Creating a new element plan

Tool(s): Layout Catalog

To create a new entry in the layout catalog, you first need to generate an element plan and assign an element type to this element plan. Then add a sheet to this element plan. Now you can simply drag the views and sections, table, legend and title block to this sheet, which is displayed in the overview window. Finally, define anchors to position the elements exactly.

If you want to add a sheet to an existing element plan or a layout element to an existing sheet, select the relevant element plan or sheet in the tree structure and proceed as described below.
Note that you also have the option to copy existing layout elements.

To create a new element plan

1. Click Element Plan in the toolbar at the top.

   A new entry is added to the end of the tree structure. By default, the program does not assign an element type to this new entry. It is therefore marked with a red question mark. The Element types tab opens automatically in the palette in the Properties window on the right.

2. Assign at least one element type from the Precast slab, Precast wall or Structural precast elements group to the new entry. You cannot assign different precast element types (e.g. wall and slab) to the same entry.

   Depending on the selection, the element plan is given the icon of the corresponding module.

3. Define the other parameters of the element plan in the individual tabs.
4. Click Sheet in the toolbar at the top.

   A new entry is added to the current element plan and the sheet is displayed in the overview window.

5. In the palette of the Properties window on the right, enter the name and specify the form size and scale.
6. Click Label Style in the toolbar at the top, drag the rectangle serving as a placeholder to the sheet in the overview window and click with the left mouse button to place it.

   Label styles are always aligned horizontally.

7. In the palette of the Properties window on the right, enter a Name, specify whether the label style and other layout elements may overlap and select the label style you want to use for the title block.
   

   You can select layout elements such as label styles and legends by specifying the path, file number and the number of the entry. If this node is closed, the selected setting is displayed here.

   Select path:

   Specifies the path to the label style or legend. You can choose between Default and Office.

   File no. / Entry no.:

   Number of the file and entry of the title block or view title, which was created as a label style at a scale of 1:1 in Allplan, or number of the file and entry of the legend created in Allplan.

   Note: If the element plan only shows individual wall layers, you can specify the scope of elements in the label style or legend using the Layer number of precast element attribute in the Precast concrete elements area.

8. Click Table in the toolbar at the top, drag the rectangle serving as a placeholder to the sheet displayed in the overview window and click with the left mouse button to place it.

   Tables are always aligned horizontally. All elements in the precast element are listed, regardless of the layer status.

9. Define the parameters of the table using the individual tabs in the palette of the Properties window on the right.
10. Click Legend in the toolbar at the top, drag the rectangle serving as a placeholder to the sheet displayed in the overview window and click with the left mouse button to place it.

    Legends are always aligned horizontally. All elements in the precast element are listed, regardless of the layer status.

11. In the palette of the Properties window on the right, enter a name, select the legend and define the maximum height and width of the legend.
    

    You can specify the maximum height and width of the legend in [mm]. This defined area is reserved for the legend when the element plan is created. If the legend requires less space, the remaining space is empty.

    If, for example, you add reinforcement later, the legend is enlarged up to the maximum size. If the legend exceeds the space reserved, the legend is resized (font size is reduced) and, if necessary, divided into several columns.

    Note that you cannot use the same legends as in the placing drawing as the element plan uses the local mark numbers for reinforcing bars and meshes. If necessary, modify the existing legends. Instead of the Number of meshes/bars, Weight of meshes/bars and Mark number of meshes/bars attributes of the Engineering area, use the Number of meshes/bars in element plan, Weight of meshes/bars in element plan and Mark number of meshes/bars in element plan attributes of the Precast concrete elements area. Do not use the Sum up option when you create the legend!

    Tip: You can use the Legend layout element to create a reinforcement schedule consisting of a single sheet. Define a separate sheet and specify the maximum height and width by entering the size of the sheet.

12. Click View - parallel projection, View - isometric view or Section in the toolbar at the top, drag the rectangle serving as a placeholder to the sheet displayed in the overview window and click with the left mouse button to place it.
13. Define the parameters of the views and sections using the individual tabs in the palette of the Properties window on the right.
14. Click Anchor in the toolbar at the top to position the layout elements relative to the edge of the sheet or relative to each other.

    You can specify different offsets between the views/sections and, if you want, between the table, legend, title block and the views/sections, too. For views and sections you can choose between the enclosing min-max-box representing the shell entity including all dimension lines generated automatically (outer border shown as a continuous line) or the enclosing min-max-box representing the shell entity alone (inner border shown as a dashed line).

15. Point to a corner or to the middle of an edge of the sheet or of a layout element.

    A small rectangle appears there.

16. Click with the left mouse button, keep the left mouse button pressed down and drag an anchor to a corner or the middle of a different edge until this corner or edge is also marked. Then release the left mouse button again.

    Note: A sheet must not contain more than one element that is not anchored. All the other elements must be anchored to the sheet or to each other. When you anchor views and sections to each other and select the Align component option, only one anchor can point to the element that is aligned to the other element. However, several anchors may originate in any layout element.

17. In the palette of the Properties window on the right, replace the X displacement and/or Y displacement of 10 mm, which is proposed by the program, with the value you need. The value you specify is the actual displacement that is used for plotting, regardless of the reference scale set.
18. Select the Align component option for anchors between views/sections. When it is active, the aligned rectangle assumes the dimensions of the initial rectangle in the direction of the alignment. Furthermore, the viewing directions you can define for the aligned rectangle are reduced to appropriate ones. A rotation is no longer possible.
    You cannot use the Align component option in conjunction with isometric views.
19. If necessary, adjust the rectangles displayed to the actual dimensions used in the element plan later.
    

    When you move the mouse to an edge or corner of a rectangle displayed, the cursor changes and you can change the dimensions of the relevant rectangle by pressing and holding down the left mouse button while dragging. This way, you can adjust the dimensions of the rectangles so that they roughly match those of the actual elements placed in the element plan later.