Current naming standards. Still very boring.
These rules aren't set in stone, but if we all stay near the rules we all stay near each other. Like all standards, they work MOST of the time. If a situation is addressed by the standards, save your creativity for the projects.
1. Folder and File Name formats
Be clear, brief, and consistent. Use conventional abbreviations. Do what you've done in the past, unless it sucks. Do not use colons or slashes. See 'Forbidden Characters' below.
The Project folder structure can be seen in the zTemplate folder on the Hotel, so I won't reproduce it here.
Date Formats:
MMYY: 0104= January 2004.
YYYY-MM-DD: 2004-01-26= January 26, 2004.
Project Files:
New Home PLN: Project.PLN
Addition PLN: Project.PLN
Existing PLN: Existing Project.PLN
Teamwork Project: Project.PLP
Local Draft of TW Project: Project [User Initials].PLC
Plotting Output Files:
PMK Drawing: [Content] PROJ.PMK
Layout Book: Project [E, D, C].LBK, Exisiting Project [E, D, C].LBK
Archived PDF drawing sets: Project YYYY-MM-DD [name/type/issue].PDF. Name/type/issue is the reason the set was made, and is optional for some sets. Examples: Permit, Construction, Revision 1, Pricing. Official issues such as these must be named.
Layouts (Within layout books):
[Content] PROJ. The sheet number is not needed. "Show names and numbers" in the PM Navigator.
Documents:
Window/Ext Door Schedule: WinSched PROJ.XLS
Int Door Schedule: DoorSched PROJ.XLS
Other Schedule: StuffSched PROJ.XLS
Proposal: Proposal MMYY PROJ.DOC
Quicktime:
VR Object: VRO YYYY-MM-DD PROJ.MOV
VR Scene: VRS YYYY-MM-DD PROJ.MOV
For any filename type, if there are alternates, put the alternate description before the project code. Example: VRO YYYY-MM-DD Slate PROJ.MOV, VRO YYYY-MM-DD Shingle PROJ.MOV. For Project files, place it before the extension.
2. Naming entities in the Project File
Stories, bottom to top:
Footings
Basement
1st Floor (Story number 1)
2nd Floor
[Attic]
Roof
These are typical, some projects will vary.
Section Windows:
The ID shall be the approximate sheet number. The name should reflect the content.
The sheet number is only there to order the list. IDs can be reused, but ID/name combinations should be unique.
Elevation names shall contain the compass direction. Add 'Front' & 'Rear' to the front and rear elevations.
Examples: (ID)A2-1 (name)West Front, (ID)A2-1 (name)South.
Section names shall contain the orientation (long or cross), the location (front, rear, center, a room name, or compass direction), and the view direction (U, D, L, R for up, down, left, right).
Examples: A2-3 Long Front D, A2-5 Cross North R.
Interior Elevations: [A5-n(approximate)] [RoomName] [Direction].
Direction is U,D,R, or L (Up, Down, Right, Left). Abbreviate room names consistently: LivRm, FamRm, Kit, Gar, MudRm, Lib, MBed, MBath, Bath1, Bed1, etc. It is not necessary to say "IE" or "IntElev" or such; the A5 tells us that. An option I think helps: ID the section makers with the story. A5-0 means a basement room, A5-1 a first floor room, etc.
Wall section names shall begin with WS and contain the location.
Example: A3-2 WS FamRm
"Junk" sections, used just for working on the model, should have the ID x[number].
Example: x1, x56, x317. They don't need names, but name them if you want. It's very important not to have junk sections with the names of real sections; this will be confusing and cause errors when importing views.
If you use a section to generate a detail, change the pen of the marker. I use 5. It's often better to move junk sections around rather than make new ones, and you need to know which ones to leave alone.
Detail Windows:
Detail windows have two main uses: details and other. Other includes title blocks, drawing lists, schedules etc. Detail naming is complicated by the fact that details must have unique IDs, so the sheet number metaphor doesn't work. However, the detail ID field has a limit of 31 characters, and can include spaces, which is pretty generous.
Windows containing detail drawings: Use the ID field for the type, with a number to make it unique. Examples: Eave1, Footing2, Soffit2. In the name, put in something more descriptive such as the location, and if the detail is a plan or section. Refrain from writing 'det' or 'detail' in the name; it's redundant.
Examples: Eave1 Main, Eave2 Shed, Rake1 Dormer, Pilaster1 Foyer Plan
Notes & other detail windows: Place an x before the ID. This keeps them clustered together away from the actual drawings.
Example: xTitleE Block, xDraw List, xProject Title
View Names: I recommend using cloned folders for output views. With clones, as new windows are created, the views are created automatically. This means you can crank out interior elevations and then go import in PM without having to create new views yourself. Using clones also means the templates work better because all the views have the same name and Link To is smoother. The downside of clones is that for plans, all the views have the same name, e.g., "1. 1st Floor". This is inconvenient, but not dangerous. When importing, be careful to import from the right folder. To tell the drawings apart in drawing usage once they are placed, look at the layout column. The "1. 1st Floor" on sheet A4-1 is an RCP.
You may rename views as you like, but I don't think it's worth it. Cloned folders should be named for the type of content they contain, RCP, electrical, structure, etc. The templates are already set up this way, so there shouldn't be much of this.
3. Case & Spaces
Capitalize Words.
Use spaces; without them, thingsareveryhardtoread.
If you must take the spaces out, UseCapsLikeThis
ALL CAPS LOOKS LIKE YELLING
OS X and Windows have no practical limit on the length of filenames. Many apps, including Archicad and MS Office, have a limit of 31 regardless of OS.
4. Windows, and Forbidden Characters.
Most peolple use Windows, the Official Operating System of the United States. If there's any chance a folder/file will ever be opened on Windows, by anyone, including in Virtual PC, observe the following:
• Use filename extensions. Especially in Office Applications. Windows, because it's stupid, can't find the proper application without the extension. Archicad appends extensions to all files automatically.
• Don't use characters that are forbidden in Windows. These are
/ \ * ? " | < >
• Only the colon, technically, is forbidden on the Mac. The slash is dicey, however. Many apps, including those of Graphisoft, Microsoft, and Adobe, forbid the slash. Don't use it.
5. Dates
DO NOT USE dots, slashes, or backslashes (. / \) as separators. See Windows stuff above.
Use dashes, spaces, or nothing.
Bad:
01/09/03
01.09.03
Good:
01-09-03
01 09 03
010903 (but a little hard to read)
2003-01-09
For Plot and PDF Archive folders, put the year first as above. This will keep the alphabetized folder in chronological order.
If there is any ambiguity about which number is the year (as there can be for another 8 years or so), use 4-digit years.
6. Project Codes.
For ANY (any) Project-related file, unless the name is spelled out, use the project code at the end of the name, just before the extension.
To refresh, the project code is the first 4 letters of the client name, unless: 1) it's already taken, 2) it makes a bad word, 3) the same client has multiple projects, in which case use the first 3 letters and a number.
With project codes you can quickly find any file containing 'PROJ', even if it's in the wrong place. Not that it ever would be.
7. Multiple Projects
When naming the project folder, use arabic numerals.
Good: Kernan2
Bad: Kernan II
For sub-projects, use a descriptive term in the folder name. Example: 'Salamander Kennel'.
8. Labels.
Labels are a feature of the Finder. They are basically colors. You can change the names, but that doesn't really help. I think it's helpful to label the project folders so we can tell who the primary person is. This is technically optional, and not a big deal, but here's the list:
JAR: Red
JAM: Green
RAR: Blue
DAB: Yellow
SHK: Gray
KK: Purple
LIG: Orange