Populating Title Block Entries in NX On Subsequent Sheets

This article enlightens users on a nearly automatic function that saves a LOT of time and insures accuracy! After the fields of a Title Block have all been populated, how do you duplicate that in the Title Blocks on all other sheets in the drawing?

Let’s find out!

Overview

Many of our customers still use their own title block programs and scripts that they have to maintain for every NX upgrade they implement. But the majority of them have seen the light and now enjoy a fully integrated, attribute-based documentation tool. Once implemented, the maintenance task comes off the project plan and it’s full steam ahead when going to the next version.

When using the NX Title Block routine as a part of the drawing template configuration, the software fully supports the many advantages:

• Automatically prompts to populate the Title Block when a Drawing Sheet is opened containing an unpopulated Title Block
• Prevents adding a 2^nd Title Block from being added to a Sheet
• Gives users with permission the ability to create and edit a Title Block
• And the topic of this article, once a Title Block on one Drawing Sheet has been populated, the Title Block of all other sheets in the drawing can easily be populated with the identical entry field contents using a simple process not involving any retyping.

Populating the Title Blocks of Subsequent Drawing Sheets

This process is quite simple and involves very little work to accomplish. But there are several approaches to accomplish this in a multi-sheet drawing file, depending on the order that the sheets are created, when the Title Blocks are populated, and whether the Master Model approach of creating the drawing in a separate file from the model, which is recommended, is being used.

For all of the following procedures, assume that a 3D model has just been created, completed, saved, and is still the Work Part. Also, after populating a Title Block or cancelling the dialog, the View Creation Wizard will appear conditionally. Just cancel it.

Master Model Approach (Recommended)

Creating All Drawing Sheets Before Populating the Title Block.

(Note: this option rarely happens in the natural process of creating a drawing because knowing immediately how many sheets are needed is not always obvious or predictable.)

• Create the drawing file using a Template and referencing the Master Model or create it using a blank drawing file and importing a border file that contains a Title Block.
• Cancel the Populate Title Block dialog that will appear after Sheet 1 creation (unless importing).
• Create all Sheets of the multi-sheet drawing with identical Title Blocks on each.
• Populate the Title Block of Sheet 1 by selecting Menu→Tools→Drawing Format→Populate Title Block (or the icon from the Drawing Format group of the Drafting Tools tab in the Ribbon Bar). The Title Blocks of all subsequent sheets will immediately be populated with the same input information.

Populating the Sheet 1 Title Block Before Creating Additional Drawing Sheets.

(Note: this is the normal working process of creating a drawing. Usually, the main, most informational orthographic views are added onto sheet 1 and then, if needed, subsequent sheets are added to accommodate the addition of more views necessary to fully detail the part(s)/assembly.)

• Create the drawing file, using a Template and referencing the Master Model, or create it using a blank drawing file and adding a border that contains a Title Block.
• After the new Sheet 1 is created, populate its Title Block when automatically prompted by NX.
• As new sheets are created, the Populate Title Block command will start if “OK” is selected. To create multiple sheets rapidly, select “Apply” as many times as necessary and the Populate Title Block command will not start. Cancel the dialog. However, none of these Title Blocks will contain the populated information from Sheet 1, even if “OK” was selected.
• Open Sheet 1 and start the Populate Title Block command.

• Simple press Enter for each entry field in the Title Block and the Title Blocks on all subsequent sheets will automatically be populated.

Non-Master Model Approach (not recommended)

Populating the Sheet 1 Title Block Before Creating Additional Drawing Sheets.

• Switch to the Drafting application and the New Sheet dialog will be started.
• Create Sheet 1 using a template file that includes a Title Block or using a blank drawing file and then import a border file that contains a Title Block.
• If using a template file above, the Populate Title Block command starts immediately. If the border was imported onto a blank sheet, start the Populate Title Block command by selecting Menu→Tools→Drawing Format→Populate Title Block. Populate the Title Block.
• Create additional sheets as necessary using the techniques in the Master Model section above. None of these subsequent sheets will contain the same Title Block entry field information.
• Open Sheet 1 and start the Populate Title Block command.
• Simple press Enter for each entry field in the Title Block and the Title Blocks on all subsequent sheets will automatically be populated.

This method applies to editing existing drawings to add additional sheets. Initially, after creating the new sheet(s), the Title Blocks on the sheets will not be populated. After this process, they populate automatically with the identical information on Sheet 1.

CREATING ALL DRAWING SHEETS BEFORE POPULATING THE TITLE BLOCK:

(Note: again, rarely happens.)

• Switch to the Drafting application and the New Sheet dialog will be started.
• Create Sheet 1 using a template file that includes a Title Block or using a blank drawing file and then import a border file that contains a Title Block.
• Instead of repeating the above many times to create multiple sheets rapidly, select “Apply” in the [New] Sheet dialog as many times as necessary and the Populate Title Block command will not start. Cancel the [New] Sheet dialog.
• Open Sheet 1.
• Populate the Title Block by selecting Menu→Tools→Drawing Format→Populate Title Block. The Title Blocks of all subsequent sheets will immediately be populated with the same input information.

Multiple Title Block Formats

There is one additional consideration where a customer’s standard drawing practice is for multi-sheet drawings having two different Title block designs, e.g. Sheet 1 contains a more verbose, complete Title Block (with fields for all signatures, approvals, dates, overall block tolerances, special notes or disclaimers, etc. which are inferred to apply to all sheets in the drawing) and all subsequent sheets contain an abbreviated Title Block with just the specification of sheet number, scale, unique notes or sheet references, etc.

In this case, the Sheet 1 Title Block is populated just once in the drawing and the above practices would apply to Sheet 2 and after.

BTW, did you know that there are a few customers who actually revision each sheet independently?

Summary

We hope this short article has been informative and beneficial. The techniques discussed are those which users can get by without knowing but once you learn them, they can save you a LOT of time and, more importantly, eliminate the possibility of typing, misreading, and mental errors completely!