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Drawing Modes Layers floor system

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#21 Warren Ducote

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Posted 08 August 2019 - 05:30 AM

A question for you Warren: do you put all your different items on their own layers AFTER you have drawn everything or have you changed each symbol/ wall/ etc. definition to put them where you want them?

I generally place items on a layer well into the drawing. Like Plumbing Fixtures, I will at some point click a toilet or something, place it on the Plumbing Fixture Layer and then hit repeat edit an start clicking all of the plumbing fixtures. For Cabinets, at some point, I will right click and pick Add Group Selection and this will highlight all Cabinets. Then I change all Cabinets to their own layer. Most items can be left on their default layer like walls and openings. But items like Room Names, Detail Notes and other items that I do not want on any other Modes but for the Main Floor Plan, I place them on a Layer called "Main Drawing". For a note that I want to only show up on my foundation drawing, I place them on "Foundation Mode Notes". All of my Layers are placed in alphabetical order except for the three or four that I use most often and they are all at the top of the list



#22 Warren Ducote

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Posted 08 August 2019 - 05:32 AM

Warren, Have you though about turning ON "No Print" for layers like INVISIBLE ITEMS, just to ensure they are actually INVISIBLE?

Layers work great for me when it comes to placing only the items I want on a drawing in any given mode. I might add that most of my layers have a distinctive color. In my case cabinets are green, plumbing is pink, main drawing notes are blue, electrical underground is light brown and so forth. Makes seeing and finding items much easier. I also print my plans in color.

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#23 Warren Ducote

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Posted 08 August 2019 - 05:56 AM

This is a pic of my Plumbing Mode. Plumbing Fixtures including stub outs are on their own layer (Pink). House foundation outline is on its own layer (Brown). Plumbing dimensions are on their own layer (A green that is different that drawing dimensions). Electrical underground and their dimensions are own their own layer (Light Brown and Light Green). 

 

By using layers like I do, if I wanted to, I could show my plumbing fixtures in Roof Mode or Cabinets in Foundation Mode. I can draw an object ONE TIME and have it show up in any mode that I want it to be seen. 

 

If you set up Mode Visibilities in System Options for each and every Mode (Example - Plumbing Mode - Layers that are visible - Foundation Outline, Plumbing Fixtures, Plumbing Dimensions, Electrical Underground, Electrical Underground Dimensions and Plumbing Mode Notes.) You only have to set this up once and after that, every future drawing will have these layers visible on whatever mode you choose. One time set up. It may sound complicated but in reality, it makes thing very easy and very time saving.

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#24 Gary McKeon

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Posted 08 August 2019 - 09:51 AM

Thanks Warren. Your system makes sense. One of my frustrations with "default" has been too many disparate items being grouped together and so lose control of what can be shown or not. I may have to look more closely at doing this.


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#25 Kerry Calvert

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Posted 15 March 2020 - 12:06 PM

Hi Warren,

 

I realize that this post is seven months old but I'm hoping you are still monitoring it. 

 

Your approach of using layers is exactly the approach taken by Autocad users, I am curious are you a former Autocad user?

 

Since Softplan has its own internal layering It was my hope that Softplan was beyond the labor intensive layering techniques that Autocad uses.  I had hoped that once the modes were configured I could template them and never have to set them up again.

 

It seams to me that drawing, then changing the layer, then repeating over and over is somewhat time consuming, this to me is anti-productive.



#26 David Zawadzki

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Posted 15 March 2020 - 02:03 PM

Kerry, have you tried setting up custom modes?


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#27 Kerry Calvert

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Posted 15 March 2020 - 02:18 PM

Hi David, I am in the process of trying to figure them out I have used Softplan for 15+ years but never bothered with them in the past.

 

I am currently trying to figure out how to get some items to display in only select modes such as notes and/or shapes displaying in only specific modes

 

The area of Canada that I live in is heavily Autocad biased and those few that do use Softplan treat it and use it like Autocad so nobody to confer with locally.



#28 David Zawadzki

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Posted 15 March 2020 - 05:39 PM

Kerry, the best advice I ever got was someone telling me to take control of the program, don't let the program control you.

 

Here is a quickie out of the Help file to get you started... :-)

 

Using Layers in Custom Modes

 

When using Custom modes to create additional drawings, you may find that the Visible Items menu (select
Options ® Visible Items) that is used to control which item types are shown on a drawing does not always give you the control over item visibility that you need since there may be times when you want only some items of an item type to be displayed. To give you more visibility control, use the Layers feature. By combining a Custom mode with Layers you will achieve tight control over what is visible or not visible in a SoftPlan mode.

 

      Important:

 

      ·    To learn how to use Layers, see Using Layers.

 

      ·    In addition to the Custom modes, Layers can be added in any SoftPlan mode. For more information on the SoftPlan modes, see the section The Status Bar.

 

Creating a mechanical drawing is an example where you would use Layers in a Custom mode. To do this:

 

1.   Open the drawing for which you want to create a mechanical drawing.

 

2.   In the Drawing Options, rename a Custom mode to represent the drawing that you are trying to create. For this example, rename Custom 1 mode to Mechanical.

     

      Note:

 

      If you rename a Custom mode in the System Options, whenever you create a new drawing, the renamed mode will already be named to your choice.

 

3.   Select Mechanical mode from the Mode menu located on the right side of the Status bar. The drawing is displayed in Mechanical mode.

 

4.   For this example, the mechanical drawing is to show the HVAC system. Since this drawing will contain shapes and symbols unique to the mechanical drawing, a layer should be used to distinguish them from other shapes and symbols used in other modes of the drawing (e.g., Drawing or Electrical mode).

 

      The layer to be used should be renamed to reflect what is to be added to the layer. To do this:

 

      i.    Select Options ® Layer Setup. The Layer Setup table opens.

 

      ii.   For this example, rename a layer to HVAC.

 

      iii.  If necessary, also use the table to set the color of the items to be added to the layer.

 

      ·    To learn how to change information in the Layer Setup table, see Setting up a Layer.

 

5.   Use the Visible Items menu (select Options ® Visible Items) to hide the items (shapes, symbols, and so on) that you do not want displayed in the current mode.

 

      ·    To learn how to use the Visible Items menu to do this, see Visible Items.

 

6.   Use the Visible Items menu to specify the HVAC layer as visible in the current mode.

     

      ·    For more information, see Making a Layer Visible in the Current Mode.

                                                                            

7.   Add the symbols and shapes needed to create the required mechanical drawing. All items you draw will be added to the selected layer.

 

Note:

 

Once a custom mode is created, the information you added to that mode can be quickly viewed whenever you select that mode. For example, if you are currently in Drawing mode, but wish to view the mechanical drawing, select Mechanical mode. The normal view of the drawing will disappear and be replaced with the information added in Mechanical mode including the items you have placed in the HVAC layer.

 

To return once again to Drawing mode, simply select Drawing mode from the Mode menu.


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#29 Michael Collazo

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Posted 22 March 2020 - 11:22 PM

I thought configuring mode visibilities take care of this.

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#30 Kerry Calvert

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Posted 23 March 2020 - 10:25 AM

Thanks for your highly detailed help David, I was just hoping that doing this in Softplan wasn't so 'Autocad' like!     

 

 

For the first time since i started using Softplan back on version 8 (I think) I have been working through getting my computer setup to use layers and modes.  It is very labour intensive and time consuming making sure everything is on the right layer so it displays correctly but I guess it is what it is!

 

It is definitely more challenging when you work for several different builders and they all have their own configurations and setups.







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