OVERVIEW OF CADSTANDARDS-CONCEPTS

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You can create a standards file to define common properties in order to maintain
consistency throughout your drawing files. Standards define a set of common pro
perties for named objects such as layers and text styles. You or your CAD manage
r can create, apply, and audit standards in AutoCAD drawings to enforce consisten
cy. Because standards make it easier for others to interpret drawings, standards
are particularly useful in collaborative environments, where many individuals c
ontribute to the creation of a drawing.
Named Objects for Standards-Checking
You can create standards for the following named objects:
Layers
Text styles
Linetypes
Dimension styles
Standards File
After you define standards, you save them as a standards file. You can then asso
ciate the standards file with one or more drawing files. After you associate a s
tandards file with a drawing, you should periodically check the drawing to make
sure it conforms with the standards.
Sample Drawing and Associated Standards File
AutoCAD provides a sample drawing and an associated standards file. The drawing
file has been deliberately modified to contain a number of nonstandard objects t
o demonstrate how drawings are audited. The sample files, MKMPlan.dwg and MKMStd
.dws, are installed in the Sample folder of AutoCAD.
How a Standards Audit Works
When you check a drawing for standards violations, each named object of a specif
ic type is checked against the standards files associated with the drawing. For
example, each layer in the drawing is checked against the layers in the standard
s file.
A standards audit can uncover two types of problems:
An object with a nonstandard name is present in the drawing being checked. For e
xample, a layer named WALL is present in the drawing but not in any associated s
tandards files.
A named object in a drawing matches the name of one in a standards file, but the
ir properties are different. For example, in the drawing the WALL layer is yello
w, but the standards file specifies red for the WALL layer.
When you fix objects with nonstandard names, the nonstandard objects are purged
from the drawing. Any drawing objects that are associated with the nonstandard o
bject are transferred to a replacement standard object that you specify. For exa
mple, you fix a nonstandard layer, WALL, and replace it with the standard ARCH-W
ALL. In this example, choosing Fix in the Check Standards dialog box transfers a
ll objects from layer WALL to layer ARCH-WALL and then purges layer WALL from th
e drawing.
Standards Plug-Ins
The auditing process uses standards plug-ins, applications that define the rules
for the properties that are checked for individual named objects. Layers, dimen
sion styles, linetypes, and text styles are each checked against their correspon
ding plug-ins. You can specify which plug-ins to use when checking a drawing for
standards violations. Autodesk or third-party developers may add standards plug
-ins for checking additional drawing properties.
All plug-ins check all properties for each named object except for the layer plu
g-in. The following layer properties are checked when using the layer plug-in:
Color
Linetype
Lineweight
Plot style mode
Plot style name (when the PSTYLEMODE system variable is set to 0)
The following layer properties are not checked by the layer plug-in:
On/Off
Freeze/Thaw
Lock
Plot/No Plot
Standards Settings
A variety of settings that may be useful to CAD managers are available in the CA
D Standards Settings dialog box. This dialog box can be accessed by clicking Set
tings in the Check Standards and Configure Standards dialog boxes.
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