Standard Title Blocks

The title block templates (*.dwt) contain the title block in layout view, layers, text styles and dimension styles. Title block drawings (*.dwg) only contain the title block in model space.

The following documents require AutoCAD.

Installing and Using the Maryland NRCS CADD Title Blocks

Installing the Templates:

1. Determine where the templates are stored on your computer.  Do the following:
   1. Start AutoCAD.
   2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   3. In the Options dialog box, click the Files tab.
   4. On the Files tab, click the plus sign (+) to the left of the Template Settings.
   5. Under Drawing Template Settings, click the plus sign (+) to the left of Drawing Template File Location.
   6. Under Drawing Template File Location, click the path name to view the location of your drawing template files.
2. Save the drawing templates (.dwt files) to this directory.
3. The next time you start a drawing, on the File menu, click New.
4. If the drawing wizard starts, select "Use a Template".
5. Find the Maryland template you need in the Select Template dialog box and select it.
6. Press Open.

Using the Text Styles and Dimension Styles in the Templates:

The template contains predefined text styles and dimension styles to improve consistency across the drawing if used correctly. The text styles and dimension styles in the template are setup to work in conjunction with one another and have similar nomenclature.

The text styles take on the form “xxx_Notes_Dim”.  The last numbers in the name specify what scale the text will be the proper size.  This does not mean you should set the scale of the drawing to this scale, but the scale of the viewport when setting up your drawings in paper space.  There are three default text sizes when scaled properly and they are as follows:

xxx_Notes_Dim - 1/8" text height for notes and dimensions
xxx_Subtitle - 3/16" text height for subtitles
xxx_Title - 1/4" text height for titles

The dimension styles take on a similar form to the text style and that form is “xxx_Unit_MD”.  The numbers/scale factor from the text style and dimension style should be the same. The unit specifies what units will be used and how the dimensions will look. The unit styles included are:

xxx_Dec_MD - measurements in decimal feet with 1 unit equal to 1 foot
xxx_Eng_MD - measurements in feet and inches with 1 unit equal to 1 foot
xxx_Arch_MD - measurements in inches with 1 unit equal to 1 inch

 Some important things to remember when using these templates:

• Always draw in model space so that the drawing scale is 1-to-1.
• Before drawing, make an educated guess of what the final scale for that component of the drawing will be.
• The text and dimension styles need to be set based on that estimate (it can be changed later).
• When unsure, use a 20 or 30 scale.  The default in the template is 20 scale.
• When working in paper space, use a scale of 1-to-1.
• To change styles later, highlight the parts of the drawing you want to change the scale of and use the “qselect” command as many times as necessary to change settings.

Contact

Allan Stahl
State Conservation Engineer
Phone: 443.482.2912
Email: allan.stahl@md.usda.gov

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