Expert: Bob - 6/12/2007

Question
The Office here uses AutoCAD and they are trying to find a User Friendly system for the architects. Currently they are trying to introduce a system/method that makes it easy for the architects to modify/systemize files when upgrading In House - Blocks of trade files [doors etc] with different Out-Of-House Blocks of trade files[other doors etc.] They would like to add troll from commercial sites to get CAD files into the present CAD files. [Such as Revit Up

Answer
Hi -- It sounds like you are not one of the users, but the person stuck with finding the solution -- sorry!
Normally, a user would mention the AutoCAD release and his/her own experience, as well as using more generally accepted terms, SO: I dont quite get everything you say, but I think I get the point.
Briefly:
1-- No CAD standards, no enforcement of standards, leads to a Tower of Babel situation, as well as a contentious and time wasting one.
2-- The blocks and tools belong in palettes, since AutoCAD 2004 -- Too long to write here how to set that up, but it is time-consuming, rather than hard, to do --- and well worth it.  Architects typically are frozen in the year they first learned the program well, and have to be kicked to modernize.
3-- Of course you cant use Revit content in AutoCAD, but you can put a finished Revit drawing into an AutoCAD format.
4-- An Architectural office should be using AutoCAD Architecture 2008 (previous releases were called ADT) or Revit, along with plain AutoCAD. Again, too long to explain why here. There is a lot of info on the Autodesk site, and online articles.

All this leads me to say, from the little evidence you gave, that the boss needs to lay down a strict policy that this all will be solved, and that people must work in a similar way. Then, unless you have someone with strong enough knowledge there, you need to hire in a good consultant to get your set up and training on track.
People complain this costs money -- but having Architects waste time on problematic tools costs more.

If I misunderstand you, write back.

BOB