The Plan Production feature draws on several components to create a plan set. Here is a list of these components and a brief explanation of each. Later, this chapter will explore these elements in greater detail:
Drawing Template Plan Production creates new layouts for each sheet in a plan set. To do this, the feature uses drawing templates with predefined viewports. These viewports have their Viewport Type property set to either Plan or Profile.
For the exercises in this chapter, the default location will refer to the C:Mastering Civil 3D 2012CH 16Final Sheets location.
Object and Display Styles Like every other feature in Civil 3D, Plan Production uses objects. Specifically, these objects are view frames, view frame groups, and match lines. Before creating plan sheets, you’ll want to make sure you have styles set up for each of these objects.
Alignments and Profiles In Civil 3D, the Plan Production feature is designed primarily for use in creating plan and profile views. Toward that end, your drawing must contain (or reference) at least one alignment. If you’re creating sheets with both plan and profile views, a profile must also be present.
Sample Lines and Sections Creating section sheets requires a sample line group and a sheet template with section viewports associated.
With these elements in place, you’re ready to dive in and create some sheets. The general steps in creating a set of plans are as follows:
1. Meet the prerequisites listed previously.
2. Create view frames.
3. Create plan/plan-profile sheets.
4. Create section view groups
5. Create section sheets.
6. Plot or publish (hardcopy or DWF).
The next section describes this process in detail and the tools used in plan production. The Sheet Set Manager, which is found in basic AutoCAD, is an integral part of this process.