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AutoCAD Productivity

Shorten the Plot Scales List in a Viewport

by Michael Beall

From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #140
Originally published: June 2015

Scale menuIf you plot from a viewport on a Layout tab, and you have a specific collection of plot scales you typically use, you may be interested in editing that list to display only the ones you need to see.

There are other approaches to accessing the same plot scale regularly, but this is one of the most straightforward.

How to Modify the List of Plot Scales

  1. When you're in a viewport, click the location on the Status bar where you see the scale/factor for the current viewport.

  2. Scroll to the bottom, then click Custom… to open the Edit Drawing Scales dialog box.

  3. I would recommend keeping 1:1, but then select those plot scales you really don't need, then click Delete.

  4. Organize the ones you use all the time by using Move Up or Move Down.

    Edit scales dialog

Note: If you totally gom it up, you can always hit Reset, then choose your desired collection of either Imperial, Metric, or both.

See all the articles published in June 2015

Michael's Corner

Between 2003 and 2016, Michael Beall (and one or two guests) wrote almost 600 articles for CADTutor. The focus of these articles is AutoCAD productivity, and although some of them are now more than a few years old, most remain relevant to current versions of AutoCAD. The article above is just one example. Check out Michael's Corner for a full listing.

Tip of the Day

Selection Preview Cycling

Selection Preview CyclingMaking positive selections is much easier now that AutoCAD highlights (previews) objects as you mouse over them. However, it can still be difficult to select the right object when drawings become complicated with lots of overlapping objects. Fortunately, AutoCAD allows you to cycle through all the overlapping objects under the cursor.

All you need to do is hold down the Shift key and then repeatedly hit the Spacebar (Shift + Space). Each object under the cursor will be highlighted in turn and you can easily pick the one you want.

You can use a similar technique to cycle through sub-objects such as faces and edges on 3D Solids. To cycle through sub-objects, hold down the Control key and hit the Spacebar repeatedly (Ctrl + Space).

Today's tip is by David Watson

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