I've recently proven out a long-held suspicion that breaking a drawing set into smaller files really helps with load/save time and general responsiveness. The trick was to break out of the mindset of one file per drawing. Ironically the opportunity to try this came with a customer with stringent requirements on 2d .dwg deliverables. Breaking the drawing set into multiple files was part of the most pracical way to attack the problem. Fortunatley, I also remember how to do ACAD scripts (not that they're complicated in any way).
There are drawbacks of course. Exporting can be a real pain for large numbers of sheets. Of course, there are macros that can help with that. Also, propagating custom property changes across all those files can be a problem. Again, macros should be able to help. I haven't crossed that bridge yet myself. We're just on the verge of making the organisational changes to make this really work. I really can't make any recommendations on macros to use yet.
I also haven't yet worked out a good method for cloning an assembly and all the drawing files associated with it and its component parts.
Any comments from those with the wisdom to have gone before will be appreciated. Here's what we're getting ready to do:
-Every made or altered part gets its own drawing and drawing number, instead of one drawing and number per assembly. We'll have simple sequential numbers with blocks assigned to each designer. I wonder how fast I'm going to go through the first 99,999 numbers.
-Obviously, each part now has its own revision level instead of several dozen parts sharing a revision level on one drawing.
-I'm looking at adding the part number to the model file names, but I'm not sure how that will pan out. Our procedures don't require it, but it would be good insurance if it's not too much hassle.
That's right, we were doing it all the hard way. It has been taking a long time to shake off the habits left over from paper drawings, and we've always been a CAD shop!