Autodesk 00128-051462-9310 - AUTOCAD 2008 COMM UPG FRM 2005 DVD, User Manual

Page: 259 / 2268

The Content of Constructs
There are three different types of content you can place in a construct:
■
Drawing objects: You can draw an apartment layout, a frame drawing, or a ceiling grid as a construct. Also,
spanning objects like curtain walls or elevator shafts are usually created directly as constructs.
■
Element references: You can display repeating components within the construct, such as desk/chair combinations,
bathroom layouts, or stairs. For more information, see “
Referencing Elements into Constructs ” on page 225, and
“ Referencing an Element into Multiple Constructs ” on page 226.
■
A combination of drawing objects and element references: If you have a floor with different office types,
but repeating furniture elements, you could draw the office walls directly in the construct but reference the furniture
as elements.
You should not, as a general rule, reference constructs into constructs. A construct has a defined level and division
assignment. If a construct were to be referenced into another construct, it would have two contradicting level and
division assignments. However, there are situations where the necessity to do this can occur. For example, when you
are checking the correct vertical alignment of a ceiling in the building, you could view a ceiling construct with an
overlaid floor plan construct in it. Or, you might want to display alternating versions of a two car garage and a three
car garage within a plan construct. If you encounter a situation where you would need to do this, there are several
options of working around it:
■
Convert the first construct to an element, as described in “ Converting a Construct to an Element ” on page 230, and
then reference it into the other construct.
■
Overlay the construct onto the other construct.
WARNING Do not attach property set data to an overlaid construct from within the host construct. This data is processed
incompletely. If you want to attach property data to a construct that will be overlaid into another construct, attach the
property data locally in the overlaid construct.
■
Create a view into which you reference both constructs. For more information, see “ Creating a New General View
Drawing ” on page 246.
Which of these options is best for you largely depends on your workflow and the results you want to achieve.
Creating a New Construct
Use this procedure to create a new construct.
3D view of spanning curtain wall construct
1 Click Window menu
➤
Project Navigator Palette.
2 Click the Constructs tab.
The Content of Constructs | 219