AutoCAD: How to make a Border with Attributes? 1

[testrun]

Does anyone know the steps how to make a border with attributes using the ATTDEF command and then save it as a block? Thanks!

 

[borgunit]

http://www.cadtutor.net/michael/mc0306.html

"Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." — Will Rogers

 

[testrun]

Thanks borgunit. It was actually recommended to me that when creating a drawing border that I should use the ATTDEF command. Well, I've checked out that website, and tried to use the ATTDEF command on the text in the border (ex. page number). Unfortunately I couldn't get it to work properly, nor do I understand the benefit to using it. I thought it was going to help easily change certain portions of the text without having to explode the border block????

 

[borgunit]

Have you looked at all in the AutoCAD help section? It goes through this stuff.

"Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." — Will Rogers

 

[limct]

This is quite lengthy to explain, but anyway, here it goes.
let say you wanna create a simple title block with only two attributes, ie.drawing number and drawing name. (I assume you're using version 2004 and above.)
1) use command ATTDEF, key in "drawing number" for TAG, "drawing number" for PROMT (it's a good practice to use the same description for these two) and "XXXXXXXX" for VALUE (assuming your drawing number convention is of 8-digits format).
2) check the font size, adjust it necessarily.
3) press OK button.
4) move the cursor to the location you wanna place the TAG (the TAG should appear as "drawing number".

5) use command ATTDEF, key in "drawing name" for TAG, "drawing name" for PROMT (it's a good practice to use the same description for these two) and "ABCDEFG" for VALUE (assuming that's your drawing name convention).
6) check the font size, adjust it necessarily.
7) press OK button.
8) move the cursor to the location you wanna place the TAG (the TAG should appear as "drawing name".
9) block the two TAGs
10) you'll notice the two TAGs will change to "XXXXXXXX" and "ABCDEFG" respectively (these are the default VALUE you've just typed in!)
11) use command DDATTE, click on the block and a data entry sub-window will be prompted.

That's all, I guess. Good luck


Best regards,
ct

 

[draftsmandon]

Do you start your new drawings with a template, or from scratch? The way I've always managed my title blocks and borders is to have a border drawing made in model space that has all of the attributes defined as described in detail by limct above. Use this drawing as a "block" to be inserted into all other drawings either in model space scaled as desired, or into paper space at 1:1. Attributes only work when the intial drawing the attributes were defined in is inserted as a block into another drawing. When the insertion is made, you'll see the dialogue box mentioned above. Hope this helps, because once you begin using attributes, you'll see how powerful and time saving they can be.

 

[chicopee]

This message may be a little late however remember that to make attributed blocks, you must define you attributes first before turning the drawing into a block.

 

[dik]

I usually create a drawing border and title block as two separate drawings and insert the title block after xrefing the drawing border. The drawing border xref has information that doesn't change from sheet to sheet and the title block usually changes from drawing to drawing. The 'fill in' information for the title block is a series of attributes for: drawing title, drawn by, checked by, designed by, drawing no, revision no., date, file no., project no., and drawing scale. The xref'd border has the project name, client, etc. that doesn't change. I create a new xref border for each project which may have file name 06999xrf.dwg. where project file names may be 06999s01.dwg to whatever.

Off topic: If revision 01, then current dwg is 06999s01.dwg and the earlier edition is saved as 06999s01.dw0.

Dik