Alaskan_Son

Here's a quick video. By no means does it cover all the various methods and options but hopefully its enough to give you an idea of some of the other possibilities. This was done with simple line work, but variations of the same methods can be used for lighting layout, post layout, timber layout, the list could go on. I know a lot of you are probably familiar with these methods but a few of the comments here have led me to believe a number of others might not be. Hopefully this helps...

That is definitely not true. As mentioned above you can use either of the Align/Distribute tools and they would actually be a lot faster and easier in a lot of situations.

Still doesn't exactly crop things, but I was able to find a way to more quickly select items for trimming using the fence tool. Here's the process that I've found works best for me. 1. Draw the polyline that represents your selection area. 2. Copy/Paste In Place that polyline, hold down C and use one of the corner edit handles to concentrically resize your new polyline to be just slightly larger than the original (you may need to hold down control as well to override other snaps). This will serve as your fence for selecting lines to trim. 3. Select your original polyline. 4. Click trim, click Fence,and then select the larger polyline made in Step 2. The fence you select in that step will fence select the line work that will trim to the first polyline selected. 5. Group select and cut, copy, or delete remaining linework as necessary. Again. Still not a true crop tool, but it speeds the process up a bit anyway.

Did you save that same word document as a PDF first? It might be an issue with the save/print to PDF process.

It's in the structure tab now. Roof planes are set up to work more like rooms now with the added layer capabilities. Kinda like we have Ceiling Structure, Ceiling Finish, Floor Finish, and Floor Structure definitions...we now have roof Surface, Structure, and Ceiling definitions.

Yessiree. No one can say you didn't at least try. And who knows, you may be guessing correctly!

...and with everything else

I am always glad when people attach the plan without being asked. I hope this serves as an example for everyone else. It would really help if you could describe what exactly you're having a problem with though.

I obviously haven't seen your plan, but for things like deck posts all you often times have to do is group select them and use Align/Distribute Objects...Space Evenly or Distribute Centers Evenly. Often times no need for drawing any extra lines at all. Align/Distribute Along Line (using a wall or some other existing object) could work equally well for that situation too.

There are actually quite a few methods a person could use to get those sorts of numbers without even having a line. For example, you could place point markers at both corners and then drop 3 more in between. While the point marker tool is still active, Control or Shift select them, click Align/Distribute Objects and select space evenly in both directions.

FWIW, If your items are already drawn, variations of the method Robert mentioned would actually be faster.

Yep. That's the one.

Good thought Joe. You could also just select the layout box and click the Relink File tool to get the same information more quickly.

Explore the Treatments tab of your window dbxs. Specifically, Exterior Millwork Above Casing. You can also use polyline solids, symbols, or a number of other methods.

You don't use an interval. You just set the number of copies and distribute from one end of the line to the other.

Sounds like you have a problem. Plan views should always update automatically. Are you sure you didn't accidentally send it as an image?

I gave him an extra point on your behalf : )

I can't tell you WHY its happening, but those lines you're seeing are z-fighting (the framing from the wall and floor are showing through). I didn't spend too much time with it, so there may be a better fix, but if you move your OSB to an exterior layer and make your stucco layer thicker you can get it to go away. How thick you need to make those exterior layers may depend on how far back you want to pull your camera. If its just for the elevation views you have set up, simply moving the plywood to the exterior layer or making the stucco a little thicker should fix your issue.

You bet!

I haven't really had to draw them much because we rarely build foundations like that around here so there may be other better methods, but you should be able to make the "stemwall" as short as the thickness of your slab at which point its technically not a stemwall at all but just the edge of your slab.

Those are pattern lines. I personally always leave them at the default setting but you can increase the thickness when sending to layout under Plot Line Options in the Send To Layout dbx.

So I still don't have the solution I was hoping for, but the closest thing I was able to find was that you can send to layout, resize the layout box and then create CAD Detail From View which essentially crops everything outside the layout box. Might be faster than what I've been doing for some situations.

Thank you Yusef. I really appreciate you taking the time. What you describe is basically how I would already do it now except that I would simply either lock or cut my selection and marquis select the rest for deletion. I was just hoping there might be a better way but I think I just might be doing it as fast as I possibly can be already. You DID however help me understand what a fence does. For those who don't know or who might not have caught it, a fence will select every item that crosses it's path (i.e. that it TOUCHES). it will not select anything completely inside the selection area or outside the selection area. It does not have to be a closed poyline either...it could just be a line, polyline, or arc even I think it just might come in handy, however I don't see any way it will help much with the issue at hand.

Perfect. You'll have my support for sure.

Come to think of it, I run into this situation fairly often but I don't recall anyone having ever actually submitted a suggestion. May be a good time to do that.