Plan Views- why bother, avoiding problems, and getting around inability to import.

[MarkMc]

Why mess with Plan Views- Annotation sets are great but they don’t save the actual view or floor, plan views do.

You can have several plan views with the same annotation set, some for changing floor levels, some for zooming in closer, showing reference display or not.

You can have a plan view that uses all of the annotation defaults with a different layerset.

Opening a plan view from the project browser creates a new tab with the plan as you saved that view.

 

I’ve had to set up templates for several clients, each with some changes. But you can’t import plan views. I can start with a template with some but sometimes need others or changes.

Few things I’ve found useful. All are almost the same procedure.

 

Setting them up fresh and making new ones easily

• Import annotation sets and layersets you think you will need (I have a few variations saved for this).
• Plan view tied to annotation set-Select an annoset and zoom view to about what you will need on the floor you want. Click “save plan view” and name it.
• Same view and annoset on another floor.- While in that plan view click “new plan view”. You’ll get a new tab with the same view and anno-set etc. Change the floor THEN click Save Plan view and give it a name. Repeat as needed.
• Same view with different annotation set. -In a view you want Click New Plan View, get new tab, change annoset. Save plan view, give it a name.
• Same view, same annotation defaults, DIFFERENT layerset. From view, click new plan view, get new tab, change layerset only, save plan view.
• By now you should get the idea.
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To protect my plan views and avoid confusion. Move the “Save Plan View” icon out of the way so you don’t accidentally or automatically click it. Then add icons for “New Plan View” and “Save Plan View As” where you will easily find them. If you use hotkeys make the key combo for “Save Plan View” dissimilar to the other two and more challenging to reach. Something like- S,N for New Plan View; S,A for Save Plan View As, (both one handed) and Z,P (two hands for most folks) for Save Plan view.

Finally-

1. Upon opening a plan, open a second plan view. Change something in one of these, doesn’t matter what or which one. Then close it.
2. When the little DBX pops up with “This saved plan view has been modified since it was last saved. Would you like to save the current settings?”
3. Check off “Remember m choice during this session” and select NO. That way when you close the plan you won’t accidentally click yes and screw up your plan view.

 

I’m teaching my clients to do this last bit since they don’t want to mess with all the other complications and I don’t want them returning plans with messed up layouts.