The base module is included with all other modules. It's used extensively when creating and modifying drawing templates.

For easier navigation, the Base module will be divided into 4 parts as we have 4 categories in the Base module.

• Drawings
• Export
• Other
• IMPACT

Commands

Below will the different commands under the Base tab will be presented. 

Update drawing

Updates the information in the drawing e.g. the drawing panel and the drawing head.

Figure 1: Update drawing 

Reset drawing

Redraws the whole template e.g. the drawing sheet, panel, head etc. An example of when this command is used is when a user accidentally erases the drawing sheet. Then the user can easily get it back using this command.

Figure 2: Reset drawing 
 

Refresh settings and properties

After making a change in Standard Admin, AutoCAD needs to be refreshed before the variable will affect the drawings. This can be done by either restart AutoCAD, or by using the command Refresh settings and properties which can be found under BASE.

Figure 3: Refresh settings and properties
 

Clean drawing

Cleans the drawing from external - references that may include: anonymous blocks, anonymous non-uniformly scaled blocks, anonymous hatches,  anonymous dimensions & anonymous groups. This command shall not be run on shop drawings. 

Figure 4: Clean Drawing

About IMPACT for AutoCAD...

Includes information about the IMPACT for AutoCAD version, build number, Web Service version, Freshdesk (support page) and the StruSoft home page.

Figure 5: About IMPACT for AutoCAD...

Layouts...

You create, edit and remove layouts from the Layouts dialogue.
To read more about layouts, click here.

New Viewport

This command is used in a shop drawing where you add another viewport to it. You can choose from several different viewports and the size of it. You can also box Align and scale to fit to make it appear as you need. The following gif is showing how it works.

Figure 6: New Viewport

Edit Viewport...

This command is used in a shop drawing and allows to make changes to the current viewport. You can make changes or replace it with another viewport if you need. The following gif is showing how it works.

Figure 7: Edit Viewport...

Viewports...

Viewports... works in the same way as Edit Viewport... The difference is that with Viewports... all viewports are shown at the same time. Here you can make the same configurations as before. The following gif is showing how it works.

Figure 8: Viewports...

Drawing Views

The Drawing Views command shows a dialog containing six options. 

Figure 9: Drawing Views

The gif will show how to use the add command. In this case, view 1 is added to the drawing. The steps are following. Drawing views -> Add. Choose which view you want to use. Next, place it in a good location. Lastly, go back to the element tab and run Draw Element.

Delete, as the name indicates, works the opposite way.

Generate Schedule

Generate Schedule lets you create a custom schedule including various variables, here referred to as column types.

Figure 10: Generate Schedule

The gif will show how to use this command. You choose the report type, table style, report title and the number of decimals. You also choose what column type the schedule should include, the name of it, width, in what order it should come and if you want the sum of the chosen column type to be placed at the bottom. Next, you can either select which elements to include or add all of them to the list. After that, you select which scale the schedule should have and where to insert it. You can also save the configuration if you want to use it later on. 

Edit Schedule Selection

Sometimes you need to make some changes to a schedule, either you want to add some elements to it or remove some from the schedule. This is when you use the Edit Schedule Selection command.

Figure 11: Edit Schedule

The gif will show how to use this command. Here I want to clear the schedule, which means to start from the beginning and then add just the selected elements. 

Update Schedule

If you remove an element from the drawing which was included in the schedule, then you can run the command Update Schedule. It will remove the element from the list and update the total sum if this is included in the schedule. 

Figure 12: Edit Schedule

The gif will show how to use this command. Here, the element WP1 is deleted and then the command is run. It removes WP1 from the list and recalculates the sum of the bounding box area.

Add the transport measures to schedules.

Transport measures can be added to the schedules so the correct measurements are shown. More about this can be read here.

CIM groups can be added to schedules.

More about this can be read here.

Draw Insulation

If you want to draw insulation in a wall or to specify anything, then Draw Insulation should be used. Here you can choose between Mineral wool and Polystyrene. You can also adjust the width of it and the insertion point. 

Figure 13: Draw Insulation

The GIF below will show how to use this command. 

Center of Gravity

This command displays a dot where the center of gravity (COG) is located. If only one polyline, outer, is selected then the COG is shown for just this polyline. If the outer and inner polyline is selected then the inner one is observed as an opening. 

Figure 14: Center of Gravity

The GIF below will show how to use this command. the first two times, only the outer polyline is selected, the third time, both an outer and inner polyline is selected.

Copy from Group

This command lets you copy elements in different ways. 

Figure 15: Copy from Group

You can either copy elements with Displacement, which means that you define the values that the element should move in the x,y & z-direction. In the GIF below, I am copying the element 1000 mm in the y-direction.

Here on the other hand, Multiple is chosen. The first thing that is defined here is the base point. Next, you can specify the second point, where the copied element should be. In the GIF the element is copied three times. If you don't like the placement, you can undo it by pressing Undo. You can also choose Array, which means that you will define the number of copies you wish. Here you can specify the length between the original element and the new one, the other elements will get the same distance between them. If you choose Fit, then you are defining the last elements insertion point. The distance between the elements will also be fixed.

 Add Property Set...

This command lets you select which properties should be included when exporting IFC files. 

The following link will describe one of the properties, Building Information Properties.