Scales, viewports, millimetres, m, plottinc confusion.

[Miniver]

Hi.

 

I was up to 4am tryin to fathom this out and have deadlines looming.

Despite having the manuals and other books I cant work out what settings I need.

 

Simply put I want to draw some things that are about 1- 2m square and print on A1 at about 1:10. That feels like they should fit Ok.

 

Now, what setting should I use? I worry I may have reset something my mistake.

 

Can someone give m an idiots guide to how the page should be set up please?

 

Drawing units are decimal- but should the block scaling box be m or mm [or does that not really matter unless I'm doing block scaling?]

 

Do I draw in m or mm ? my drawing seem to be either too big or too small so when I open the view port and click 1:10 they are either HUGE or tiny. I know this isn't right and suspect it has something to do with Page Set Up Manager units in the model/paper space.

 

Any pointers please? I'm doing a uni course and live 100 miles from campus and need to get this stuff printed by end of today.

 

many thanks

[ReMark]

Did you draw everything in model space at full size or did you scale objects much like you would if you did it on a drafting board?

 

Did you use a metric template?

[designerstuart]

i don't have time to explain it all, i'm sure someone else will, but maybe the attached file will help? it's A1, scale 1:10, with a 1 x 1.5m box drawn in.

layout.dwg

[Miniver]

I drew full scale. but i tried both m [ie very small drawing] and mm [ie very big]. Thanks for the file Stuart, Im just going to look at that.

 

I strated with acadiso sheet? is that right?

[Miniver]

Stuart. You are a lifesaver.

Thanks so much. That's just what I need.

 

Is it really complicated or am I just a slow-learner?!

[ReMark]

Model space: full scale. Good.

 

Acadiso.dwt also good.

 

After you scaled your viewport did you happen to also enable "display lock" so you wouldn't accidentally change the viewport scale?

[designerstuart]

Stuart. You are a lifesaver.

Thanks so much. That's just what I need

no problem!

 

Is it really complicated or am I just a slow-learner?!

in my experience there are lots of things to wrong at the beginning. i think it's better if you just start with one that works, and learn from there! of course, do not expect to have your work done for you here, this was a special case where it was best for both of us if i just gave you a file!

 

ps i locked the viewport at scale 1:10 but you can unlock it to change the scale if necessary (use properties palette). lucky as remark was enforcing the "always lock your viewports" regime!

did you happen to also enable "display lock"

Phew!

[ReMark]

In my opinion AutoDesk does not make it easy to work in metric units.

[eldon]

In my opinion AutoDesk does not make it easy to work in metric units.

 

In my opinion, AutoDesk makes it totally baffling to work in Imperial units

[Organic]

In my opinion AutoDesk does not make it easy to work in metric units.

 

Why do you think that? I find it perfectly fine.

[ReMark]

Why do you think that? I find it perfectly fine.

Judging by the number of threads regarding working in metric units I would think the answer to your question would be obvious.

[Quagga]

In my opinion AutoDesk does not make it easy to work in metric units.

 

Hi Remark, I have been working with metric units since I started using Cad in about 1982 and have had no problem with plotting drawings. I would probably find using Imperial units a pain in the *&&s even though I was taught Feet and inches at school many many years ago. I'm back in england now and still battling with m.p.h. I have set my satnav to metres an kilometres, so I know how far to the next waypoint.

But they do work in metric on the drawing board.

 

Cheers :lol::lol:

 

Al

[Organic]

Judging by the number of threads regarding working in metric units I would think the answer to your question would be obvious.

 

The global standard (bar the US almost exclusively) is the metric system so is it really surprising? Having always natively used /Metric, I find Imperial harder personally, especially when at the sub inch level.

[ReMark]

In my opinion, AutoDesk makes it totally baffling to work in Imperial units

Given that I can work in feet/inches, decimal feet/inches or engineering units at least I have three clearly defined choices. Eat your heart out.

[ReMark]

I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. I'll bet you that the overwhelming majority of threads regarding the use of units in AutoCAD are metric related. If working in metric units in AutoCAD were so easy to understand then the disparity would be far less.

[Organic]

I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. I'll bet you that the overwhelming majority of threads regarding the use of units in AutoCAD are metric related. If working in metric units in AutoCAD were so easy to understand then the disparity would be far less.

 

I don't disagree with you there, although a lot more CAD work in done in Metric rather than Imperial so it is to be expected.

[designerstuart]

Given that I can work in feet/inches, decimal feet/inches or engineering units at least I have three clearly defined choices. Eat your heart out.

i thought the whole point of the metric system was to eliminate choices and agree to one convention. the thing that i think is confusing is that you can't just set the drawing wholesale to be one unit - it has to be set for dimstyle, model space and it seems you can measure in one unit but draw in another. but then, i am confused.

 

all this, while sketchup does any unit you like, seemingly without issue! (cue: flak)

[ReMark]

I don't don't disagree with you either re: more work done in metric. Most new users still have a difficult time determining if they are drawing in m or mm and when they get to plotting from a paper space layout they get even more confused. What scale am I using? 1:10, 1:20, 1:100?

 

I cannot speak to Sketchup having only used it rarely. There: no flak.

[Organic]

I don't don't disagree with you either re: more work done in metric. Most new users still have a difficult time determining if they are drawing in m or mm and when they get to plotting from a paper space layout they get even more confused. What scale am I using? 1:10, 1:20, 1:100?

 

How does using Imperial make that any easier or less confusing though?

[Miniver]

...one more thing... when I add text notes the text gets v tiny. Should I be dabbling with the 'annotation' button- I've had trouble with that in the past.