Hi,

I have a problem with constructing drawings in 3D space. I'm using AutoCAD Architecture 2009 and the current drawing method I am using for a multi-story building is I draw each floor plan as a separate file and then x-ref them into files with other floors. For example, I draw the ground floor plan first then start a new file for the 2nd floor and x-ref the ground floor plan in and use it as a guide. This way I can see immediately if walls and point loads line up. The problem is if I use smart objects from the tool palettes menu (doors, windows, etc.) they have vertical information associated with them so when I'm using them as x-ref'd guides to compose other plans, lines that appear to be flat in plan view are snapping to points on these smart objects which are actually floating somewhere up (or down) in space. The result is that all the plans look fine but when I switch to any of the side views there's lines criss-crossed all over the place. Is there a way to set my snaps so they only snap to a certain elevation in the z plane?

Another option, a more preferable one, is if AutoCAD had a way of setting up a hierarchy of layers with a series of sub-layers. I am still baffled as to why this is not possible in CAD as it is in so many other programs. This would allow me to have all my floor plans in one file and stack them on top of each other because I would then be able to lock an entire floor plan. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Thanks for any help you can provide!