(Faster) Evacuation Maps

[OADesign]

Hi All.

So I have been doing a lot of evacuation maps lately for our property management clients.

I have been getting it done few different ways:

Take photos on existing maps, trace, reproduce.

Take architects drawings, trace, reproduce.

Walk the property, take notes and photos, draw, produce.

I use illustrator with it layer and symbol system to get it down. Its works fine. But WOW it takes forever! (and a day!)

I have been doing it this way for a while now and I have gotten pretty swift with it. But still, in the big picture. I takes too long.

Long story short, what I'm looking for is a faster way to do it.

Any thoughts? I am really just looking to speed up the process. Not looking to invest in a cad solution.

I think that HotDoor CAD tools it the way to go, but again, justifying that 350 cost.

Just looking for a way to work smarter and faster and not break the bank.

 

[MikePro]

I use hotdoor, and love it. Expense is completely justified, cheap actually.

That being said, I don't see how it would really streamline the drawing of evacuation maps. Still, I believe it is an essential tool for your design software if you're dealing with scaleable artwork/specs such as architectural drawings ...and a completely boneheaded move on adobe's part for not including this simple feature into their software in the first place.

 

[AF]

I use Autocad. The time to produce anything architectural in nature is a fraction of that required in Illustrator. Draw in Autocad, export to PDF and open in Illustrator to do the rest.

 

[gnemmas]

As a side note, does Evacuation Map required to be in scale?

 

[James Burke]

I use Autocad. The time to produce anything architectural in nature is a fraction of that required in Illustrator. Draw in Autocad, export to PDF and open in Illustrator to do the rest.

It takes a bit to learn, but AutoCAD is extremely fast and efficient. I've tried cheaper generic CAD programs, but I've been spoiled with AutoCAD.

You may be able to get CAD files for the building from the architect. Vendors also provide free "blocks" (pre-drawn elements) for use in your drawings (.dwg and .dxf formats).

JB

 

[James Burke]

As a side note, does Evacuation Map required to be in scale?

I would think so.

 

[MikePro]

As a side note, does Evacuation Map required to be in scale?

I've never had a request, client nor fire inspector, to have an evacuation map drawn to 3/8" = 1' (or similiar).
But I have always made them square & proportionate ... or its like following a treasure map drawn by a 1st grader.

the majority of architectural documents I've received as .pdf contain broken lines and misc jibberish.
I've simply "traced" over a screenshot of scanned blueprints and cropped to fit desired size of the finished graphic.

 

[Rick]

in California,

Evac signs are not required to be in scale, or even in correct proportion.

The general guidelines are here...
http://www.ocfa.org/_uploads/pdf/guidee02.pdf

I use illustrator, as much as I love CADTools, it really won't do anything for you.

What I generally do is make my base floor plans for all floors with all the information
required.

Then go back and rotate the maps and info accordingly.

The base plans can take a looooong time. the signs made from the base plans
usually take minutes.

My preferred method is using architectural plans, if they are apartments, then
the marketing materials may have a simplified version of the floors and i will use that.

If I had to go onsite and draw them, they get charged extra for that. Older building can
be a huge pain.

I put a bid on an apartment building where every floor plan was different... some 18 floors
of an apartment going into a hill. I usually price each base plan at a certain price, then each
layout based on that. Some sign shop came in at a straight 15 bucks a pop, and lost his arse
on the deal. On top of that, the fire inspector is making him redo them over and over again.
I make some decent coin on evacs, but maaaaan, get a high rise and my arse starts to burn
thinking of all the walking I have to do when it's time to double check the layouts.

 

[OADesign]

As a side note, does Evacuation Map required to be in scale?

Not that I have been to an sort of "expert level evacuation map class" But I have never seem a map that is to scale. It would really not make sense to be at scale any way for most projects. Think about it. An average building with all the details would end up being so small that they would be barely legible. Or you would have to make the sign huge.

in California,

Evac signs are not required to be in scale, or even in correct proportion.

The general guidelines are here...
http://www.ocfa.org/_uploads/pdf/guidee02.pdf

I use illustrator, as much as I love CADTools, it really won't do anything for you.

What I generally do is make my base floor plans for all floors with all the information
required.

Then go back and rotate the maps and info accordingly.

The base plans can take a looooong time. the signs made from the base plans
usually take minutes.

My preferred method is using architectural plans, if they are apartments, then
the marketing materials may have a simplified version of the floors and i will use that.

If I had to go onsite and draw them, they get charged extra for that. Older building can
be a huge pain.

I put a bid on an apartment building where every floor plan was different... some 18 floors
of an apartment going into a hill. I usually price each base plan at a certain price, then each
layout based on that. Some sign shop came in at a straight 15 bucks a pop, and lost his arse
on the deal. On top of that, the fire inspector is making him redo them over and over again.
I make some decent coin on evacs, but maaaaan, get a high rise and my arse starts to burn
thinking of all the walking I have to do when it's time to double check the layouts.

Most of the work I have been getting is mostly re-dos of the work of others when the property managers get busted for missing details. Or new construction additions when the interiors are gutted and new rooms go in.

But this time around I started out like normal. Property manager wanted to change details because of a failed inspection. Started with photos of existing signs. Added proper details. Then the client wanted to change colors. No big deal. Point, click, repeat.

Then the client for some reason decides they don't like "style" of the drawings. Not our fault. But still more work. The client then reveals that they posses floor plate drawings from the architect (Now you tell me ). At this point, other projects are stacking up. And the client seems to think tracing these is as quick and simple as the next happy birthday day grammy banner. Normal I know. But then this happens too often. All I need is for some rush project to burn up a few unscheduled minutes and the day is destroyed.

So basically what you all are saying is, out side of shelling a few grand for AutoCad, there is nothing else to do but keep my head down and keep ramping up my efficiency with illustrator.

Glad its Friday.

 

[iSign]

My very first entry into the sign industry was in the 80's when I quit my job as an architectural draftsman (drawing the dinosaur way, entirely with a pencil) in Hawaii & moved to New York City. I landed a job at the nations largest Architectural Signage franchise.
The only computer work I'd ever done in my life was making my resume for that job on a friends Mac SE II, using MacDraw.

We landed the signage contract for some new hotel at Disney World & I was asked to work with this poseur "designer" everyone called Ken Doll behind his back... and I knew his presence would make the job more difficult instead of easier, so I asked to be given the entire package to do by myself.

The job consisted of 27 floors with 3 wings each. Those 81 unique floor plans were provided in hard copy only, & had to appear in 4 orientations each because doors facing North, South, East or West all had to be represented in an evac map on the door in every room, where "UP" on the sign was straight out the door. Additionally, each sign layout had two other unique elements, the room number, and a "you are here" dot, in the correct room on the plan.

My boss was concerned with our deadline, but I convinced him to give me 24 hours to prove that I could set a pace that ensured I could deliver the 243 floor plan variations, each of which would be silk screened second surface, with the room number & red dot done in vinyl, prior to back spraying the base color.

Anyway, I got the whole packet assigned to me after hitting the required pace, and racked up quite a bit of OT as well!
I also became quite proficient in computer aided design work on that project, and fell in love with the sign business too.
I never went back to drafting, and have work in the sign industry ever since.

Before I got there, the graphics department was hand laying rubylith tape on their evac map film positives.
I couldn't believe it took the new guy to figure out I could print to vellum, and burn screens direct from my prints!

Well, no advice here... just a trip down memory lane... return to your previously scheduled programming

 

[Gino]

Sometimes, people just get set in their ways and are in their own way, so it takes some young new blood to show them progress.

As for the OP, $350 is nothing to spend for a much needed tool. While iSign didn't think know he had advice, it did say to keep new ideas flowing and with that go new tools.

 

[AF]

Here you go:

http://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-lt/overview

You can't beat that deal on the real thing.

 

[James Burke]

Here you go:

http://www.autodesk.com/products/autocad-lt/overview

You can't beat that deal on the real thing.

I picked up a new seat of AutoCAD LT 2014 last year for just over $800 on Amazon and it was just about this time of the year. It was originally $1,200.

I saved it to my Amazon shopping cart and just let it sit there for several weeks. Every so often, I'd check back in and notice that Amazon had dropped the price from what it was before. Then, just a few days prior to Black Friday, Amazon dropped the price quite a bit more and I grabbed it.

I just checked Amazon today and ACAD LT 2015 is going for 1,079.00.


JB

 

[Rick]

Personally, buying AUTOCad in any form would be an un-needed expense.
I use AUTOCad, but never for design layouts.

First, if you never used AUTCad... be ready for a massive learning curve.

AUTOCad (and Cadtools) are great for making scaled drawings, they are not
so efficient at design layouts.

MOST (Like 95%) of the evacs I have worked on or have seen do not look like
AUTOCad based layouts, they are stylized graphics. Trying to get AUTOCad to do
what Corel or Illustrator does would be time consuming.

 

[GAC05]

Hi,
Do you have a sample of what the end result looks like?
I know what an evac map looks like but how much detail do they require from you?
Seems like a dedicated floor plan app would be a good way to get the basic layout set up quickly.
Then drop it into Illustrator to add the details from a library of saved symbols & stuff.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I do these all the time. I don't create from scratch but rather trace/recreate photos or scans of existing maps. There are varied amounts of details but rarely have all the detail of a architectural drawing... just the basic walls and important features such as stairwells, elevators

 

[Billct2]

The one I have done were fairly painless...I sent them to the Vector Doctor.
But they wern't enormous projects and I had old floorplans that Eric traced for me which I then updated.

 

[OADesign]

Here a is a floor from the project in question.
Simple stuff but it takes too much time.

And you know how it goes... The phone is ringing. Someone walks in to talk about some stickers for the wind shield of their honda civic, etc.
Although its great work, it tends to clog the pipeline.

 

[Rick]

Here a is a floor from the project in question.
Simple stuff but it takes too much time.

And you know how it goes... The phone is ringing. Someone walks in to talk about some stickers for the wind shield of their honda civic, etc.
Although its great work, it tends to clog the pipeline.

No wonder it took long, what a mess!
A lot of that is unnecessary... but since it's existing, what can you do?

Here is a recent job. It's an apartment project built in the 70's and updated.
I was lucky enough to get an egress diagram, I plopped the floor plan in
Illustrator and made a simplified version of it, then layed out the other
maps.

 

[OADesign]

No wonder it took long, what a mess!
A lot of that is unnecessary...

I know... I tried to tell them.

...but since it's existing, what can you do?

Nothing. Because the customer is always right... Right?