🎓 Lesson 2-19: Creating and Using Templates

Streamline your workflow by saving custom settings, styles, and layouts in a reusable format.

📚 What You’ll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

Create and save a custom drawing template (DWT)
Include layers, title blocks, annotation styles, and plot settings
Automatically start new drawings using your custom template
Maintain drafting consistency across teams and projects
Set default templates for specific types of work (e.g., mechanical, architectural)

🧰 Tools You’ll Use

Tool / Feature	Description
`SAVEAS`	Saves the current drawing as a new template file
`.DWT` format	AutoCAD template file extension
`OPTIONS`	Defines default templates for new drawings
Drawing Settings	Controls units, limits, and snap/grid spacing
Annotation Styles	Saves text, dimension, multileader, and table styles
Layout Tabs	Saves title blocks, borders, and viewports

❗ Why It Matters

Creating and using templates allows you to start every drawing with a consistent setup. Instead of repeating the same tasks—like creating layers, importing title blocks, or setting up viewports—templates allow you to:

Standardize CAD drawings across an office or project
Save time and reduce setup errors
Enforce consistency in plotting, annotation, and presentation
Customize environments for different drawing types (civil, mechanical, interior, etc.)

📐 What Can Be Saved in a Template?

Templates are powerful because they can store almost everything you need to start a drawing. Common components include:

Element Type	Example
Units	Architectural, Decimal, Engineering
Layers	Predefined names, colors, lineweights, and plot settings
Annotation Styles	Text styles, dimension styles, multileader styles, table styles
Title Blocks & Layouts	Borders, viewports, and company logo in Layout tabs
Blocks & Linetypes	Preloaded custom blocks and imported linetypes
Plot Settings	Page setups, printers, and plot styles

💾 How to Create a Custom Template

Step-by-Step:

Start a new drawing or open an existing one
Customize the drawing with:
- Layers
- Title block in Layout
- Annotation styles
- Units and drawing limits
Remove any geometry you don’t want to appear in new files
Type SAVEAS and choose Drawing Template (*.DWT) from the file type dropdown
Name your template (e.g., “Company-Arch.dwt”) and click Save
In the Template Options Dialog, fill in a description to help identify the template later

📝 Tip: Store templates in a shared network folder if working in a team environment.

⚙️ Set a Default Template

Make your custom template the default for all new drawings:

How To:

Type OPTIONS and press Enter
Go to the Files tab
Expand Template Settings > Default Template File Name for QNEW
Browse to your .DWT file
Click Apply and OK

Now when you click QNEW, AutoCAD opens your preferred template every time!

🧪 Best Practices

Tip	Why It Helps
Remove test geometry	Keeps templates clean and professional
Include standard annotations	Save time with preloaded text/dim styles
Create multiple templates	Use specialized setups for different project types
Use layout tabs with plot setups	Great for sheet creation and consistent printing
Lock shared templates	Prevent accidental changes by setting files to read-only

✅ Practice Exercise

Objective: Build a custom architectural template with layers, a title block, and a preset layout.

Instructions:

Start a new drawing
Set units to Architectural and enable grid/snap
Create 5 standard layers: WALLS, DOORS, TEXT, DIMENSIONS, HATCH
Insert a title block into a layout tab
Set a text style and dimension style
Type SAVEAS, save as a .DWT, and name it “ArchTemplate.dwt”
Go to OPTIONS and set it as the default for QNEW
Test it by starting a new drawing—everything should load automatically!

📌 Quick Review

Feature	Function
DWT File	Drawing Template file format
SAVEAS	Saves current file as a reusable template
OPTIONS	Sets default behavior for new drawings
Layout Tabs	Include viewports, title blocks, and border setups
Layer Manager	Preloads standard layer setups for consistency