Starting off on the right foot. Accurate Data Center floor plans with X Y grid?

[rustychrome]

I didn't realize how spoiled I had been at a previous job until I had to create some new diagrams from scratch. I am trying to create an accurate data center floor plan with X Y coordinates. I have managed to produce some decent drawings and I keep tweaking the grid and rulers and not quite getting it right. I feel like I am missing this beginning and crucial step to produce a very nice accurate floor plan.

I am working with Visio 2013 Standard edition.

[wapperdude]

First, I don't normally have to place things with "precision" accuracy, so, comments are not based on great experience.

Hopefully, you've discovered setting the drawing scale. 

2nd, there's snap and glue settings.  I find snapping to ruler a pain and typically turn it off as snap to grid works fine.  I definitely don't like snapping to both.  One or the other should meet your needs.   Precision is a function of zoom level, but there are some remedial settings you can make...I just don't remember where they are, V2013.

3rd, Visio defaults to setting shape origin to center of shape.  That's not intuitive or convenient.  You can hover and grab this point and drag it, or open the shapesheet and set LocPinX = LocPinY = 0.  That places shape origin at lower left corner.  Makes positioning shape much easier. 

If you have a set of frequent shapes, you may want to create a custom stencil an place these shapes on the stencil.  Be sure to save the stencil.

4th, the Size and Position window.  This shows sheep's page position, size and rotation.  You can enter exact values for these quantities.  Page location will be upon the shape origin.

5th, if you have certain settings for your drawings, you could safe as a template.  That way, each new drawing will have your defaults, saving you the misery of setting each, each time you start a new drawing.

That's about all that I can immediately recall.  Ask general / specific questions as need arises.

Wapperdude

[AnotherNoOne]

Most importantly for such a drawing is (IMO) to set the Grid to a specific size, for a floor plan i´d use centimeters. In the View tab, in the Same Group, where you can select the Grid, press on the tiny arrow on the bottom right, and set the Grid to Fixed/Solid/however its called in English and set a minimal distance. Otherwise the Grid will change depending on how you zoom in. In the same window also set the 0/0 for the Grids starting point.