2011

Table Of Contents
Standards File
After you define standards, you save them as a standards file. You can then
associate the standards file with one or more drawing files. After you associate
a standards file with a drawing, you should periodically check the drawing to
make sure it conforms with the standards.
How a Standards Audit Works
When you check a drawing for standards violations, each named object of a
specific type is checked against the standards files associated with the drawing.
For example, each layer in the drawing is checked against the layers in the
standards file.
A standards audit can uncover two types of problems:
An object with a nonstandard name is present in the drawing being
checked. For example, a layer named WALL is present in the drawing but
not in any associated standards files.
A named object in a drawing matches the name of one in a standards file,
but their properties are different. For example, in the drawing the WALL
layer is yellow, but the standards file specifies red for the WALL layer.
When you fix objects with nonstandard names, the nonstandard objects are
purged from the drawing. Any drawing objects that are associated with the
nonstandard object are transferred to a replacement standard object that you
specify. For example, you fix a nonstandard layer, WALL, and replace it with
the standard ARCH-WALL. In this example, choosing Fix in the Check
Standards dialog box transfers all objects from layer WALL to layer ARCH-WALL
and then purges layer WALL from the drawing.
Standards Plug-Ins
The auditing process uses standards plug-ins, applications that define the rules
for the properties that are checked for individual named objects. Layers,
dimension styles, linetypes, and text styles are each checked against their
corresponding plug-ins. You can specify which plug-ins to use when checking
a drawing for standards violations. Autodesk or third-party developers may
add standards plug-ins for checking additional drawing properties.
All plug-ins check all properties for each named object except for the layer
plug-in. The following layer properties are checked when using the layer
plug-in:
Color
218 | Chapter 9 Maintain Standards in Drawings