[Editor's Note: This article is based on Ron's recent presentation to the Mid-Atlantic Pro/USER Group, voted the year's "Best of RUG Presentation."]

You know how it feels when you finish all your chores on Saturday and have Sunday completely off? Or how a vacation is more fun when everything is prepaid? That’s the same kind of feeling you get from using Drawing Templates. You pay the price once up front and there are no worries or hidden costs later.

Drawing Templates automate the creation of views and other detail items for a drawing model. Introduced in Pro/ENGINEER®2000i2, this new functionality is Pro/DETAIL®’s equivalent of a Solid Model Template. Just as you predefine the basic construction items like datum planes, layers, and view orientations in a start part, Drawing Templates allow you to preconfigure your detail documents with views, formats, and notes.

Drawing templates offer several benefits—or perhaps more accurately “pre-benefits”—because automated tasks are completed ahead of time.

• Accuracy. Your drawings are more accurate because predefined notes are checked for correctness, completeness, and spelling. Predisplayed dimensions are not overlooked and preset layer statuses are not confusing.
• Consistency. Drawing views and detail items are prearranged on drawings in a uniform fashion. This makes drawings easier to understand, increasing the confidence of the reader. In addition, the display type of views (hidden line, no hidden, etc.) are preset and stick between Pro/ENGINEER sessions.
• Speed. Since many routine tasks are predefined, your drawings are created faster. A shorter detailing time cycle, combined with more accurate and consistent drawings, yields a productivity step change.

Something in Common

Before creating a library filled with drawing templates, a good first step is to determine the types of drawing documents your company requires. Some examples of drawing types are machining details, mold layouts, assembly drawings, and product manual or data sheets. Also consider some of the other less obvious forms of documentation in use, such as design review layouts and inprocess inspection (SPC) drawings.

Once you have a list of document types, plot a few examples of each drawing. Spread the samples out on a large table and look at them. Don’t be concerned with the details—just try to identify commonalities in the layout or form of the drawing. How are the views arranged? Are there similar notes? Do some drawings (like a mold layout) always require crosssections to be shown? Use these attributes to define your drawing templates. Although it may seem that formats are the only commonalities, try to identify others.