Hey!

Testing out the trial version of Stardraw to see if it will work for a project.  On the surface it looks great!

Couple things while testing.  If I build a rack and add gear, I can't see the rear panel details like the training videos show.  Also, if I save, then close Stardraw and reopen the file, the gear is in the inventory but I have to build racks again.  Are these bugs or trial version limitations?

Thanks!
Rich

Before starting with a huge project, I just played with a small made up project.  I'd love some feedback.  Started to label cables, tried to make as many straight lines as practical.  Tried to not overlap cables.

Are there any other best practices to look for as things scale larger?  Getting ready to draw a video control room with switchers, cameras, routers, displays, etc.  The control room connects to other rooms around the campus.

Do I make one huge drawing or one drawing per room, what's the best practices to start with?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Rich,
Your schematic looks fine and adheres to good drawing practice; there are no problems or changes that I would suggest - nice work.
Regarding your upcoming project, well, the answer is 'it depends'.  You might want to do a room per drawing or have the whole thing in one; Stardraw Design 7.3 allows you to structure things in a way that works for you, so, whatever's best for you is best.
The only tip I can offer, without knowing specific details, is that if you are going to print to hardcopy, Block Schematic drawings are designed to be legible when printed close to a minimum of 1:1 (or 100%) so don't create a huge drawing and expect it to be legible if you print it out on too small a page size. 
As a guideline you can check the size of a drawing when it's complete - just use the Dimension tool on the long axis of the drawing and this will give an idea of the page size to use (don't print at less than 80% of the drawing's size) - or you can start with a Title Block of the desired page size and fit the drawing within it (but this means that you'll be constrained to printing at 100%).  Of course, this is all moot if your output is digital - you can just zoom in.
You might find it helpful to attend a webinar (in which you can ask questions) - registration is at https://www.stardraw.com/company/eventsandtraining



Kind regards,
Rob Robinson
Stardraw.com

+x

 

Rob Robinson - 9/18/2023 7:17:54 AM

Hi Rich,
Your schematic looks fine and adheres to good drawing practice; there are no problems or changes that I would suggest - nice work.
Regarding your upcoming project, well, the answer is 'it depends'.  You might want to do a room per drawing or have the whole thing in one; Stardraw Design 7.3 allows you to structure things in a way that works for you, so, whatever's best for you is best.
The only tip I can offer, without knowing specific details, is that if you are going to print to hardcopy, Block Schematic drawings are designed to be legible when printed close to a minimum of 1:1 (or 100%) so don't create a huge drawing and expect it to be legible if you print it out on too small a page size. 
As a guideline you can check the size of a drawing when it's complete - just use the Dimension tool on the long axis of the drawing and this will give an idea of the page size to use (don't print at less than 80% of the drawing's size) - or you can start with a Title Block of the desired page size and fit the drawing within it (but this means that you'll be constrained to printing at 100%).  Of course, this is all moot if your output is digital - you can just zoom in.
You might find it helpful to attend a webinar (in which you can ask questions) - registration is at https://www.stardraw.com/company/eventsandtraining

Thanks for the feedback!

Obviously it comes down to what works, and all projects are a little different.  Ideally I would be able to print readable sets, but this is an internal project, PDFs may be just fine as well.

Trying to run with best practices if I can.  I did see the webinar, that date doesn't work for me unfortunately.

Would making one big system sheet, then highlighting areas in boxes to outline print areas, be a decent option when it's time to print?  PDF attached for reference.  Or, is there a way to duplicate a drawing, then break it up into smaller sheets?

BTW, print area is kinda messed up, it doesn't draw where I am clicking.  Maybe it's one of those Windows scaling things?  I'm on a 4K laptop, Win 11 Pro, running at 150% scale.