How Do I Create a Material List in AutoCAD?

by

Creating a Material List in AutoCAD is a crucial step in the design process. It allows you to keep track of all the materials needed for your project, ensuring that you have everything required before starting the construction phase. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of creating a material list in AutoCAD.

Step 1: Drawing your design
Before creating a material list, it is important to have your design ready in AutoCAD. Ensure that all the necessary elements such as walls, doors, windows, and furniture are accurately drawn.

Step 2: Adding attributes to objects
To create a material list, you need to assign attributes to each object in your drawing. Attributes are additional information that can be attached to an object and used for various purposes like labeling or scheduling.

Here’s how to add attributes to objects:

  1. Select the object you want to assign attributes to.
  2. Navigate to the ‘Properties’ panel on the right side of your AutoCAD window.
  3. Click on ‘Add’ under the ‘Custom’ section.
  4. A dialog box will appear where you can define the attribute details.
  5. Give a suitable tag name and prompt for the attribute.
  6. Select the appropriate data type (text, number, etc.) for your attribute.
  7. Click ‘OK’ to save and exit.

Step 3: Creating a table
To display your material list, we will create a table that will automatically populate with attribute data from your drawing.

Follow these steps:

  1. Go to the ‘Annotate’ tab on the top menu bar.
  2. Click on ‘Table’ in the ‘Insert’ panel.
  3. Specify the insertion point for your table in the drawing area.
  4. In the ‘Create Table’ dialog box, set the number of rows and columns as per your requirement.
  5. Click ‘OK’ to create the table.

Step 4: Adding attributes to the table
Now that you have created a table, we will add attributes to it. These attributes will be used to extract information from objects in your drawing and display them in the material list.

Here’s how to add attributes to a table:

  1. Select the table you created in Step 3.
  2. Right-click on the table and choose ‘Table Style Editor’ from the context menu.
  3. In the ‘Table Style Editor’ dialog box, click on ‘Insert’ under ‘Columns’ or ‘Header Rows’ section to add new columns or header rows respectively.
  4. Double-click on each cell and select the appropriate attribute from the list.
  5. Adjust column widths as necessary by dragging their boundaries.

Step 5: Updating attribute data
As you make changes to your design, you need to update your material list accordingly. AutoCAD provides an easy way to update attribute data in tables.

To update attribute data in a table:

  1. Select the table you created earlier.
  2. Navigate to the ‘Annotate’ tab on the top menu bar and click on ‘Update Data Links’ in the ‘Tables’ panel.
  3. A dialog box will appear showing all the available data links. Select the one you want to update and click ‘OK’.

Step 6: Formatting the material list
To make your material list more visually appealing, you can apply formatting options available in AutoCAD.

Here are some formatting options:

  • Bold text: Select the text you want to make bold and click on the ‘B’ button in the ‘Text Formatting’ section of the ‘Annotate’ tab.
  • Underlined text: Select the text you want to underline and click on the ‘U’ button in the ‘Text Formatting’ section of the ‘Annotate’ tab.

  • Subheaders:

    Use appropriate heading tags like h2, h3, etc., to create subheaders for different sections of your material list.

Creating a material list in AutoCAD not only helps organize your project but also saves time by providing a comprehensive overview of all required materials. By following these steps and utilizing HTML styling elements, you can create an engaging and visually appealing material list directly within AutoCAD.