AIA Layer system sample drawings ?

Hello one and all

In my office we are currently trying to change over to the AIA layering standards. At the moment we use an in house system that lets the architects design by using a material based layer system (A-CONC-SECT etc.).After trying to convert each layer to the object based AIA method I soon realized that it's a tall order, too many of our old layers just have no place in this system (ie A-LUGGAGE or A-METAL-PROJ).
Other questions include stuff like:
What calques do the architects use to draw roads ? If it's the C-ROAD from the civil layers do we leave the 'C' in front. Where do we put the site limits ? What calque do we use for all those little people that live on the elevations ? (and lots more)
Does anyone know of the existence of sample drawings based on the AIA system that could answer these sorts of questions ?

Thanks for any help offered.

CAD slave
Dan

 

I have been thinking that may be I should change our cryptic ( 8 digit layer name with 8 different groups) to something more in line with the AIA system.



 



I need to have a level group. How would this be incorporated into the layer name?



 



Dave Alexander



 



"DanPen" <> wrote in message news:...

Hello one and all

In my office we are currently trying to change over to the AIA layering standards. At the moment we use an in house system that lets the architects design by using a material based layer system (A-CONC-SECT etc.).After trying to convert each layer to the object based AIA method I soon realized that it's a tall order, too many of our old layers just have no place in this system (ie A-LUGGAGE or A-METAL-PROJ).
Other questions include stuff like:
What calques do the architects use to draw roads ? If it's the C-ROAD from the civil layers do we leave the 'C' in front. Where do we put the site limits ? What calque do we use for all those little people that live on the elevations ? (and lots more)
Does anyone know of the existence of sample drawings based on the AIA system that could answer these sorts of questions ?

Thanks for any help offered.

CAD slave
Dan

 

Dave
I know you asked Dean, but I will give an answer as well. From the AIA
handbook, page 13,
"The Discipline conde is a two-character field with the second character
either a hyphen or a user-defined modifier."

So you could easily have P1-SANR for plumbing, level 1, sanitary drainage,
and P2-SANR, for plumbing, level 2,......

Kent

 

Thanks Kent,

I have always wondered how to make it work.

Dave Alexander

 

Now I am confused.

I thought that the system was based on " - " separators between the various
4 digit groups.
In which case, the level could really be the first group after dicipiline
such as
P-L001-DRNG-STRM
I need 8 groups so it would make for long layer names.

Dave Alexnder

 

Correct. Weird but correct per 2nd Edition.

 

Dave
Nope the first two characters are the Discipline Code, with the hyphen used
when there is no modifier specified. The other groups are seperated by a
hyphen.

So in AIA Layering there is the Discipline code (two characters) Major group
(four char.) hyphen Minor group (four char.) hyphen Status Field

The minor group is a user definable field, the major group is not, and
status group is not.

In this system -STRM stands for storm drainage system, so if I am
understanding your example you wouldn't need to have -DRNG-STRM for drainage
storm, just -STRM.

Since the Minor group is available as a user defined field or group then you
could have something like P-STRM-L001.

If you are using -L001 to define a level then perhaps you are using too many
characters to describe a level, then you could drop back to simply P1-, P2-,
etc.

Kent

 

Oops, I mean P1 or P2, I keep putting the hyphen in.

"Kent Elrod" > wrote in message >

 

Hello all,
Thanks for your help. I should be able to muddle through.

Dave: I've got the 'National CAD Standards' version 2 and it indicates that the hyphen is not a real placeholder and always exists. The example (page CLG-7) is:
AD-WALL where 'D' stands for demolition, however, according to the connected Uniform Drawing System it can also be user defined for specific needs (page UDS-01.14) for example a level indicator : A3-WALL.

On the site that Jim recommends there's a tool called 'layer lexicon 3.2' that looks quite handy, may ease the implementation problems. Worth checking out.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan,



 



The more we talk about this the more I think I understand.



 



Dave Alexander



 



"DanPen" <> wrote in message news:...

Hello all,
Thanks for your help. I should be able to muddle through.

Dave: I've got the 'National CAD Standards' version 2 and it indicates that the hyphen is not a real placeholder and always exists. The example (page CLG-7) is:
AD-WALL where 'D' stands for demolition, however, according to the connected Uniform Drawing System it can also be user defined for specific needs (page UDS-01.14) for example a level indicator : A3-WALL.

On the site that Jim recommends there's a tool called 'layer lexicon 3.2' that looks quite handy, may ease the implementation problems. Worth checking out.

Dan

 

Yeah, I know what you mean Dave. I've had my head in the standards all day and it's only just really started sinking in.
If fact you can pick and mix groups from different disciplines as long as you respect the major groups, but it becomes an almost 'anything goes' situation. Getting this up, running and understood at work is gonna be hard, but I'm getting there.
However, I still don't know where to put my little friends that live on elevations and sections.

Dan

 

snip
Since the Minor group is available as a user defined field or group then you
could have something like P-STRM-L001.

If you are using -L001 to define a level then perhaps you are using too many
characters to describe a level, then you could drop back to simply P1... ,
P2... , etc. <<<


OK.. use position 2 (commonly a '-') for level or floor... now to point out
a deficiency (and why I reject the "standard" as a standard):
How do you name the 12th floor? ... the 72nd?
A project from floor 38 to 46 has layers with what names?

AIA standards are a design by committee! I accept the concept, and its
general useabilty. But (nevermind it's Architect's-centered organization),
they had no clue of what HVAC engineers (for one) put onto or into the
buildings. Evidence: just look at the few layers specified for HVAC:
mech equipment, mech duct, mech roof equipment...
Why is ONE of these Level specific? Why is there no supply/ return/ fresh
air/ exhaust disticnction? (You wouldn't like the exhaust in your building
tied to the supply air... so why is all that metal on ONE layer?)

Had the AIA any concept of building more than 8 floors tall (how last
century), this could be easily described, and would be fully anticipated and
included in the "format"... but it's not.

The AIA has a starting point and a framework... no more! Anyone laboring
over that is going to be disappointed sooner or later. I'd suggest leaving
the layers you know nothing about to others (I leave interior work alone...
sticking to mech pipe and elec, etc...), and name yours as you need for Your
purposes.

BTW, where do they put instrumentation (P&ID) data? P is plumbing... I is
interior... and so on....

 

(see my post to Kent a few minutes ago... why NOT to set yourself on AIA
layers without modification)

- hope this thread doesn't get you completely stuck in the mire!

 

Not really.
The reason behind the effort to understand and possibly revise my layer
system is more to contribute a methodilogy to propose for changing the layer
filters and layer management. I don't think that anyone actually uses layer
filters and the layer dialogue box to turn on and off different series of
layers such as is required when working with multiple levels in one
building. Most Architects (at least the majority that we have worked with)
and most mechanical engineers don't even consider the whole building when
doing renos and additions. A hold over from the old days when you couldn't
afford to redraft the complete building just for one small addition but with
CAD drafting today, there is no excuse, except perhaps the limitation of
AutoCAD which doesn't support multiple levels or multiple phases of
buildings with the current layer management tools.

Having said all that, how are you doing?
Haven't noticed you lately.

Dave Alexander

 

&gt; I don't think that anyone actually uses layer filters and the layer dialogue box to turn on and off different series of layers&lt;&lt;
&nbsp;&nbsp;

Only way to work when you havedozens of layers.

 

&lt;Only way to work when you havedozens of layers.





&nbsp;



&nbsp;Now that's interesting.



&nbsp;



You actually go to the layer dialogue box, select a layer filter, then highlight the layers in the dialogue box and turn them off, including your current layer, and then make another layer filter selection, highlight the layers in the dialogue box and turn them on and if your current layer is not in the current layer filter, you manually turn it on and then leave the layer dialogue box?



&nbsp;



I can have hundreds of layers that I manage with a macro but not with layer filters, saved layer states or the layer dialogue box.



&nbsp;



Dave Alexander



&nbsp;

 

We, too, have functions that control display of layers. But to display a custom set of layers the layer manager works quite well. If I want to see (or work with) just the electrical on the 7th floor, open the dialog box and key-in 7-el*. Or just a particular XREF(S). Sure I could write a custom marco that did the same, but why?

 

Do you work with all or several levels of a building with in the same dwg file?



&nbsp;



Dave Alexander



&nbsp;

 

Dave,

Back in early July, I posted some questions and my own personal findings on
..las files.
(sort by my name in the 2002general group, and then look for my posts in
July, if you wish to read them.)
In a nutshell, I have found them to be one of the little known 'gems' of
AutoCAD.

They are easy to edit, and modify.

Even better, you can create small .las 'building blocks' for layer
management, such as a file that ONLY affects color, say, or one that ONLY
affects a certain set of layers.

Once this is done, and since you can load and restore layer states via the
command line, it is then a very simple matter to create some routines that
then 'puts the blocks together' in a coherent fashion...

For instance, say that you have a .las file to just turn all wall and
foundation layers OFF. That's one 'block' [1].
Another .las file just turns ON layers pertaining to foundation walls.
That's another 'block' [2].
A different .las file turns ON layers pertaining to the first floor. That's
another'n [3].
A different .las file turns ON layers pertaining to the second floor.
That's another'n [4].
A different .las file just turns ON layers pertaining to footings. Yet
another'n [5].
and so on...

Once you have the 'blocks', you can write a quick routine, called FR1ONLY
(Framing 1 only), which does the following:
Layer State Restore [1] - turn everything off.
Layer State Restore [2] - turn on foundation walls.
Layer State Restore [3] - turn on first floor walls.
Layer State Restore [5] - turn on footings.

And there you are. And you didn't even have to mess with the layer
dialog...

Note that block [4] wasn't called here, since it didn't pertain to FR1ONLY.
It would be used in another routine.

As you may surmise, CONSISTENCY is truly the key here.
Once you have that in place, the sky's the limit...

That is a very simplified explanation, but I hope it may give you some
ideas.

Regards,
David Kozina


<Only way to work when you havedozens of layers.

Now that's interesting.

You actually go to the layer dialogue box, select a layer filter, then
highlight the layers in the dialogue box and turn them off, including your
current layer, and then make another layer filter selection, highlight the
layers in the dialogue box and turn them on and if your current layer is not
in the current layer filter, you manually turn it on and then leave the
layer dialogue box?

I can have hundreds of layers that I manage with a macro but not with layer
filters, saved layer states or the layer dialogue box.

Dave Alexander

 

&gt;Do you work with all or several levels of a building with in the same dwg file?&lt;&lt;

Often