| And so on... There are many materials
to choose from. Select the command names listed above to see more
information on any or all of the materials.
Block
Library System
The block library system allows you quick access to
both blocks and commands. The block library system is divided into two sections:
PLANBLKS
and ELEVBLKS.
 
Images greatly reduced in size to limit load time
as much as possible.
Plan Block Library - Main Menu
Elevation Block Library - Main Menu
These fully customizable block libraries come stocked with the basics to
get you started (approx. 350 blocks). These expandable libraries can
easily grow to accommodate adding your existing block library but are not
limited to just inserting blocks. Each menu
consists of 40 cells that can each be configured to do one of the following
actions:
Each of these actions (except "do nothing") can be customized to
fit your needs. Select an action above to see more on set-up and
configuration.
Hatch Palettes
There are (3) hatch palettes: one for details and sections, one for
elevations, and one for plans (shown below). Each allows you to set up a standard set of 40 hatch patterns and
you are
able to predefine each pattern's properties so the trial and error of hatching is
eliminated.
The dialog above shows the hatches that the "Plan Hatches" palette comes
configured with out of the box. We also have included over 80 hatch patterns
that are not typically a part of everyone's library but that we've found quite
helpful. An example is our four shake hatches. Why four? Because as you can see
above they are the same width but the height is different so you can show
different roof pitches on the same elevation and have it look right. There are
also some of the more common hatches like our stone and wood hatches as well as
some less common material hatches like straw and stone in section.
Each of the 40 hatches selected for use in each palette can have several
properties edited to speed insertion. When you press "Customize" and then select
one of the hatch patterns in a palette you will see the following:
For each of the 40 hatches for each palette you may configure:
 Hatch pattern
Hatch relative to a selected
base point Great when doing brick hatches etc.
Prompt for scale/rotation prior to hatching Some hatches should
always be the same scale time after time, others may need to change
scale/rotation
Default/Preset rotation and Default/Preset scale factor Depending on
what is checked above this sets either the Default rotation/scale that can be
changed prior to hatching or sets the Preset rotation/scale that will be used
every time.
Adjust hatch scale w/ drawing scale Once you have figured out the
perfect scale factor for a specific hatch pattern you can have the hatch scale
factor adjust with the scale of the drawing so it will always be perfect no
matter what drawing you are in.
Hatch color/Lineweight This is usually set to "Bylayer" but dot
hatches and some others often need to be a heavier or lighter than the standard
"Bylayer" color/lineweight so you may set that here so you save a step not
having to change it after the fact.
Layer
Control System
Each office has its own idea of how layers should be used when drafting.
We’ve seen quite a range: from using a single layer for everything, to creating
dozens of complex layer schemes with hundreds of layers in each scheme. No
matter what level of control you typically use we’ve got you covered. In the APS
system we have three levels of layer control:
The first is for those who don’t want to deal with layers at all. Known as
“No layer control” this method simply creates all new objects on the current
layer.
The second is for those who use just a few layers and want to keep it as
simple as possible. This method is known as “Direct
layer assignment” and it allows you to assign a single layer name to each
layer type or command.
The third method is for those who want a powerful, dynamic, and easy way
to handle their layers. Known as “Layer scheme
control” it allows you to have an extremely high level of control over
your layers while keeping things fast and simple. We’ll show you just a few of
its features here:
|
