Read the description of each A>V>C> plugin command that you plan to use. Contact technical support only if the description did not find the answer. It will take a long time to master all the features and correctly configure all the commands. Do not rush to master them all at once. The A>V>C> commands can work almost independently of each other. Master the commands one at a time. To get started, use the default settings and available "styles" for each command.

Create a dwt drawing template with the sheets (layouts), layers, materials, blocks, text styles, leader styles, dimension and table styles you need. Write this template in the AutoCAD settings in the template for the _QNew command or in the AvcOptions settings in the main template so that the plugins find the necessary layers and materials.

Check that the drawing units are set correctly - millimeters or inches (InsUnits system variable = 4 or 1).

Add custom drawing properties to the template to store information about the design item. This is usually a drawing identifier, the names of the participants in the design, the name of the customer and the product. For the convenience of creating custom drawing properties, use the A>V>C> Properties Palette (AvcPalette) on the Drawing tab.

Use blocks with visible non-constant attributes as title blocks on sheets. Fields must be inserted in the attributes that refer to the properties of the given drawing. Then you can fill in the drawing properties once (for example, in the A>V>C> Properties Palette), and this data will appear automatically on all sheets.

It is better to store large collections of blocks with which you will designate purchased products or standard assemblies in separate dwg files. When updating such a collection, you can easily update the blocks in the drawings with the Block Update (BUpdate) command.

Design a model of your product using 3D-solids.

1. You can start with a flat layout of the room to quickly determine the dimensions of each product. But in most cases, in AutoCAD it is more efficient to directly model three-dimensional models, without using flat sketches.

2. If you have been provided with sketches of products of complex shapes in the form of splines or straight segments, then before extruding these contours into a 3D solid, you must simplify the contours and convert all splines into polylines. Use the powerful Outside Loop (OSL) command or its individual parts: Simplify Polylines (ASimp), Convert to Polylines (CPoly). Often the original curves are so terrible that you have to manually trace the contours with polylines. Use the usual polyline construction command (_PLINE) with the transition to arc segments (_Arcs) - it allows you to make arc mates without kinks. And in BricsCAD there is an excellent _FITPOLYLINE command for this.

3. It is better to design rectangular products starting from the overall box (_BOX command), and then peeling off the parts with the AVC Slice (ASL), Multi-Slice (MSL) and _SLICE commands.

4. You can split the overall box into sections using one of the Chop command (Ch). It is also convenient for it to divide the facade of the cabinet into doors with gaps, a podium into chipboard sheets, and the like.

5. We also arrange the ribs using the Chop commands with the Ribs option enabled.

6. The grooves and dadoes are made with the Dado Joint command (DDJ).

7. The cruciform joints are made with the command Cross-Piece (CRS).

8. To subtract solids with clearance use the Gap (GAP) command.

Prepare blocks for all purchased items. 

1. Inside these blocks, place solids of the Hole layer, so that the Drill (DRI) command will work later.

2. For fasteners, you need to prepare blocks suitable for the Fixture command. It is important to correctly orient the solids inside such a block and set up all the placement attributes.

3. Blocks can be measured with the BlockMetric command so that it has the attributes of size, weight and price.

4. Add the invisible attributes you need to the blocks - catalog, article, and the like. Attributes can be added and removed directly in the A>V>C> Properties Palette. Attributes are useful if you need to extract data, for example, for BIM. It is convenient to add the same attributes to all blocks using the same BlockMetric command.

5. Then in the A>V>C> Properties Palette (AvcPalette) lock the measurement and enter the correct weight and price for all these items.

6. Remove the Explodable label from product blocks so that no other commands work with them as with assemblies, but consider them as ready-made purchased products. 

7. All these manipulations can be done at once by the Assembly (AsmCreate) command. For purchased products, it has a separate setting style.

Arrange fittings and fasteners. For fasteners, use the Fixture command with your blocks (not the ones included with the program). Remove excess fasteners where there are too many of them. Move where they hit the cutouts and on top of each other.

Drill all mounting holes (additive) with the Drill (DRI) command.

If it turns out that the mounting holes need to be changed, then all holes can be removed with the command Remove Holes (RemHoles).

You can assign each part a text name such as "Shelf", "Rib" and the like. Write it down in the Kind field in the A>V>C> Properties Palette. 

Record supporting information about the parts in the Info field in the A>V>C> Properties Palette. For example, write down what dodoes you need to make in the ends of the part.

Assign material to the solids. Use the assignment of the render material via the Material Browser (_Materials). This will allow you to add textured materials from the AutoCAD package. Or write the names of materials into the Material property in the A>V>C> Properties Palette (AvcPalette). It is desirable that the basic, constantly used, materials are already in your template.

Immediately after assigning a material to a solid, open the Material tab on the A>V>C> Properties Palette and specify in the USE field = Sheet. Indicate the correct dimensions of the sheet of material, density per cubic meter|inch, price per square meter|inch. You can correct the name, index, article, so that later it would be easier for you to work with specifications, place orders for materials.

Measure all parts with the SolSize command or from the A>V>C> Properties Palette (AvcPalette). Try to mark the details of curved part as Sweep and measure them with the SolSize command. There is a non-rectangular sweep of the part, then measurement as a sweep will not work. Then lock the solid metric and write down the real dimensions, weight, price of the part. 

Some of the same parts can be measured as Mirror, so that the program will lay them out on the reverse side.

For the correct layout and correct measurement of some parts, it may be necessary to indicate the front side - use the surface marking in color No. 30. This is required if the program lays out the parts on the wrong side as you want.

It may also be useful to press on one or several surfaces of the micro-grooves in the form of various marks or arrows. This will affect which side of the part the program considers the front. And such marks will be visible on all drawings and flatshots.

Set up the Numbering command (AvcNum): grouping and sorting of parts. And give all the parts names as numbers in order. It is advisable to first set up tables of parts in the SAW command, and then copy these settings to the Numbering command. If you want to assign some special order to parts or assemblies, you can use the Manual Numbering (MNum) command. Use separate numbering commands and disable numbering in the Sawing Table and LAY commands so as not to confuse the part names. 

Assign cover materials and edgebandings to the solid. Better to use the  A>V>C> Properties Palette. You can select individual solid surfaces and the Selected Surface palette tab. And you can assign covers on the Measured Solid tab - there are always fields for coverings of the front and rear and 4 edges.

Edit the materials of the coatings on the Cover tab of the  A>V>C> Properties Palette. The USE property of material must be Cover or Banding. To calculate the dimensions of rectangular parts, the thickness of the edge bandings will be used - do not forget to specify it. Density is not needed. The price of the bandings is indicated per running meter|inch.

In Common Options of plugins configure once and for always correct stocks for all types of materials. They will be included in the Material Table and in the price of the parts.

Re-measure the parts (SolSize) to include the cost of edge bandings and covers in the price of parts.

After assigning bandings and covers, no editing of solids is allowed - AutoCAD erases the materials of the faces with any manipulation.

Optionally, you can assemble parts into blocks-assemblies. Use the AsmCreate command to create and automatically number assemblies. After that, you will have to reconfigure all of the following A>V>C> commands to look for parts within blocks.

If you later need to modify part of the assembly blocks, then you can give them separate numbers with the New Assembly (AsmNew) command.

Make copies of the assemblies in a separate location in the model. Exploded views of assemblies can be made using the TNT. The Expose Assemblies command will help you arrange copies of assemblies in a row.

Create layouts for assembly views and viewports on them.

1. Use PlaceLeaders and Smart Leader (ALD) to add balloons through the viewport.

2. Use the Sawing Table (SAW) to create lists of parts on each sheets or to create one eneral Sawing Table.

3. Use the Mark command to mark parts and assemblies in the model or on assembly view sheets.

4. Minimize the number of ModelDoc (= ViewBase) views - use them only for sections and detail views.

Lay out the parts in the XY plane using the Lay command. You can move laid out parts to place multiple parts on one viewport.

Design details and contours for CNC milling.

1. Create sheets with viewports for detailing.

2. Use the NC Prepare (NCP) command to part detailing such as dimensioning, hole marking, edge marking, and coverage. 

3. Or you can set up sheets and viewports in the template and simply call the Detailing Drawings (DDraw) command, which itself will make both the layout and sheets and dimensions.

4. If you have taken flatshots of parts manually, or received them from other engineers, then to prepare the contours for CNC you need to close the outer contours and optimize them. All this work is done immediately by the Outside Loop command (OSL). But you can also use its individual functions.

5. The Dado Loop (DDL) command closes the contours of dodoes, cuts and slots.

6. You can cut entries for a cutter in the corners of parts - the Inside Corner (IC) command.

7. For parts nested into each other (inlays), you can round all corners of the contour to fit the diameter of the cutter - the Fillet Polylines (FP) command.

8. Please note that all the commands listed above share the same settings on the NC Preparation tab.

9. The Zone command (AZone) will help you draw a groove (dado) from a cutter along a given curve.

Use a DataTable to compile lists of purchased items (blocks).

Use the Material Table (MatTable) for a rough estimate of the consumption of materials, coatings and edge bandings, the total cost of the project.

Use Page Numbering (PNo) to number caption block attributes on sheets and to compose a table of contents.

Reconfigure the LAY,  NC-Prepare, Dimensions for detailing commands to get DXF files suitable for your CAM program, for your equipment. Use the DXF Export command to create outline files for all parts.

1. Use third-party nesting software (such as OptiNest) to nest part contours into sheets of material. This program should be able to lay out parts on sheets of material using flat contours of parts from Dxf files.

2. Import part contours into your CAM program to generate CNC part programs. In Biesse bSolid, be sure to use the "Technological" dxf import to automatically assign machining techniques to all contours.

Remember to keep a backup of your plugin settings. The settings are stored in the Windows registry and are not copied along with the AutoCAD user profile. Instead of the standard AutoCAD tools, you need to use the Options Palette (AvcOptions) - there are special buttons for exporting and importing settings.