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Technical Support
Keynotes technical support is limited to registered users
through email only.
Registered users: Please send your technical support questions
to the email address listed below:
keynotesupport@asystech.com
Please be sure to include your name, telephone number, and as
much information about your technical support question as
possible. Your question will be responded to in a timely
manner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Does Keynotes support AutoCAD 14?
A:
No, Keynotes isn't able to support AutoCAD 14, but it does work
with any version of AutoCAD 2000 and up.
Q:
What is the cost of Keynotes?
A:
Keynotes is available for the low introductory rate of $150.00
per license.
Q: Does this system work with
AutoCAD LT?
A:
No, AutoCAD
LT is not supported because it does not support the use of LISP
programming.
Q:
Are the notes organized by CSI format?
A:
Indeed, the
Keynotes system is based on the CSI (Construction Specifications
Institute) format. The
system numbering and description is based on it. The
use of layers on the other
hand is based on the National CAD Standards which
is a
result of the CSI, AIA layering guidelines.
Q:
When someone is adding descriptions can they be multiple lines?
A:
When they enter the
information in the KEYBASE.TXT or GNTBASE.TXT files, they have
to enter it as one long line. The program will take care of
doing the word wrapping while one is writing the legend. The
user has full control of how wide the column of text is going to
be by editing the text style and characters/line settings. That
will determine how many lines of text it will take when it gets
written on the legend. The program does not have any limitations
as far as how long they want to make the keynote description.
Ex.:
04225.A1<sp><sp><sp>molded face concrete masonry unit
On
the other hand, according to the National CAD Standards Second
Edition (NCS) and the Uniform Drawing System (UDS) by the
Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), it is best if they
keep the keynote descriptions brief and to the point. General
Notes can be longer but moderation should be used.
Q:
I would like to move
Keynotes to other stations in the office. How do I do this? Do I
need a $150.00 program key for each one or is there a quantity
discount?
A:
The software is licensed on a per machine basis. You will need
to purchase an unlock code for each machine. We offer the
following quantity discounts:
1 to 9 Users - $150.00
10 to 24 Users - $120.00/each
25 to 49 Users - $108.00/each
50 to 100 Users - $102.00/each
More than 100 Users - Call
Q:
Can the system be set up so
the keynotes are stored and accessible from a
common file i.e. the server file?
A:
The keynote database can be stored on a network drive. Just make
sure that the folder where the file is stored in is listed in
the AutoCAD Support File Search Path and that there are no other
copies of the database file stored in any folder listed in the
search path. The search order is as follows:
Folder where the drawing is located
AutoCAD Support File Search Path (in the order listed)
Q: Is there a way to increase the
keynote tag file to add another integer to
the database? We are used to
a format that gives us a larger available
database for the tags such
as 9501.BB1 or 9501.B15 and are concerned that
the current format is going
to be a bit restrictive and will force more
noting on the tag itself
than we wish to get into.
A:
At this time the program supports a two character suffix only,
(09260.A1). The next version will allow for three characters
(09260.A11)to conform with the National CAD Standards. The
keynote number must contain five numbers at the left of the
period to match the CSI format and the NCS.
Q:
If our grid component
numbering system starts in the upper right
hand corner of the
sheet in paper space...(i.e.
A1 condoc box designation)...and P18 being
the lower left hand corner.
In other words, P18 is the closest point to 0,0. Can this system
work?...and how?
A: No. The grid coordinate system
of Keynotes has been designed according to the sheet
organization of Uniform Drawing System standard created by the
Construction Specifications
Institute (see UDS-02 Sheet Organization) and
adopted by the National CAD
Standards Institute in the NCS version 2.0. This
coordinate system only
affects only title block feature of Keynotes.
Q:
We use suffixes that are like 02514.PCP or 02882.PP...I
understand that the current version doesn't support using 3
digits in the suffix, but how about using some other format than
A1 or B1 (LetterNumber)? Any idea when the next version should
be available to support the 3 digit suffix?
A: The numbering
system used by Keynotes was developed like that in order to
conform with the National CAD Standards version 2.0 by the
National Institute of Building Sciences and the Uniform Drawing
System by the Construction Specifications Institute. We will be
supporting a 3 character suffix (one alpha, two numeric) on our
next version. We are considering the idea of making Keynotes
versatile enough to handle any numbering system, but that will
take a little more time. It becomes somewhat complicated trying
to figure out search functions and table organization when you
don't know what number system you're dealing with.
It is a possibility that the
next release will be happening by late spring;
your day to day CAD work.
Q: When the legend gets inserted
it lists the general
category and then the specific
number and note. For example:
06400 ARCHITECTURAL WOODWORK
06400.D5 wood base
Can we skip this first line and just go straight to each item as
follows?
06400.D5 wood base
09210.A1 gypsum plaster etc....
A:
The program by design is going to show the spec number in order
to make the legend more for our next upgrade consideration.
Q:
We are experiencing a problem with line spacing when placing the
keynotes legend. The text appears to be double spaced. Is there
a means of controlling the line spacing?
A: The text is
controlled by the text style and text height you have setup in
the Keynotes Setup. Also, the "DIMSCALE" variable affects the
text in the legend. If you are in paper space, your dimscale
should be 1 or 0. Otherwise it may cause your spacing to be
greater than it should. The line spacing is set to 3/16"
multiplied by the dimscale value. At this time there is no
control for the line spacing distance, but it will be available
on the next release soon.
Q: What format are
the General notes based on?
A: The general notes
format is based on the National CAD Standards vr.2 Discipline
names are used as categories to identify the notes. The actual
text syntax is: #.###
Q: If we did not
want to use the general notes for a Project can that option be
disabled?
A: The general notes
function can not be disabled. You may remove it from the menu
but it can still be accessed by entering at the command prompt
the command short-key "kg".
Q: Does adding or
removing an item/line from the txt file have the same effect as
doing so in the keynotes options in AutoCAD?
A: No. The text
files were intended to be modified as needed. Meaning that you
may remove entire sections or lines if you desire as long as you
do not leave spaces between lines.
Q: Where are Div 15 & 16?
A: Since Keynotes
was intended for architectural documents, engineer's sections
were not included since you would normally not specify it in
your specs. That's were the general notes come in place. You can
add them if you which. To begin a new category add the division
name and number between brackets. (Ex.: [15 MECHANICAL])
Q: Can we devise our own
numbering system?
A: Unfortunately,
not for now. This numbering system was used to conform with the
National CAD Standards, which is based on the AIA, Tri-Star and
Uniform Drawing System Standards. We may come out with a product
that does later this year. The whole idea of this numbering
system according to NCS and the Condoc method, is to coordinate
construction documents with specifications.
Q: If the two integers after the
period are a must, do they have to be one alpha and one numeric?
A: Yes, the program
checks for that exact format.
Q: When I do a sheet
legend command in model space, all of the keynotes are deleted
and no sheet legend is inserted, but if I draw the keynotes in
model space and do a sheet legend in paper space it works, how
can I remedy this?
A: There are a couple
of things that could be happening here:
1. The layer for the
tags and legend have been modified to be the same in the
Keynotes Setup. The legend layer MUST be a unique layer.
Otherwise tags are deleted along with the legend. We recommend
also that you keep the tags in the same space as the legend,
preferably paper space. You may do it in model space if you want
but that would not the proper way of setting up a drawing with
text.
2. The Keynotes legend
and tag size is dependent on the DIMSCALE value. If drawing in
model space and the DIMSCALE value is 0 or 1, the legend and
will hardly be visible since they're been draw at real size *
the dimscale value.
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