Below is a summary of potential file names based on the recommendations of the US National CAD Standard as adapted to the Project Navigator and suggestions made here. For complete information and to purchase a copy of NCS visit: http://www.nationalcadstandard.org/.
An NCS Model file name is composed of a Discipline, plus a drawing type Code, followed by an enumeration (which typically corresponds to the floor number), though not always. (Elevations, for instance, would just be numbered sequentially in any logical order.)
The hyphen is used between discipline and code, but not between code and number.
NCS Recommends the following codes for Model files. Use these designations for View file names:
Technically, FP would be used for any type of plan and each would simply be enumerated. So, the first floor plan might be: A-FP01, while the first floor ceiling plan might be: A-FP02. However, A-FP02 for a ceiling plan on the first floor is confusing to most people and it is highly likely you would run out of codes with only 2 digits. Therefore, the following abbreviations are used almost universally by most firms:
While A-3D01 would technically be correct for the name of a composite model, the following is recommended:
So the file would be named A-CM01. (You could also use A-CM00 for the first composite model in a set. It is not that critical with which number you start.)
NCS knows nothing about constructs. Since their names indicate drawing type and function, they are best suited to use as View file names. Consider descriptive names for Constructs such as:
For sheets, the NCS system is fine. They recommend the number of the sheet, which typically includes the discipline code as well. The number is in 2 parts: the first digit is a code indicating drawing type, and the remaining 2 are an enumeration.
Examples: