What is a Simple File Name Convention?

a-simple-file-name-convention

Looking for file naming conventions examples? This article gives some easy examples. Drawings must be given file names that allow you to identify them by project and discipline. Folders (subdirectories) are used to segregate projects.

File names of drawings are related closely to the sheet numbers. If you decide to use a CAD drawing to produce a single plotted sheet, then the drawing’s file name is the same as the sheet number. If, however, a CAD drawing produces several different plotted sheets (either via toggling the visibility of layers, or via referenced drawings) — which is how CAD ought to be used — then the sheet number must differ from the drawing file name.

In this chapter, we discuss several examples of drawing file name conventions.

The following article is an abstract of the eBook ‘Best CAD Practices’ by Ralph Grabowski. Graebert is happy to share with you some of the experience accumulated by Ralph as a CAD expert and as compiled in his eBook for which the reference can be found at the bottom of the page. Feel free to share feedback in the comment section below.

A Simple File Name Convention

The simplest file name convention is based on project numbers. If necessary, names can be refined further, such as by discipline. For example, a drawing with the name 60591A01.DWG has the following meaning:

60591   Project number
A           Discipline (A = architectural)
01         Drawing number
DWG    Fle extension

Notice that digits and letters alternated in the name to help distinguish the parts of the file name; no need to use dashes.

In the next example the file name A-P-06-915-B.DGN uses dashes to separate the parts of the file name. This allows the file name to have more than one number group in a row.

A          Discipline
P          Drawing type (P = plan drawing)
06        Detail number
915      Sheet number
B          Revision number
DGN    File extension

The next example of a drawing file name, HQB2E001.RVT, adds floor numbers to a building project:

TS        Drawing description (TS = tool shed)
B2        Floor number (B2 = second basement floor)
E          Discipline (E = electrical)
001      Sheet number
RVT     File extension

Here are examples of drawing file names for a large roadway design project using externally referenced files:

RW01   Right-of-way requirements, sheet 1
PL03     Plan, sheet 3
GM05   Road geometry, sheet 5
PM07   Pavement markings, sheet 7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ralph Grabowski is a CAD expert with 30+ years experience. He is the author of several best-selling books related to most leading CAD programs. Ralph writes also in a variety of CAD news portals and magazines. More than anything, he is renowned as the founder and editor of the upFront.eZine newsletter and the blog WorldCAD Access.

NB: The views and opinions expressed by the author in this article or in the eBook do not necessarily reflect those of Graebert as a company or publisher of this blog.

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