It is possible to configure your Microvellum library data to produce an automated face frame image, either in an AutoCAD drawing or in a report.

Woodworking companies that work with face frames typically need assembly drawings for those face frames. They usually wish to display the face frames as individual units, along with the annotations necessary to assemble them correctly. Microvellum uses the typical drawing tokens to produce the images of these face frame assemblies. The images of these face frame assemblies are produced in two formats. An AutoCAD drawing may be produced containing the assemblies, or an image populated to the work order database for use in reports. The images produced may be customized to your company's needs.

This article is the first in a series. It will present an overview of the default functionality of the Microvellum library data to produce these face frame images. The second article in the series will present an overview of using global variables to customize these face frame images. Elsewhere in the Help Center, you will find articles and videos containing tutorials on how to perform specific customization to your library spreadsheet data beyond your global and product settings.

First, let's uncover the similarities and differences between the AutoCAD face frame drawings, and those in the reports.

Tutorial #1: How to produce face frame drawings in AutoCAD:

Make sure you are using a minimum library data build of 046.2 or higher.

• Start a new project and a new room. Draw a two-door base face frame product with a mid stile.
  
• Click: "Draw > 2D Drawings > Draw Product Face Frame Tokens" on the Toolbox palette, and select the cabinet just drawn.
  
• Select a point in AutoCAD model space to locate the face frame drawings.
  


Fig. 1





Fig. 2

Tutorial #2: How to produce face frame drawings in reports:

Make sure you are using a minimum library data build of 046.2 or higher.

• Open a project and room containing a face frame cabinet, perhaps the project created in Tutorial #1 above.
  
• "Create New Work Order From Drawing," select the product, and give the work order a name.
  
• Open the work order in the Processing Center and click: "General > Reports" and select the face frame report you want to view.
  


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Compare the two types of drawings. You may notice that there are minor differences that result from rendering one in AutoCAD and the other in a separate image generator. However, mostly the two are very similar. 




Fig. 6




You may set up and plot the AutoCAD sheet containing the face frame image, or use the report methods. Or, you may decide to use a combination of the two, AutoCAD to check the accuracy of the image, and then the report to view, print, or save to PDF.

Library Data Builds Containing Face Frame Image Automation

Build 046.2 and higher contain the drawing instructions (tokens) necessary to automate the drawing of these face frame images. Each successive version of the library contains improvements to these tokens in the default libraries available from Microvellum. They also include the ability to customize these tokens.

Please note the components of the face frame images below.

1. Name of the face frame and the named view of that frame.
   


Fig. 7a



2. Part sizes of the face frame elements in the  Front View . Width x Length is typical, but they can be customized – such as showing width only.
   


Fig. 7b



3. Text may be configured in the token to indicate special cabinet conditions such as finished ends, mitered ends, inside left, etc. This is with the intent of communicating special assembly conditions to the assembler.
   


Fig. 8



1. When an AutoCAD face frame drawing exists in the same drawing, and the Microvellum option "Options > AutoCAD > Toolbox Section Settings > Prompt to update section" is checked ON, Toolbox will prompt you to decide whether to redraw the existing face frame image or not.
   


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2. Mitered face frames. Set global "Face Frame Construction > General Settings > Miter FE Face Frame Joint" to True. Notice how the text on the face frame stile is modified.
   


Fig. 11



3. Corner Notch Left & Right. Set prompt values "Finishing Options > Front Corner Choices" to Corner Notch Left and Corner Notch Right. Notice how the text on the face frame stile is modified.
   


Fig. 12




The conditions specified as part of the stile dimension text reflects the conditions shown in the 3D drawing of the product. You may cross-check the two to verify one or the other and help in diagnosis. 




Fig. 13 - 3D drawing of corner notch



4. Face frame image dimensions. A considerable amount of development time has been devoted to making sure that the dimensions are stable across the range of library products. This is accomplished by locating the dimensions in a predictable location, with certain common parameters.
   
1. Right Stile Scribe Amount. Set prompt values "Face Frame Options > Right Stile Scribe Amount" to 0.5". Notice that an additional width dimension is added specifying the cabinet width plus the scribe amount (0.5" SR [scribe right]), and an additional height dimension specifying the cabinet height plus the scribe amount (0.375" SF [scribe floor]).
   


Fig. 14



2. Overall opening width and height dimensions. They are located outside the face frame assembly to prevent any collisions with other face frame parts.
   
3. Opening widths associated with the mid stile opening sizes. Microvellum refers to these as the "original openings."
   


Fig. 15 - Yellow X's showing "original openings."



4. Dimensions for subassembly insert face frames in multi-bay products such as a "Base Starter Horizontal FF" will be located inside the face frame. They are located as close to the adjacent face frame part as possible to make for a consistent location across the widest possible range of opening sizes.
   



The two different dimensions are produced with the use of two separate dimension styles in the draw token parameters controlled by formulas. You may check the dimension styles in the AutoCAD drawing by entering DIMSTYLE at the AutoCAD command prompt. The styles will be named: "FF 1-1-2NORMAL ALNTXT" and "FF 1-1-2NORMAL HRZTXT." These styles must be present in the drawing for the face frame images to work with the default Microvellum library data. You can compare these styles with the other 1-1-2 styles to discover the differences. These differences include Text Alignment and Fit Options.


• FF 1-1-2NORMAL ALNTXT defines the dim style for vertical dimensions.
  
• FF 1-1-2NORMAL HRZTXT defines the dim style for horizontal dimensions.
  


Fig. 16



5. Overall width and height dimensions, along with the part index numbers on the Reverse View for Assembly .  This view is used for assembly of the face frame since they are usually assembled exposed face down to hide the fasteners.
   


Fig. 17




The part index number corresponds to the numbers of the part generated in the work order database and can be used to cross-reference those parts using that number. The numbers represent the index of each face frame part, which is a subset of the complete set of parts that make up that cabinet. 


The report image also contains the same index numbers as the AutoCAD image. The index numbers on the image also match those found in the index column of the report.




Fig. 18




Conclusion


You have seen the basic functionality of automating the creation of face frame images from the product library. You have also seen some of the similarities and differences between the AutoCAD face frame drawings and the report face frame image. Lastly, you have seen how to customize the face frame images produced by adjusting the values of the library prompts.


Continue to the second article in the series to learn how to customize the face frame images produced by the default library using global variables and subassemblies.