Create a Sheet Set (Concept)

You create a sheet set with the Create a Sheet Set wizard. In the wizard, you can either create a sheet set from scratch based on existing drawings or use an example sheet set as a template.

Layouts from specified drawing files are imported into the sheet set. The associations and information that define a sheet set are stored in a sheet set data (DST) file.

When creating a new sheet set using the Create Sheet Set wizard, a new folder is created as the default sheet set storage location. This new folder, named AutoCAD Sheet Sets, is located in the My Documents folder. The default location for the sheet set file can be changed, and it is recommended that the DST file is stored with the project files.

NoteThe DST file should be stored in a network location that is accessible to all sheet set users on the network and mapped using the same logical drive. It is strongly recommended that you store the DST and the sheet drawings in the same folder. If an entire sheet set needs to be moved, or a server or folder name changes, the DST file will still be able to locate the sheets using relative path information.

Preparation Tasks

Before you begin creating a sheet set, you should complete the following tasks:

Consolidate drawing files. Move the drawing files to be used in the sheet set into a small number of folders. This will simplify sheet set administration.
Eliminate multiple layout tabs. Each drawing you plan to use in the sheet set should have only one layout to be used as a sheet in the sheet set. This is important for access to sheets by multiple users. Only one sheet in each drawing can be open at a time.
Create a sheet creation template. Create or identify a drawing template (DWT) file to be used by the sheet set for creating new sheets. This drawing template file is called the sheet creation template. You specify this template file in the Sheet Set Properties dialog box or the Subset Properties dialog box.
Create a page setup overrides file. Create or identify a DWT file to store page setups for plotting and publishing. This file, called the page setup overrides file, can be used to apply a single page setup to all sheets in a sheet set, overriding the individual page setups stored in each drawing.

NoteAlthough it is possible to use several layouts from the same drawing file as separate sheets in a sheet set, it is not recommended. This makes concurrent access to each layout by multiple users impossible. This practice can also reduce your management options and can complicate the organization of your sheet sets.

Create a Sheet Set from an Example Sheet Set

In the Create Sheet Set wizard, when you choose to create a sheet set from an example, the example sheet set provides the organizational structure and default settings for the new sheet set. You can also specify that folders are created corresponding to the subset storage paths of the sheet set.

After you create an empty sheet set with this option, you can import layouts or create sheets individually.

Create a Sheet Set from Existing Drawing Files

In the Create Sheet Set wizard, when you choose to create a sheet set from existing drawing files, you specify one or more folders that contain drawing files. With this option, you can specify that the subset organization for the sheet set duplicates the folder structure of the drawing files. The layouts from these drawings can be imported into the sheet set automatically.

You can easily add more folders containing drawings by clicking the Browse button for each additional folder.

Backup and Recover Sheet Set Data Files

The data stored in the sheet set data file represents a significant amount of work, so you should take the same care to create backups of DST files as you do for drawing files.

In the unlikely event of DST file corruption or a major user error, the previously saved sheet set data file can be recovered. Every time the sheet set data file is opened, the current sheet set data file is copied to a backup file (DS$). This backup file has the same file name and is located in the same folder as the current sheet set data file.

To recover the previous version of the sheet set data file, first make sure that no one else on your network is working on the sheet set. Then, it is recommended that you copy the existing DST file to another file name. Finally, rename the backup file from the DS$ file extension to the DST file extension.