Got roasted for my messy layer naming in a shared AutoCAD file
A senior drafter looked at my project and said 'I can't find anything in this mess, it's like a junk drawer.' I started using a strict naming system like 'A-WALL-EXTERIOR' and 'E-LIGHTING-FIXTURE' for everything. How do you guys organize your layers to keep team projects clean?
Stick with that strict system, it's a lifesaver. My old shop used a similar code sheet where 'A' was for architectural, 'S' for structural, and so on. We'd add a detail like '-NEW' or '-DEMO' after the main name. So you'd have 'A-WALL-EXISTING' and 'A-WALL-NEW' right next to each other. Makes turning stuff on and off a breeze. The key is getting everyone on the same page so we're all using the same abbreviations.
Totally agree on getting everyone to use the same list. The worst is when someone starts making up their own codes halfway through a project. That "-NEW" and "-EXISTING" trick is solid for renovations. It saves so much time hunting for things in the visibility settings. Once that system is set, it almost runs itself.
The naming convention is everything. Once you get a crew that locks in on something like "A-WALL-EXISTING" and nobody tries to get cute with "A-WALL-E" or some shortened version, you don't even have to think about filters anymore. It becomes muscle memory, and new people pick it up in a day instead of fighting with the model for a week.