Design F/X Setup

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

• Intro/TOC
• What is Design F/X?
• Overview of the Detail System
  • Why Use Land F/X / Design F/X for Details?
• Creating a Detail with Design F/X Tools
  • How to Set Up an Existing Detail to Work with Design F/X
• Storing Details in the Library
• Using a Detail in Your Project
  • Adding a Detail to a Project
  • Placing a Detail
  • Using the Detail Callouts Tools
  • Details Preferences

0:00 – 1:59: Intro/TOC

2:00 – 4:59: What is Design F/X?

Design F/X is the Land F/X system for creating and organizing construction details. Included in Planting F/X and Irrigation F/X, it has all the tools you need for creating details, organizing your detail library, and incorporating details seamlessly into your CAD drawings as you would a planting or hardscape plan.

 

Example of a plan that includes a detail sheet and callouts to the details on the sheet (2:45)

 

Short video demonstrating the relationship between details and the callouts that reference them, as placed using our detail tools (3:05)

Note that you can update and edit details you’ve already placed in a plan, then place them in a different order. The detail numbers are updated automatically in the sheet, our Detail Manager, and in the detail callouts in the plan.

 

Video demonstration showing how easy it is to edit details that have been placed in a sheet, and then use our Update Details tool to update them in the sheet (4:10)

5:00 – 8:36: Overview of the Detail System

Why Use Land F/X / Design F/X for Details? (5:00)

The old way #1:

• Create the detail using basic AutoCAD tools.
• WRITEBLOCK to save the block.
• You are in charge of the folder system.
• INSERT block.
• No automation.

 

The old way #2:

• Create the detail using basic AutoCAD tools.
• Compile all details into a DWG template file.
• Copy and paste what is needed.
• Make adjustments.
• Create viewports for each detail.
• No automation.

 

Why use our software for details? (6:25)

• Best of both worlds.
• Tools for creation.
• Easy organization.
• Design D/X automates the file library so you don’t have to leave CAD.
• Data behind the details makes them smart.
• Automation of scales, text sizes, organization, settings.

 

 

Organization & folder system of our details system and our Detail Explorer (7:09)

Our Detail Explorer provides an easy interface for navigating your detail organization system directly from CAD, eliminating the tedium of having to navigate manually through your detail folders.

8:37 – 32:59: Creating a Detail with Design F/X Tools

How to Set Up an Existing Detail to Work with Design F/X (9:00)

 

Copy the elements of the detail over to a brand-new drawing. (9:05)

 

Set up the drawing, including: (9:25)

• Checking the drawing units
• Loading a Layer State for details

 

Set a 1:1 scale (not a plot scale) (10:08)

Design F/X will automatically scale annotative objects and hatches.

 

Copy the usable existing linework from the detail and place it off to the side, then remove the annotative objects such as dimensions. (10:45)

 

Clean up the linework as necessary. (11:10)

Polylines, rectangles, arcs, and circles are all fine for Land F/X details, but splines and ellipses can cause issues. If the detail includes these problematic items, you’ll need to delete them. You can replace them with allowable objects (circles, polylines, etc.) if necessary.

 

Locate items to delete such as splines and ellipses using the Properties panel and the Quick Select tool (11:35)

 

If necessary, replace problematic linework with allowable linework (12:38)

 

Replacing ellipses with arcs (12:38)

 

Use the PEdit command to transform all lines, ellipses, and splines into polylines (12:50)

 

You’ll also want to clean up exploded line segments (especially on curved objects and in drawings transferred over from SOLIDWORKS). (13:25)

 

Place a Detail Template around the detail linework (14:00)

 

Overview of the Detail Size and Scale dialog box, which pops up when you select our Detail Template tool (14:20)

 

Setting the height and width of the Detail Template (14:20)

 

Width extensions for Detail Templates (15:10)

 

Detail scale options (15:20)

 

Selection box to work in Decimal Units and menu to select a Layer State (a saved set of layer properties) for the detail (15:40)

 

Keyboard commands for placing a Detail Template (16:15)

You can use our keyboard commands to make your template taller, shorter, wider, or narrower, as well as increase or decrease its width extension.

 

Place the annotations by coping and pasting them as Detail MText (17:45)

 

If the annotation text is assigned formatting code that causes it to vary from your preferred standards, you can easily copy it into a note-taking app (such as Notepad) to remove the formatting, and then paste it back into CAD. (18:30)

 

Place dimensions in the detail using our Detail Dimension tools (21:00)

 

Apply the correct layer properties (25:10)

Note that all the items we’ve added using Design F/X tools are already on the correct layers.

 

Add hatches using our Hatch tool (27:17)

 

Add detail component graphics from our Detail Graphics library (28:25)

 

Call out items in your detail using Bubble Callouts and placing an accompanying schedule (29:15)

 

Add blowup sections using our Detail Enlargement tools (30:00)

Note that dimensions retain their same values even in the enlarged sections.

 

Use the PRG command to verify that all elements have been brought over correctly into the detail (31:20)

33:00 – 36:39: Storing Details in the Library

Save the detail into our detail library using our Save Detail tool (33:00)

 

Overview of the Save Detail dialog box, including the detail file name, title, file date, “Drawn by,” “Checked by,” A “Description / Notes” field for internal notes (which won’t appear in the actual detail when placed in a drawing), and an option to add the detail to a Land F/X project (33:40)

 

Locating the saved detail in our detail library (35:00)

Note that when you save a detail, the Save Detail tool automatically creates a preview slide for it.

 

Question: Is it possible to use the Match Properties tool to apply a standard to the annotative text? (36:00)

Answer: No, because Match Properties does not overwrite formatting code.

36:40 – end: Using a Detail in Your Project

Adding a Detail to a Project (37:10)

Adding a detail using the Detail Manager (37:10)

The Detail Manager includes an option to copy the detail into a project folder.

 

Once added, the detail will be listed in the Detail Manager with a name and number. (38:00)

 

Placing a Detail (38:10)

Placing a detail onto a Paper Space sheet (38:10)

 

Note that when you select a detail in the Detail Manager, it’s also selected in the detail sheet. (38:40)

 

Using the Detail Callouts Tools (39:00)

Placeholder Callout overview (39:10)

The Placeholder Callout is used to mark the space for a future callout with a “dumb” callout.

 

Associate Callout overview (40:15)

With the Associate Callout tool, you can associate an existing callout or placeholder with the detail of your choice.

 

Update Callout overview (41:00)

The Update Callout tool refreshes and updates all detail callouts in your sheet after you’ve made changes to detail information on that sheet.

 

Callout Preview overview (41:25)

Click Callout Preview, then click a detail callout. You’ll see a preview slide of the detail it references. 

 

Detail Callout overview (42:00)

The Detail Callout tool allows you to call out a detail in a drawing with a “smart” callout.

 

Details Preferences (42:35)

The Detail Preferences are tied to your Preference Sets, which can (and should) apply your standards across multiple projects and drawings.

 

Detail callout settings (43:10):

• Detail callout arrow styles
• Options to include the detail title and the number of an associated Reference Note in detail callouts

 

Option to save a detail Dimension Style (DimStyle) as the default style to be used in Design F/X (43:30)

 

Keynote Callouts (44:00)

Keynote Callouts are master callouts you can save and apply to a number of details. Each callout’s text and reference number will be saved in a central database, allowing you to reuse callouts across multiple details as needed.

 

Button to open the Detail Explorer (44:15)

 

Detail Template options (44:25):

• Format Width
• Format Height
• Open your default Detail Template source drawing for customization

 

Option to navigate to and set your Detail Library location (45:35)

By default, this location is set to LandFX/Details when you install, but if your office has a central detail library in another location, you’ll want to set that location here.

 

Other detail options (46:05):

• Copy details to project folder (We recommend selecting this option because it adds the details to your projects as copies, so any changes you make to those details for a specific project will not change the master detail.)
• Add details referenced in callouts to the current project
• Set numeric division for all details (This option allows you to assign CSI divisions to your details.)

 

Question: Is it possible to have a detail sheet in a different drawing from the main drawing for a job? (47:30)

Answer: Absolutely.

 

Question: Is there a disadvantage to using Reference Note Callouts to call out details, rather than Detail Callouts? (47:40)

Answer: No, there isn’t. If you have your Reference Notes set up and tied to details, you can use Reference Note callouts to call out those details, and the data will be linked in the same way.

 

Question: Is it possible to change the fonts and sizes of the text used in the details and detail tools? (49:40)

Answer: Yes. The text in our details pulls from our default Text Style named Detail Text. You can assign fonts, point sizes, and other settings to this and other Text Styles in the General Preferences screen and save them to the appropriate Preference Set to apply to details across multiple projects.

 

Your installation includes a number of default fonts, which you’re free to apply to any of our default Text Styles to use in your details and drawings. You can also add your own fonts, as long as they’re TrueType fonts. (52:00)

 

If you want to change fonts across a few drawings or one drawing, you can use our REAL (Reload All Text Styles) command after making your changes. You can also use this command in conjunction with our BatchMan batch file processing tool to reload the text across multiple drawings, or even multiple folders of drawings. (52:25)