Why does nobody talk about the time it takes to fix a messed up layer state in a 200 page PDF?

I had to update a set of standard details for a city permit, and my layer states got scrambled when merging files. It took me almost three hours to manually re-sort and rename everything instead of the thirty minutes I planned. What's your go-to method for keeping layer states clean on big multi-sheet projects?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleybutler2mo ago

You ever try using a separate template file just for layer states? I keep a clean master drawing with all the correct states saved, then import them into new sheets. It's saved me from rebuilding them from scratch more than once.

fiona_lewis372mo ago

Smart move by @finleybutler, I do that too.

the_jenny7d ago

Totally agree with the template approach. I set up a blank drawing with all my common layer states, viewport configs, and even text styles saved in there. When I start a new project I just do a save-as from that template instead of building from scratch. It cut my setup time way down after I finally got organized about it. The biggest thing for me was remembering to update the template when I find a better workflow, otherwise it gets stale fast.