Template Drawings
Quick answer: A template drawing is a .dwt file used as the starting point for new drawings, every new drawing is a copy of one. Templates don’t contain any actual model space entities, but do carry over settings like units, layers, styles, layouts, and standard blocks, so new drawings start consistent rather than from a blank slate.
What’s In a Template (and What Isn’t)
A template has no entities in model space. What it does carry over:
- Units: imperial or metric, and how they’re displayed
- Layers
- Dimension and leader styles
- Text styles
- Table styles
- Multiple layouts, each with its own title block, paper size, printer, and plot style
- Standard blocks for notes, tables, symbols, and similar recurring entities
Why Templates Matter
Setting all of this up once, in a template, rather than every time you start a new drawing, is what makes templates genuinely useful rather than optional. Consistent units, layers, and layout setups across every drawing built from the same template save real time and reduce the chance of a drawing quietly diverging from your standards.
Making Your Own Templates Available
Any .dwt file counts as a template drawing. BricsCAD’s own templates live in its template folder, accessible via the TEMPLATEFOLDER command. Save your own customised templates there, and they’ll show up on the Start page as options for new drawings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a template drawing contain any actual geometry? No. No entities in model space, just settings and layout setup.
How do I make my own template show up as an option when creating new drawings? Save it as a .dwt file in the template folder, accessible via the TEMPLATEFOLDER command. It’ll then appear on the Start page.
What file extension does a template drawing use? .dwt. Any file with that extension counts as a template.
What settings actually carry over from a template? Units, layers, dimension/leader/text/table styles, layouts (with their title blocks, paper size, printer, and plot style), and standard blocks.