also set here, along with the overall Scheme for Layout Info (data associated with each layout for management purposes). These Schemes can be exported or imported to facilitate management of standards in larger offices.

MASTER LAYOUTS

Master Layout Settings are organized into a primary panel and a secondary panel.

In the primary panel, the sheet size and margins are defined, along with Drawing Placement options for automatic arrangement of drawings or the use of a Grid system.

Click the Setup Arrangement or Setup Grid button to open the secondary panel, where you'll find options for Auto Arrange Setup (in the first case) or to control the grid cell sizes, numbering and gridline visibility.

• To create a new Master Layout, right-click on  the Masters heading or any Master Layout and choose New Master Layout.

• Master Layouts can be moved around in the list of Masters by drag and drop.

• To duplicate a Master, drag a Master to a new position while holding down Option or CTRL (look for the + sign).

• To delete a Master, right-click and choose Delete Master, or use the red X button at the bottom of the Layout Book area.

• To edit the Settings of a Master, highlight it and click Settings in the Properties section, or right-click and choose Master Layout Settings. You can change the Name directly in the Properties area.

LAYOUT BOOK TREES

Choose between 3 different options in the top popup:

• Tree by Subset - see the organizational structure in a way that reflects the numbering of the sheets; the default option, used for adding drawings, reviewing sheets, and for output purposes.

• Tree by Master - see the Layouts grouped by Master - useful for verifying or changing Master Layout assignments

• Tree by Current Transmittal Set - Once you've defined a Transmittal Set (formerly known as an Issue) you can Remove Subsets or individual Layouts from the Set to specify which sheets are included.

SUBSETS

Subset Settings give tremendous flexibility in terms of identification conventions.

The ID can continue on from an enclosing Subset (or the Layout Book Settings as a whole) or be set on a custom basis.

Use the option to leave out the Subset from the overall numbering system if appropriate; and/or give a group of drawings a custom ID.

LAYOUT SETTINGS

Layout identification is set by default based on the Subset, however it can be overridden in the Properties section or in Layout Settings. The Name is set manually in Layout Settings, or in the Properties.

Revision History and Layout Info allow additional controls for status and recording changes.

PLACING DRAWINGS ON LAYOUTS

You can add a Drawing to a sheet by dragging one or more Views from the View Map onto a Layout Sheet directly, allowing you to move it into a good position on the sheet immediately.

For quick organization of your sheet set, open up the Project Organizer (right-click on the Project Chooser button in the upper left of the Navigator palette) to get a double-wide view of the Navigator. Drag and drop Views onto Layouts without necessarily looking at their placement. Later you can visit each sheet to arrange the drawings precisely.

You can also move drawings from one sheet to another by opening up the hierarchy for the Layout in the Layout Book list.