From the course: AutoCAD MEP Essential Training

Working with display configurations - AutoCAD MEP Tutorial

From the course: AutoCAD MEP Essential Training

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Working with display configurations

We haven't had to deal with layers once, this entire course. That's because we've been using our display configurations. This dialog seems to be controlling everything. The objective of this video, is to examine the breakdown of the display configuration dialog. We will then create a lynda.com display set. Then we will add that set to a new lynda.com configuration. Once we're done with that, we'll add some pipe and see how we can control the display. So, to get started jump in the AutoCAD MEP 2015 and in our Start Drawing, we're going to use a template, and we're going to click the drop-down right here. We're going to go to AECB Model U.S. Imperial CTB. Now, let's get started by going into the Display Manager. You'll see we have three items. This lesson will deal with configurations and sets. I'm going to drill into Sets first. Notice we have a bunch of sets. A set is basically a display representation. When I double click on MEP Design-Plan, we'll see that we can control how all of our objects look, as we go down the line. We see one line, one line's green, two line, and so forth. So we can select an object, and show how it's going to show up in the specific view. Now, our sets are included in what's called a configuration. If I close my sets, and I go to my Configurations. And, I drill into MEP Design. We'll see we have sets applied to the configuration. Generally, this set is how it looks in Plan. And how it looks in 3D. That's what the model means, 3D. What I want to do, is create two sets, and then create a new configuration, and apply those two sets to the configuration. So to begin let's double-click on Sets. Up top, let's click on New. Let's scroll down til we find New Display Set. Let's right-click and rename it. I'm going to call it Lynda.com-Plan. I'm going to hit Enter. Now my Lynda.com-Plan is set. In my Plan. I'm going to come down to Pipe, I'm going to show my pipe two lines, which means that in plan, my pipe is all going to show up as two lines, as opposed to one line, or a one line screen. I'm going to go down to Walls. I'm going to scroll down the list until I see, Model Screen. So my walls will show up as screen. Which means they're going to be a grey color. Let's make another one for our model. Let's click on the, New button. Let's find New Display Set. Right-click and rename. This will be Lynda.com-Model. In our Display Representations, let's scroll down to Pipe. Let's make sure it's two line. Let's scroll down to Wall. So let's scroll down till we find Plan Screen, and turn that on. Let's click Apply. Now let's create a new configuration. Double-click on Configurations to drill into it. Let's go ahead and click on the, New button. For New Display Configuration, let's go ahead and right-click. And let's Rename it, to Lynda.com-Config. And hit Enter. Double-click on Lynda.com. And in our Configuration, now we can start to change our Display Representation Set. So for Top, instead of Plan, let's click the drop-down. Let's find Linda.com-Plan. Where it says default, we'll see that this is basically a 3D view. Instead of model, let's click the drop-down, let's find lynda.com-Model. Let's click Apply, let's click OK. Now in our Display Configuration Dialog, let's hit the flyout. Let's find lynda.com-Config. Let's change our Workspace Settings, to Piping. Let's go to our Tool palette, let's grab a Chilled Water-Supply. Let's start drawing it out. I'm going to hit F8 to turn my ortho on. I'm going to start drawing it in. I'm going to pick a spot here, I'm going to type e for elevation, and hit Enter. My elevation, I'm going to put 12 feet, and hit Enter. I'm going to just draw my pipe down in this way, and then over once more. I'm just routing some pipe. Now, I'm going to make a modification, in my display manager, just to see how this pipe will react. Go to Display Manager, go to Configurations, go to Lynda.com-Config, go to Lynda.com-Plan. Let's scroll down to pipe. Instead of two line, we're going to uncheck that, and we're going to put it on one line. Let's hit Apply, let's hit OK. Now we're going to show everything in one line schematic. As you can see, you're probably better off starting with a pre-defined display configuration. When you start one from scratch, you have to go through every object, and make a decision on how you want that to show up in that display. But at least now you know how to create one from scratch.

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