Paper Space

When I look at Paper Space and when I talk to customers - I always say, “Think of Paper Space as a piece of paper.” As you start thinking of Paper Space in that way while setting up your standards and procedures correctly, Paper Space can become a way to print and/or publish your drawings without the need of opening up those tabs. We’ve actually been able to set up a customer so they never have the need to go into their drawings what so ever. Of course, not everyone will have that ability but I want to show you there are ways you can minimize the need.

To begin with you need to look at what is available to help you minimize or eliminate the need to open up the Paper Space tabs such as:

Fields - These are items that you point to in order to see data that you want to read. For example, you can point to the tab name for the sheet number. I actually like to point to properties in the custom properties within the file for filling in the Title Block. Using this data from the fields you start building consistency in your Title Block which also allows for quick changes, no matter how many sheets you have to work with. examble.

Layers – Generally speaking, you can control specifically what layers are frozen, thawed or on and off. An example of this is found in the view ports within each Paper Space object.There is more available to help minimize the need to open Paper Space tabs such as Annotative Text which can be applied to more complex drawings.

The point I want to emphasize is ‘Whatever you do is dependent upon your standards and setting up your templates correctly.’ Also, we have found that sometimes having an application in place helps with these matters. One small application we have developed and like to use is discussed in the blog Updating Sheet Numbers within Paper Space. We feel it becomes non-productive if you are doing work in Model Space which also creates a need to do work in the Paper Space object. With the proper setup you can minimize or eliminate the need to go into the Paper Space items to do any work.

Feel free to contact us with your questions and/or comments regarding Paper Space.

Patrick Johnson

Cad standards documentation

Documenting what you have for CAD standards is key for two reasons: 1.) It allows the users to be able to look up the settings and data used previously, and 2.) It allows the CAD Manager to keep track of what he/she has and how it was set up. Believe me, as time goes on, aside from the everyday tasks you do, it is easy to forget what, where and how your drawings were originally set up. This again supports my main point that you should be writing CAD standards for whatever you are using, whether it is AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, SolidWorks, etc.

When documenting CAD standards you really need to keep it as simple as possible. Anything long winded or difficult to find will not be read and most likely not followed. For example, when creating the templates, all you want to do is list what’s inside each template and its intended use. I like to put the template’s intended use on top because that is usually all the user will need to know. The remaining content within the template is necessary for the CAD Manager in order to keep track of what they have and how it was set up.


How you document your CAD standards is key if you want the documentation to be read and used to increase efficiencies within your CAD department. I would dare say that over 90 percent of the CAD managers put their documentation in a number of Word and/or PDF files and place them in a folder ‘somewhere’ they hope will be found when needed. Another ineffective means for CAD standards documentation I’ve seen includes creating html's as well as the use of hyperlinks to extensive user guides. Even though it is important to document your CAD standards, I really feel when ineffective documentation is used, especially when you include user guides into the mix, the CAD standards will not get read and will collect dust. Also, searching through files in order to find the page with the information needed to comply with a CAD standard becomes a time consuming and non user-friendly chore that they will quit doing.

What I have found useful is to create a help file (CHM file) that is indexed and searchable as almost everyone has used them or at least seen them since practically all the software you purchase for use on the computer comes with a help file (CHM file), including Autodesk and Microsoft. Once the CHM file has been created I like to place it where Autodesk has placed theirs in the menu system to increase the potential for usage. In case you were wondering how to create a CHM file, Microsoft has a free downloadable application that allows you to put together and compile a CHM file. I feel the need to mention there is a slight learning curve when using this application, however, this will be offset by creating something that is more user friendly, resulting with effective CAD standards documentation that will more likely be used by the end users.


CAD Standards can be as simple or as complicated as you want them to be. There is no basic template available to follow; however, I encourage you to set up a template for use in your CAD department. The most important point I want to emphasize is to take what you have for CAD standards, get it down in writing and make it as user friendly as possible.

Cad Standards - Templates

I am starting a new blog that will talk about CAD standards. In the discussion groups found on the web I’ve seen questions range from “How you do you create CAD standards?” to “How do you document them?” Of course, you have each discipline and company bringing their own flavors into the mix. To me, the most important part of CAD standards is consistency - without consistency you drive down productivity and drive up costs in addition to creating drawings that are prone to errors.


I would like to begin by talking about the value of templates. Templates (dwt) are merely drawings with another extension that are used to start new drawings without having to recreate the same settings each time. Just like everything else in CAD, you can set up your templates with whatever data you would like - just be consistent! For example, you may want to setup your template with the Title Block in mind, using A, B, C, D, etc...., which happens to be a very popular method used, especially when you create a new layout within paper space when asked from the template.

One method I like to use as a CAD standard is to have a general setup that is common between all drawing sizes, such as layers, line types, dim styles, font styles, units, drawing properties, etc... which will allow you to start creating your model. Another reason I do this, is to create a backup in case you lose any of your settings during the course of the drawing – such as thru a purge. I have the template saved as a drawing file that I can just insert and get any of the settings that might have been lost resulting from a purge.

You may ask, ‘Why have a dwg and dwt file that are the same?’ As I mentioned previously about being able to use the dwg to retain anything lost – it is also important to state that I always make changes to the dwg file and save it as a template. I also like to have templates that are geared towards the paper space layouts and contain the title blocks as well as any special items that are geared towards the use of the paper space tabs. To be honest, I have always viewed paper space as a means to print out what you have, so the only work I do in paper space is the title block data. Now this will probably spark a controversy, which is ok. Another timesaving item to keep in mind regarding the template is if the setup has been done correctly, you will never have to go into the paper space items for anything; this includes sheet numbering or filling out the data in the title block.


In conclusion, I believe when creating CAD standards you need to sit down and determine how you want to use them – which in turn, will help you determine what you put into your CAD standards. I also want to emphasize that templates and the need for consistency are essential in the development of CAD standards which result in productivity that is effective and efficient.

Patrick K Johnson