I stopped using layers for my architectural sections after a mentor in Austin called me out

For years I always stacked hatches and fills on different layers for every wall type in my drawings. I thought it was thorough, but my mentor in Austin pulled me aside about 6 months ago. He showed me how I was wasting time sorting through 15 layers when 4 would do the same job. Now I only separate by material type and use linetypes instead, and my files are way cleaner. Anyone else find they overcomplicate their layer setups?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilyfisher28d ago

Did your mentor say why he thought 4 layers was the sweet spot? I found the same thing when I switched from separate layers for every stupid detail like insulation vs. you just use one layer for all that stuff and let the hatch pattern do the work. It forces you to keep drawings simpler and way faster to edit when you're not constantly jumping between layers just to change a wall type. What's the most layers you ever ran in a single section view?

lily8928d ago

Did you ever get into a situation where a senior architect had like 20 layers for one wall assembly? I had to take over a file from a guy who had separate layers for sheathing, WRB, and then the air gap and I just about lost my mind trying to edit that thing.