User Defined Attributes – Adding depth to your notes

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User defined attributes are the secret weapon of designers, used to achieve fluency and efficiency. CAD design is a science, and the user defined attributes are the designer's best practice tools. The notes are the designer's detailed specifications, important work in their own right. Put the two together and you have a very efficient working process. All forms ofCAD drafting software use this feature, which is invaluable as both a design function and as a collaboration method.

User defined attributes, explained

User defined attributes are basically characteristic specifications for design plans. They're also a form of customization, using a range of user defined information applied to plans in relation to specific objects or the plans themselves. These are attributes assigned to specifications, common factors in design elements. A user defined attribute may assign a certain code or value to a range of components, for example, rather than tediously entering each element on a plan as data. This drastically improves efficiency in planning and design, and provides a consistent working base.

New developments by industry leader Tekla have now created "user defined parametrics", an invaluable system used to update user definitions for design changes, with no additional entry or programming required. This feature runs direct off the user interface, making the change and modification processes extremely easy to manage.

Notes- How they operate

Notes, aka annotation, are text and plan specifications added to a CAD plan. These are a form of user defined attribute, and are used to provide information about the plan.

The notes identify the dimensions, positions and linkages of building components for construction. Text is used to clarify information in a drawn plan when the plan itself can't clearly show how an object or plan element is constructed.

Text is intended to provide comprehensive information which is understandable by a reader unfamiliar with the plan. It's as much a communication method as a part of the plan. Best practice requires that the notes should be sufficient to explain the construction issues, but not excessive, which would be inefficient.

Combining efficiency and detail

User defined attributes and notes are fundamental information for CAD plans. They are universally used in all types of 3D CAD, systematically covering all areas of construction and design detail. They also provide quick, easy points of reference to check information on plans, which is one of the most essential quality controls with CAD drafting.

The user defined attributes, text and notes are like footnotes to a book, providing necessary additional information as required. They're a particularly useful methodology for design teams, too. As specifications, construction information and references, they can be used as management tools, providing instant sources of information for team collaborations and when working with design modifications as standard elements.

In 3D CAD, user defined attributes are absolutely essential. They ensure that these demanding designs are well documented and that information quality standards are being met. The relative merits of 3D CAD software are usually defined, in fact, by these attributes. The better the user defined functions, the better and more efficient the software.
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