A new user of DraftSight has asked about setting up a title-block.
(Updated for DraftSight V1R5.1 13Apr2014)
The short answer:
Create a separate drawing that consists of just the title block. Save that to a template file that can then be used again and again to start new drawings that already contain the title-block.
The detail:
The answer to the specific question is really part of the more comprehensive exercise of setting up a Template Drawing complete with border, title-block, and layout sheet-tabs that are ready to use so this will be done as an exercise for two simple borders and a simplified title-block in a new template drawing. They will then be applied to sheet layouts that can be used repeatedly in the future. This should teach some useful principles that can then be applied to any more complex arrangement.
The following assumes the use of a Windows-based PC but should be adaptable to other platforms.
It is suggested that two vertically stacked windows are used, both visible at the same time: a shallow one to display this text at the bottom; a taller one to display DraftSight at the top. Use ALT+TAB to flip between windows or left-click with the mouse in which-ever window you wish to work.
The general aim of the work to be undertaken is to minimise, for the future, the amount of repetitive data entry work.
Open a new drawing based on the standard template:
Start DraftSight. It will open a new drawing based on the last drawing template that was used. This will usually be the default template until a different template has been used. However, a specifically created, personalised template is wanted so that drawing will be closed and work begun from a blank workspace: Go to the top right corner of the DraftSight display and locate – but DO NOT select - an X on a red background. That one would close both the drawing AND DraftSight. Immediately beneath it should be another X on a grey background. Select that to close the drawing without saving and without closing DraftSight. The workspace should now be blank but with DraftSight still running.
At the top left corner Menu headings “File”, “View” and “Help” should be visible, and just beneath two icons for “New” and “Open...” should be seen.
Select either the icon for “New” or from the menu, FILE > NEW... then select STANDARD from the window that opens, to use that template as the basis for a new drawing.
Save the new drawing: FILE > SAVE AS... > FILENAME: “NameOfYourChoice” (no quotes) > SAVE AS TYPE: use the drop-list arrow at RH end and select DRAWING TEMPLATE (*.dwt) from the bottom of the list > select SAVE. The name of the file you just saved should now be showing at the top LH corner of the window, complete with its .dwt appendage.
Set up some important formats, etc:
Many settings that will be needed again and again can be set up in a template. For this exercise several that will be useful as we proceed will now be set up.
Select TOOLS > OPTIONS... > SYSTEM OPTIONS > PRINTING (expanded) > GENERAL OPTIONS (expanded) > Uncheck “Display printable area”; keep the other two checked.
Select FORMAT > UNIT SYSTEM... and ensure that “Length” shows DECIMAL and 0.000, Angleshows either DECIMAL DEGREES or DEG/MIN/SEC and 0.0000 or 0d00'00” (alternative precision settings may be used for all these if they better serve the need) and “Units Scale” shows UNITLESS (bottom of drop-list) > OK.
Select FORMAT > TEXT STYLE... > NEW... > "Name": “MyStandard” > OK to create a new personal text style that can be modified without affecting the default text style. Change the font to “Calibri Light” and height to 2.5 mm. Select APPLY and OK.
Save the file – make sure it's to a .dwt! (This will need to be checked at each save until the file is closed and reopened for editing). Answer “yes” when asked if the file is to be replaced.
Close both DraftSight and this drawing (X on red background).
Re-open DraftSight and display it with this instruction window as before.
Close the drawing that has opened (X on grey background). Now open the template in EDIT mode: Either FILE > OPEN or select the OPEN icon > In the lower right box use the drop-list to change “Drawing (*.dwg)” to “Drawing Template (*.dwt)” > select the name of the template drawing.
Create an A3 landscape sheet representation:
Draw a 420 x 297 mm rectangle anywhere in Model Space: DRAW > RECTANGLE > select any point to start > type “@420,297” (no quotes; “@” for measurements relative to the start point) to establish the diagonally opposite corner of the rectangle. This will represent an A3 page in Landscape orientation.
ZOOM to view the whole of the rectangle so that it almost fills the drawing work-space.
Save the file.
Set up an A3 landscape border:
Left-click the “Esnap” and “Ortho” buttons below the centre bottom of the work-space until they are both highlit (active).
Select MODIFY > OFFSET > for a 15 mm margin all round enter ''15'' (type the value and press ENTER) on the command line and follow the command line prompts to create a second rectangle inside the first. This is the border for an A3 landscape page. However, it is useful to have extra width on the left for filing purposes so select MODIFY > STRETCH and move that end of only the border 10 mm further in to give a 25 mm margin on the LH end.
Save the file.
Set up the Title-block:
Set running esnaps (entity snaps) for “Nearest”, “End”, “Insert”, and “Intersection”: Right-click on the ESNAP button (bottom centre of screen) and select SETTINGS... > select the CLEAR ALL icon (near top of window) and then check boxes for “Nearest”, “End”, “Insert”, and “Intersection” > select APPLY then OK.
Select DRAW > RECTANGLE and at the “Specify start corner” prompt hold down the SHIFT key and right-click the mouse to get the esnap over-rides list. Select FROM and pick the lower-right corner of the border as a reference point to work from > Enter “@-2,2” to specify a start point 2 mm left and 2 mm up from the reference corner > Drag up and left to start a rectangle for the title-block then enter @-185,20 to complete the title-block rectangle to the left of and up from the start point.
Now divide the title-block rectangle with verticals at 22 mm from the left end and 30 mm from the right, leaving 133 mm between them. Divide the two RH rectangles with a horizontal 8.5 mm from the top.
Save the file.
Add constant data to the title-block structure:
Data in the title-block will be of two kinds: Data that is constant and data that is variable. Constant data (non-changing data such as space captions and company logos) is added directly to the title-block and becomes an integral part of its structure.
The five spaces in this simple title-block (reading from LH end across and down) are for a Logo (which may be omitted in some cases), Sheet description, Scale, Project description, and Sheet Number (two words on separate lines so this caption can be “stacked”. The logo will usually be inserted as a graphic but we will simulate it here with the text “LOGO”. Each other space will have a caption.
Use the SIMPLE NOTE tool to create the necessary discrete text entries, one per line, in one operation somewhere near but NOT in the title-block - they will be individually sized and positioned shortly.
ZOOM in on the title-block and the caption text entries.
Double-click LOGO > set “Alignment” MIDDLE CENTRE > and “Text Height” 5 (mm) > Select the green Tick > ESC (x2) > Select LOGO > Select its centre grip (blue highlit square) to move it > SHIFT + RIGHT-CLICK > MID BETWEEN 2 POINTS (M2P) and select diagonally opposite corners of the logo space to position the logo text in the centre of the space > ESC (x2).
Double-click “Sheet Description” > MIDDLE CENTRE > 1.5 > Tick > ESC (x2) > Mid-grip move > M2P and select the two top corners of the sheet description space to position the caption on the middle of the top line of the space > ESC (x2). It will be moved from there, along with the project description, shortly.
Repeat for “Project Description” positioning on the centre of the top line of its space > ESC (x2).
Select the two most recently positioned captions > MODIFY > MOVE > at the “Specify from point” prompt left-click anywhere convenient > drag down > Enter “1.5” on the command line. The captions should have moved down to their final positions just beneath the respective lines.
Double-click “Scale” > MIDDLE LEFT > Leave height at “2.5” > Tick > ESC (x2) > Use the top grip to position the caption at M2P using the upper and lower LH corners of the space > ESC (x2).
Double-click “Sheet” > MIDDLE LEFT > Tick > ESC (x2) > Repeat for “Number”.
These two words form a single, stacked caption. We need to handle them as a single entity so zoom in on them and select both with a selection box. A reference point mid-way between the two words is now needed: DRAW > LINE > M2P and select the insertion point at the left end of each word > draw a short horizontal line to the left from the reference point so established to mark its position > ESC (x2).
Zoom out to view the Sheet number caption and the space to which it is to be moved.
MODIFY > MOVE > Select the “Sheet Number” caption and the line > ENTER > Select the RH end of the reference line > M2P using the upper and lower LH corners of the sheet number space > Delete the reference line.
Zoom to view the whole title-block.
MODIFY > MOVE > Select the “Scale” and “Sheet Number” captions > ENTER > Left-click anywhere > Drag to right > Enter “1” on the command line and the captions should now be in their final positions 1 mm right of the lines on which they were first placed.
Save the file.
Create Block Attribute place holders for variable data:
Variable data can be conveniently managed using block attributes. These can be thought of as information storage spaces that are associated with each occurrence of a block in a drawing and the stored information can be different on each occurrence of the block. (see DraftSight help (F1) > Contents > “Working with Blocks, Block Attributes, Entity groups, References, and Hyperlinks” for more information.)
The order of creation of attributes results in later displays of the attributes being in that order so create attributes from first to last when that order is important.
We'll begin with “Scale”.
DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE BLOCK ATTRIBUTES... > Name: “SCALE” (a short placeholder that appears during block creation) > Caption: “Drawing Scale” (up to 256 characters - this appears as a prompt on the command line when working with active attributes.) > Default value: "***" (a placeholder text entity (no quotes) that may be meaningful text and may be able to be changed as needed later dependent on “Behaviour” settings) > Text style: Set to “MyStandard” to use the style created earlier > Justification: “Middle Center” > Height: 2.5 (mm) > Lock in Block: Check the box to make text immovable in the block; (uncheck to allow it to be moved later) > Insertion point – Specify later: Check the box so that the attribute can be repositioned as necessary at the time of insertion > Behaviour: leave all un-selected. > OK > Use M2P with a “nearest” point on bottom line of space below the RH end of the caption, and the upper right corner of the space, to centre the place-holder in the available space.
DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE BLOCK ATTRIBUTES... > Name: NUM > Caption: Sheet number > Default: *** > Text style: MyStandard > Justification: “Middle Center” > Height: 3.5 (mm) > Lock in Block: Check the box > Insertion point – Specify later: Check the box > Behaviour: leave all un-selected. > OK > Use M2P with a “nearest” point on bottom line of space below RH end of caption, and upper right corner of space, to centre the place-holder in the available space.
DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE BLOCK ATTRIBUTES... > Name: DESCR2 > Caption: Description of this sheet > Default: "***" > Text style: MyStandard > Justification: “Middle Center” > Height: 3.5 (mm) > Lock in Block: Check the box > Insertion point – Specify later: Check the box > Behaviour: leave all un-selected. > OK > Use M2P with a “nearest” point on LH end line of space below the underside of the caption, and the lower right corner of the space, to centre the place-holder in the available space.
Repeat similarly for the Project Description (DESCR1) using what you have learnt.
Save the file.
Convert Title-block and Border to blocks, removing them from drawing space:
DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE... > Name: “TitleBlock1” > Description: (Optional) > Apply Uniform Scale: Check the box so that scaling will always be equal in both directions. > Base point: Left-click the icon for “Select in graphics area” and select the lower-right corner of the border (NOT the title-block) > Block entities: Left-click the icon for “Select in graphics area” and select all entities in the title-block > ENTER > Select “Remove from drawing” > OK.
Save the file.
Zoom out to see the whole of the sheet representation.
DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE... > Name: “Border-A3LS” > Description: (Optional) > Apply Uniform Scale: Check the box > Base point: Left-click the icon for “Select in graphics area” and select the lower-left corner of the sheet outline (NOT the border) > Block entities: Left-click the icon for “Select in graphics area” and select the border > ENTER > Select “Remove from drawing” > OK.
Delete the sheet representation.
Save the file.
Use INSERT > BLOCK > “Name” drop-list and confirm that your blocks are now listing.
Select the new border and check the box for Position > Specify later. Leave the rest unchecked.
Select OK and follow the command line prompts.
Repeat for the title-block.
Cycle through the options that come up on the command line using ENTER on each to accept the defaults and complete the insertion process.
Data may be entered before pressing Enter instead of accepting the defaults for each item that comes up.
To access the attributes to add or edit data later double-click on any element of the title-block and change the entries in the table that comes up.
Create an A4 portrait sheet representation:
Draw a 210 x 297 mm rectangle anywhere in Model Space: DRAW > RECTANGLE > select any point to start > type “@210,297” (no quotes) to establish the end point relative to the start. This will represent an A4 page in Portrait orientation.
Zoom the drawing to fit the work-space.
Save the file.
Set up an A4 border:
Select MODIFY > OFFSET > for a 15 mm margin all round enter ''15'' on the command line and follow the command line prompts to create a second rectangle inside the first. This is your border for the A4 portrait page. However, it is useful to have extra width on the left for filing purposes so select MODIFY > STRETCH and move that edge 10 mm further in to give a 25 mm margin on the LH side.
Save the file.
Make sure that Ortho and Esnap are both active (Buttons on task bar).
INSERT > BLOCK... > “TitleBlock1” > Position: set to “Specify later” > OK to insert the new title-block and select the RH bottom corner of the border > Press ENTER repeatedly to cycle through the command line prompts, accepting the defaults, until all have been dealt with..
OOOPS !!! The title-block is too big !!! Does that mean a new start has to be made? Fortunately, NO. We can edit TitleBlock1 and create a new version – say TitleBlock2.
MODIFY > EXPLODE > Select the title-block > ENTER. This copy of the title-block is now a set of discrete entities again. The block itself is still safely stored in the drawing database under the old name.
MODIFY > MOVE > Select all the text in the middle two spaces and MOVE it out of the title-block for the time being.
MODIFY > STRETCH > Use a right to left crossing selection to select all the logo space and the left part of the central two spaces > De-select the border that is currently included (CTRL+LEFT-CLICK) > ENTER > At the “Specify from point” prompt select the upper left corner of the title-block > SHIFT+RIGHT CLICK and select FROM > Select the intersection between the border and the top edge of the title-block as a reference point > Drag to the right > Enter “2” on the command line. The title-block should now be fitting nicely inside the border.
Use techniques already learnt to properly reposition the removed text back within the border. (Remember it is all properly spaced and only has to be moved to a central position across the space and 1.5 mm down from the top line.)
Convert the edited title-block to a block: DRAW > BLOCK > DEFINE... > Name: “TitleBlock2” > Select lower right corner of border as base point > Select all entities of the title-block for the block > Select “Convert to Block” > OK.
Create a block for the A4 Portrait border (Border-A4P) selecting the lower left corner of the A4 sheet as the insertion base point and removing the drawn border from the drawing.
Delete the representation of the sheet.
Save the file.
TitleBlock1 is now superfluous so delete it: FILE > CLEAN > Select “TitleBlock1” > Select the “Delete” button (NOT the “delete all” button) > CLOSE.
Create layout sheets using the two borders and TitleBlock2:
Open the Sheet1 layout tab. If there is an A3 landscape print configuration set up for the intended printer use it; otherwise create a new one. Be sure to select the ACTIVATE button before closing the window. There is a useful video on working with print configurations at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHOW641jhEA&feature=em-uploademail-new if you need help on this.
The black-bordered rectangle that is showing on the face of the sheet (white-filled rectangle) is a viewport. Select it and use its grips to reduce its size so that it fits in about the middle third of the sheet.
Insert block Border-A3LS at the lower left corner of the sheet.
Insert TitleBlock2 at the lower right of the border accepting the attribute defaults.
Resize the viewport to nicely fit within the border.
Right-click on the sheet tab and select “Rename”. Name the tab “A3LS” and select OK.
Repeat for sheet 2 to set up an A4 Portrait sheet and rename the tab A4P.
Return to Model Space.
Save the file.
Close the drawing but keep DraftSight active.
Using the template:
Select FILE > NEW > Select the new template. A new drawing will be started based on the selected template. Verify that the new sheets are there.
Now close and re-start DraftSight. The new template should now be the default.
To update title-block place-holders at any time double-click on any place-holder in the title-block. This will open a table of all place-holders in the title-block and allow the values to be changed.
Update place-holders in the title-blocks of each of the layouts that will be needed for the current drawing so that they show the actual data that will apply throughout this project. Leave place-holders as they are if the any data item will have different values from sheet to sheet of the project.
Optionally, delete any layout tabs that will not be needed in the new drawing and create any new ones that will only be wanted in this drawing (Create them in the template if they will be used in multiple projects).
Any of the tabs can now be copied as often as needed to create additional similar sheets for the drawing. The appropriate configuration may, however, need to be activated the first time you access each of the new sheets before they will format correctly.
Draw something in model space – e.g. a circle.
Change to a layout tab.
Double-click inside the viewport.
Select VIEW > ZOOM > FIT to see the whole of the drawing.
Information on setting the viewport scale can be found at https://swym.3ds.com/#community:70/iquestions:1368 (please read the comments in that iQuestion and its answers)
To return to the layout sheet-space (paper-space) double-click outside the viewport.
… … … Now apply these principles to set up your own borders, title-blocks, and layouts.
To go back to a previous template close the drawing that is on the screen without closing DraftSight and start a new drawing with the template that is needed.
Happy drafting. and please ask more questions as the need arises.
Mark Lyons' recording of one of his earlier webinars, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYFTb44X-WQ, is worth viewing too. Mark discusses the use of block attributes and fields in title-blocks during the middle part of his presentation.
