How-To Guide

New Project From an Old One: Copy the Drawings and Update Every Title Block in One Run

Published October 2026 | 74mph Solutions

The new job is 80% the same as the last one. Same building type, same details, same sheet list. So you copy the project folder. Then you open 140 drawings, one at a time, to change the project name, the project number and the date in every title block. On sheet 112 you notice that sheet 37 still has the old project number.

There is a better way. Hurricane can open each drawing from the old project, update its title block, and save the result straight into the new project folder, in one run. The old project is never saved, so it stays exactly as you left it.

140 sheets. By hand: most of a day, one title block at a time. With Hurricane: one run, every sheet done.

Starting a new project from an old one?

Copy and update the whole set in one run.
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How It Works

Hurricane runs a script on every drawing in its list. Normally the script ends with a save. When you tick SAVEAS, Hurricane replaces that save with a Save As to the folder you choose and, if you want, a new file name. So every drawing gets your changes, then lands in the new project folder. The originals are opened, changed in memory and closed without saving.

Step by Step

Step 1

Add the old project's drawings. Drag the folder into Hurricane's file list. Subfolders too.

Step 2

Map the title block once. Open the Title-Block Update Wizard, give it your title block name, and assign each attribute: fixed text, or a TAG. Use static TAGS for the new project name and number, and dynamic TAGS such as $DATE$ , $FILENAME$ and $SHEET$ for what changes per sheet. Save it as a template for the next project.

Step 3

Point SAVEAS at the new project folder. Tick SAVEAS and set the target folder on the SAVEAS Options tab. You can change the file name there too.

Step 4

Run it on a few drawings first. Check the title blocks and the new folder.

Step 5

Create and Run. Hurricane opens each old drawing, updates the title block, saves it into the new folder, and moves to the next. Walk away, or schedule it overnight with Night Run.

Test before you batch: title blocks are not all built the same. Block names, attribute tags and folder layouts differ between offices and projects, so run the job on a few drawings first and adjust the template or script before you run the whole set.

Add More to the Same Run

The title block is just the start. Anything you can script rides along in the same pass:

Purge unused layers, blocks and styles, so the new project starts clean.
Set your standards: current layer, LTSCALE, units, text styles.
Zoom Extents so every drawing opens to the full sheet.
Save to an older DWG version for a consultant who has not upgraded.
Rename the files for the new project numbering with the File Renamer, with a preview before anything changes.

Pro Tips

Keep the folder structure. If your drawings reference each other (xrefs), copy them into the same folder layout and keep the file names, or plan to repath the xrefs afterwards.
Save the template. Next project, you reload it and change two TAGS.
Sheet X of Y: use a fixed value or a built-in TAG for the sheet total, so the whole set agrees.

What You Need

Hurricane on Windows, with AutoCAD (2026 and all prior versions), AutoCAD LT, BricsCAD, IntelliCAD or DraftSight. Hurricane is a stand-alone program, not a plug-in.
The Title-Block Update Wizard uses AutoLISP, so it needs full AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT 2024 and later.

FAQ

Does this change my original drawings?

No. With SAVEAS ticked, Hurricane saves each changed drawing into the new folder instead of over the original. The original is closed without saving.

Does it work with AutoCAD LT?

The SAVEAS copy works in AutoCAD LT. The Title-Block Update Wizard uses AutoLISP, so it needs AutoCAD LT 2024 or later, or full AutoCAD.

Can I rename the files for the new project?

Yes. The SAVEAS Options tab can change the file name, and the File Renamer renumbers a whole set with a preview before anything changes.

What about xrefs?

Keep the same folder layout and file names in the new project and relative xref paths keep working. If you rename or move files, plan to repath the xrefs.

Monday morning: a new project folder, the right project number on every sheet, and the old project exactly as you left it.

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