DFTG 2419 Intermediate CAD
Student Guide
MECHANICAL DRAWING
TEMPLATE FILE
Create a drawing template file on which you can base a mechanical drawing.
Setup
• Start a new drawing based on acad.dwt. Save this drawing in your User folder as
Mechanical.dwt.
• Open DesignCenter. In the Folder List, navigate to your Title Blocks.dwg file (see
Figure 1), and select Layouts.
• Select the Mechanical layout and
drag it into your drawing.
• While DesignCenter is open,
also import the MechText text
style from Title Blocks.dwg.
Figure 1. Importing layouts from DesignCenter
Layer Configuration
• Configure the following layers with indicated settings.
• This layer configuration conforms to ASME standards.
Table 1. Layer Configuration information
NAME
Center
Construction
Cutting Plane
Dimensions
Hatch
Hidden
Isometric
Notes
Phantom
Text
Threads
Viewports
Visible
COLOR
Cyan
Yellow
White
Green
Magenta
Blue
Yellow
Green
Red
White
Red
Magenta
Red
LINETYPE
Center
Center
Phantom
Continuous
Continuous
Hidden
Continuous
Continuous
Phantom
Continuous
Continuous
Continuous
Continuous
LINEWEIGHT
.30mm
Default
.60mm
.30mm
.30mm
.30mm
Default
.30mm
.30mm
.30mm
Default
Default
.60mm
PLOT
No
Drawing Properties
• Drawing properties are settings that are saved with your drawing.
• Set yourself as the Author of this template.
ο Post the File menu and choose Drawing Properties….
ο In the Properties dialog box, select the Summary tab.
ο Enter your initials in the box labeled Author (if not already done).
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Text Styles
• Text style settings reflect the requirements for annotating mechanical drawings.
• Do not re-define the Standard text style.
• This drawing already contains a non-annotative text style named Mech Text-NA. Set
this text style current.
Multileader Style
• Multileader style settings reflect the requirements for annotating mechanical
drawings.
• Set the Mech Text-NA text style current.
• Open the Multileader Style Manager. Create a new multileader style named Callout that
is based on the Standard style. Include the settings shown in Figures 2a – 2c below.
Figure 2a. Leader Format settings
Figure 2b. Leader Structure settings
Figure 2c. Content settings
Dimension Styles
• Dimension style settings reflect the requirements for dimensioning mechanical parts.
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•
Every dimension style you create is based on an existing style.
• Do not re-define the Standard dimension style.
Create the following dimension styles with indicated settings. The Mechanical style is for
most of your dimensions. The other two are specialized styles for measurements
requiring 3 decimal places and circles or arcs with large diameters. Accept default values
for any properties not shown.
STYLE NAME
Mechanical
(start with
Standard)
* MechText—the
annotative text
style—is for
Model space
dimensions;
MechText-NA—
the nonannotative text
style—is for
Paper space
dimensions (see
Dimensioning In
Paper Space in
Unit 6).
Table 2. Mechanical Dimension Style
TAB
PROPERTY
Lines
Dimension Lines
Color
Linetype
Lineweight
Baseline Spacing
Extension Lines
Color
Linetype
Lineweight
Extend beyond dimension lines
Offset from origin
Symbols and Arrows
Arrowheads
Arrowheads (First and Second)
Leader
Arrow size
Center marks
Size
Text
Text appearance
Text style
Text placement
Text color
Fill color
Text height
Text placement (Horizontal and
Vertical)
Offset from dim line
Text alignment
Fit
Fit options
Measurement scale
Zero suppression
Angular dimensions
By Block
By Block
By Block
.38
By Block
By Block
By Block
.12
.04
Closed filled
Closed filled
.10
Line
.06
MechText or
MechText-NA*
By Block
None
.10
Centered
.06
Horizontal
Either text or
arrows (best fit)
Beside the
dimension line
Text placement
Scale for dimension
features
Fine tuning
Primary Units
Linear dimensions
SETTING
Annotative
Checked
None
Unit format
Precision
Decimal separator
Scale factor
Default settings for all properties
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Decimal
.00
‘.’ (Period)
1.00
Leading
DFTG 2419 Intermediate CAD
Student Guide
Name the second dimension style Three Decimals. Base it on the Mechanical style. This
style is only for measurements requiring 3 decimal places.
STYLE NAME
Three
Decimals
(start with
Mechanical)
Table 3. Three Decimals Dimension Style
TAB
PROPERTY
Primary Units
Linear dimensions
Precision
SETTING
.000
Name the third dimension style Large Diameter. Base it on the Mechanical style. This style
is only for circles with diameter greater than or equal to 2, or arcs with radius greater than
or equal to 1. The dimension line and arrowheads appear inside of large circles and arcs
(see Figures 3a and 3b below).
STYLE NAME
Large
Diameter
(start with
Mechanical)
Table 4. Large Diameter Dimension Style
TAB
PROPERTY
Fit
Fit options
Fine tuning
Figure 3a. Small circles and arcs
•
SETTING
Text
Check both
boxes
Figure 3b. Large circles and arcs
Before you close the Dimension Style Manager dialog box, set the Mechanical
dimension style current.
Table Style
Create a table style on which you can base a Parts List table in a mechanical assembly
drawing. Name your table style Parts List, based on the Standard table style. Apply the
settings shown in Table 5. Before you close the Table Style dialog box, set this table style
current.
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Table 5. Parts List Table Style
Table direction
STYLE NAME
General
Parts List
(based on
Standard)
Cell styles
Data
General
Text
Borders
Header
General
Text
Borders
Title
General
Text
Borders
PROPERTY
Up
SETTING
Alignment
Middle center
Type
Data
Vertical cell margins
.02
Text style
Mech Text-NA
Text height
.1
All default settings
Alignment
Middle center
Type
Label
Vertical cell margins
.02
Text style
Mech Text-NA
Text height
.1
All default settings
Alignment
Middle center
Format
General
Type
Label
Vertical cell margins
.02
Text style
Mech Text-NA
Text height
.125
All default settings
Layouts, Page Setups, and Paper Space Components
Rename the Mechanical layout Assembly Set this layout current and provide the following
page setup.
• Set the printer to DWF eView (A&E).pc3.
• Set the paper size to DWF ANSI B (17.00 x 11.00 Inches).
• Make sure the plot area (What to plot) is set to Layout.
• Select the monochrome.ctb plot style table.
• Make sure the plot scale is set to 1:1.
• Make sure the orientation is set to Landscape.
Set PSLTSCALE to 0, and REGENALL.
Tolerancing Table
Mechanical drawings often include a table that specifies tolerancing information (see
Figure 4 below). To add tolerancing information to your mechanical drawing template:
• Open the drawing named Tolerances for Title Block.dwg from the Unit 4 folder in the
Shared directory.
• Select everything in this drawing.
• Right-click and choose Copy with Base Point from the shortcut menu. When prompted
for the base point, select the lower right corner of the table.
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•
•
Student Guide
Return to the Assembly layout in your mechanical template and paste the table into the
current layout. Snap it to the lower left corner of the title block.
Assign both the tolerancing table and the title block to the Text layer.
Figure 4. Tolerancing table and Title block
Copy Layouts
To save time later, create paper space components in your drawing template.
• The Assembly layout should already contain a border and a Mechanical title block.
• Make two copies of this layout; name them Details 1 and Details 2.
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