Creating View Frames

A view frame is a rectangle that represents the area that Plan Production is supposed to show in the plan view of a given sheet. Because a view frame is a Civil 3D object, you can assign a style to it and label it. View frames are accompanied by match lines that identify where two sheets meet. Match lines are also Civil 3D objects, capable of being stylized and labeled.

The Create View Frames command launches a wizard that steps you through the process of creating view frames. The size and scale of the view frames originate from a drawing template that you specify. The default settings of the wizard will create evenly spaced view frames that cover the entire alignment and are oriented to it. Once the view frames have been created, you can move and rotate them to the desired configuration.

To begin setting up plan and profile sheets for Jordan Court by creating view frames, follow these steps:
  1. Open the drawing named Creating View Frames.dwg located in the Chapter 19 class data folder.
  2. Click the Output ribbon tab, and then click Create View Frames. The first dialog box of the wizard, Create View Frames – Alignment, is displayed.
  3. Select Jordan Court as the alignment and click Next. The Create View Frames – Sheets dialog box opens.
    Tips:Notice that you can apply a user-specified station range for cases where you do not want sheets created for an entire alignment.
  4. Click the ellipsis for Template For Plan And Profile Sheet. The Select Layout As Sheet Template dialog box opens.
  5. Click the ellipsis for Drawing Template File Name. This opens the Select Layout As Sheet Template dialog box.
  6. Browse to the Chapter 19 class data folder, and select Civil 3D (Imperial) Plan and Profile.dwt (Civil 3D (Metric) Plan and Profile.dwt). Click Open.
  7. Select ARCH E Plan And Profile 20 Scale (ISO A0 Plan And Profile 1 To 250) and click OK. You are returned to the Create View Frames – Sheets dialog box.
  8. It’s All about the Template

    In steps 6 and 7 of this exercise, you chose a template as part of the process of creating view frames. This template is very important because it sets the size and scale of the view frame(s) and provides the title block and other important components of the final sheets. If you want to use Plan Production in your office, ask your CAD manager to set up a series of Plan Production templates for you.
  9. Click Next. Examine the settings in the Create View Frames – View Frame Group dialog box. Click Next without making any changes.
  10. Examine the settings in the Create View Frames – Match Lines dialog box. Click Next without making any changes.
  11. Examine the settings in the Create View Frames – Profile Views dialog box. Click Create View Frames without making any changes. Four view frames are created in the drawing along the Jordan Court alignment, as shown in Figure 1.
    Tips:It may seem strange to select a profile view and band set so early in the process, but these choices factor into how the profile view will fit within the view frame.
    Four view frames created along the Jordan Court alignment
    Figure 1.  Four view frames created along the Jordan Court alignment
  12. Click one of the view frames, and then click the diamond-shaped grip that appears at the center of the view frame. Move your cursor along the alignment and observe how the view frame maintains its orientation to the alignment as it moves.
  13. Test the function of the square grip and the circular grip. Notice that the square grip moves the view frame in any direction without changing its rotation. The circular grip rotates the view frame about its center point. When you begin the next exercise, the view frames will have been repositioned for you to get the best sheet configuration possible. These grips were used to reposition the view frames.
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