Overview of projects, filesets, drawing files and layouts

Structuring and managing data

A project is an organizational unit. When you work in Allplan in a project-based manner, a new project is created for each construction project. Technically, a project is a folder; metaphorically speaking, it is a drawer containing the drawing files. An unnamed private project for practice and testing is available to each user.

A project is an organizational unit. A new project is created for each construction project. Technically, a project is a folder; metaphorically speaking, it is a drawer containing the drawing files. You can create up to 9999 drawing files per project. An unnamed "private project" for practice and testing is available to each user. A project consists of drawing files, filesets, layouts and layers.

Filesets are an important organizational unit within projects. A fileset can consist of up to 128 drawing files. You can assign any drawing file to a fileset. Up to 1,000 filesets can be created per project. A fileset can be placed in a layout to be printed with a single command.

A fileset is a compilation of drawing files. For example, all the drawing files in a story can be combined into one fileset. A fileset can contain up to 128 drawing files. A drawing file can also belong to several filesets.

The actual design and data creation process happens in drawing files. These are the equivalent of the transparencies used in conventional building design. Drawing files can be used to give projects a structure. In IT terms, a drawing file is a conventional file stored on your hard disk. You can display and edit up to 128 drawing files at once - in other words, you can have several files open simultaneously. A project can contain up to 9999 drawing files. When working without layers, the individual building elements (such as walls, stairs, labeling, etc.) are drawn on different drawing files and superimposed like transparencies.

A drawing file is the basic organizational unit in Allplan. Drawing files are superimposed like transparencies. You can display up to 128 drawing files on screen. Drawing files differ in their drawing file status and their data type icon.

Layers provide an additional means of applying a structure - within documents. They apply to all the drawing files in a project. Design entities and components can automatically be assigned to the correct layer. Layers can be set so that they are not visible to the user.

Layers are an extension of the structure within a drawing file by means of which individual elements can be grouped according to construction-specific criteria. When created, each element is given a layer as an attribute. Layers can be grouped as privilege sets and layer sets.

A layout is the unit you send to the printer. As opposed to design using a conventional drafting board, the scope of the layout does not have to be defined in advance. Generally, you leave the layout (which involves arranging and laying out drawing files and/or filesets) until you’re finished with the design. Each project can contain up to 9,999 layouts.

A layout is a document in which you can place drawing files, NDW-format files and/or filesets. In other words, assembling a layout involves arranging and laying out these elements.