Prepare and Convert Your Details to Save Into Our System
Quick video
Our detail tools make it easy to organize your custom CAD details and drop them into your drawing sets. Before saving a detail into our system, you'll need to take a few steps to ensure the detail will save properly and appear correctly when placed on a sheet.
The bare minimum for this process is to place a Detail Template around your existing detail linework and save the detail into your library, but the following tips will help you make the most of your detail library.
Initial Preparation
First, ensure that the detail is drawn in Model Space at full size at a 1 to 1 scale.
If you have a title, number, and/or border around the detail, remove these items or move them off to the side for reference. You may want to keep these items off to the side for now so you can easily copy any text you need for the detail.
Use our Detail Template tool to place a template around the detail linework. If you don't know the scale of the detail, you can use keyboard commands to adjust its scale and template size while placing the template.
Scale Annotations and Hatches
For consistently scaled annotations and hatches, you'll also need to convert these items. You can either:
- Replace hatches and annotations using the appropriate tools in the F/X Details ribbon:
or ...
- Place an example of each hatch and annotation object type and use our Mimic Object tool to convert the existing objects
Dimensions
To convert dimensions:
1. Place a dimension of the same type (for example, linear dimensions, angular dimensions, etc.) off to the side using our F/X Dimension tools.
2. Open our Mimic Object tool. When prompted to select a source object, click the dimension you just placed. Then click each existing dimension of that type when prompted to select a destination object.
The dimensions will now match the F/X dimension you selected as if they've been placed using the F/X Dimension tool.
Multiline Text (MText)
For MText objects, place some Detail MText and make sure the width of the window is similar to that of your text objects. Then type in some dummy text. Use Mimic Object to change all your text objects.
Multileaders (MLeaders)
Multileaders can be converted in much the same way as MText objects. Just place a Detail Leader With text, add in your dummy text, and use Mimic Object.
Hatches
To give each of your hatches a consistent scale, place a similar hatch pattern using our Hatch tool. Then use Mimic Object to apply the hatch and scale to the placed hatch areas.
Layers
For consistent layers, you can either use our default layers or save your own layers as a Layer State, which you can load for each detail. Then move objects onto their proper layers.
Saving Your Detail
Once your detail is looking ready to save, open our Save Detail tool and save the detail into your Land F/X detail library.
Use our Save an Old Detail into the Land F/X Library checklist to stay on track for each detail.
Contact
- Land F/X
Our software tailors AutoCAD® to the needs of landscape architects, irrigation designers, and other professionals. We automate your most tedious tasks and ensure accuracy, giving you more time to design.