Print Scale help

[JIMMYD]

I recently joined a firm that has been working drawings up in metres in model space

 

The issue comes that when i go to input a scale at the viewport stage the drawing is tiny. Ive always worked in mm and thus never had this issue when using the standrad 'z' enter 's' enter 1/##xp' to acghieve the desired scale

 

i would like to undertsand how i can still work these drawings without scaling everything up in model space at a factor of 1000, which is the only way i can think of getting round this issue.

 

Many thanks

 

J

[rkent]

You simply adjust your scale relative to PS by 1000, so for a normal mm scale of 1:10, for meters you divide by 1000 to get 1/0.01XP, or 100/1XP.

[JIMMYD]

thank you for your reply rkent

 

mmm CAD then comments 'requires a distance'?, which would indicates it doesnt like decimals?!

 

the viewport scale for a drawing i know to be right reads (via properties)

 

annotation scale - 1:1

 

standard scale - custom

 

Custom scale 1.6

 

the drawing reads (and measures correctly when rpinted) correctly @ 1/625 scale but i cannot get the above method to work??

 

im working on A1 size

 

very confusing, and quite frustarting. what am i missing??

 

J

[rkent]

Assuming the A1 border you are working on is truly drawn in mm, then what I describe will work for you.

 

In PaperSpace make the viewport current. Zoom, 16/10xp. That is all it should take. You can't use 1.6/1xp because it won't recognize decimals so multiply both sides by 10, 16/10xp.

[Dana W]

You can also alter your standard scale on the properties (viewport) simply by clicking on it and selecting one from the list that fits.

[yekom]

I my office, we work with Carlson Software and almost all of our drawings are in metres (1:1) in model space as well. The way we scale the viewports in PS (let's say a typical 1:500 scale - 24"x36" ft sheet) we do the following:

 

ZOOM command - S (scale) - 3937/50000xp - ENTER

 

You need to enter 3937 (not 39.37), add 500 AND two more zeros (50000) to get the desired scale.

 

The same can be said for the following:

 

1: 100 = 3937/10000xp

1: 300 = 3937/30000xp

1: 1,000 = 3937/100000xp

 

etc...

[Dana W]

Why do so many people avoid setting the scale on the viewport properties sheet?

[JIMMYD]

thanks for the detail Yekom. im still getting a weird output. I really want to be able to utilsie these 1;1 scale drawingsa s im reluctant to scale up essentially other people drawings but the only way i can get round it is by scaling eveyrthing up by a factor of 1000. I'd happily attach the DWG if you think it would help????

[ReMark]

Attach a copy of the drawing to your next post and someone here will take a look at it and get back to you with a solution. Well, in theory, that's the way it should work. Try just the same.

[rkent]

thanks for the detail Yekom. im still getting a weird output. I really want to be able to utilsie these 1;1 scale drawingsa s im reluctant to scale up essentially other people drawings but the only way i can get round it is by scaling eveyrthing up by a factor of 1000. I'd happily attach the DWG if you think it would help????

 

Don't use SCALE command on the drawing objects. As we have already said you need to set a viewport scale to work with meters.

Go into a layout, make a viewport and make that current. Use Zoom, Extents. Now go to the Viewport Scale menu at the bottom of the screen to the right side, pick custom, add, give it a name like 10:1, in paper units enter 10, leave 1 in the drawing units. Use OK to exit out and save that setting. Now use that setting on your layout. Write back and tell us what you see, is it too big, too small, or getting close.

[JIMMYD]

ok so ive followed those instructions and the drawing is now too big BUT i can make items out in the drawing, just only one section (see below) of the drawing??

 

 

As mentioned the drawing was before i arrived and my predecesor set to 1:500 @ A1

 

 

 

I forgot to mention in my last post that i have emasured the paper in 'paper space' is 841x594mm, which is perfect A1.

 

J

[rkent]

Edit:

So add a 2:1 scale following the instructions for doing that and then set that and see where you are. 2:1 in Meters would be 1:500 plotted scale.

 

I had the first response in this post wrong so I updated the above, this should work for you.

Edited November 13, 2013 by rkent

[eldon]

I would concentrate on the custom scale. Not all relevant scales are standard in AutoCAD.

 

For drawings using metres as the unit, the custom scale = 1000 divided by required plot scale. In your first case of a scale of 1 to 625, 1000/625 = 1.6, which appears in the custom scale.

 

For a required scale of 1 to 500, the custom scale would be 1000/500 = 2.

[JIMMYD]

eldon has it! That process works a treat and consistently accross all drawings. This was proving very annoying. I simply didnt want to scale up historic drawings as we may start to lose grid refs details/items 'left behind' and thus lost completely etc

 

We work in arhcitectural detail and mechanical and civil engineering details, so it was improtant that I can manipulate the drawings between both m and mm.

 

5 years professionally and further 3 more studying with AutoCAD and this was the first issue ive come accross i couldnt work back and resolve

 

Next stop Revit.

 

Really appreciate the repsonses to this prblem

 

J

[Bogbadbob658]

Can I ask why you didn't use the 'viewport scale' button which takes all the thinking out of the process?

[JIMMYD]

Well, in my experience, the viewport scale doesn't have particularly useful preset scales. We produce items for civil engineers (m) and architectural drawings (mm) and geographical maps(km). Personally i have always (as was taught to use) used the scale command as i find it to allows me the opportunity to dictate the perfect scale fit for a viewport.

 

Another element was i simply wanted to understand how i could fix the issue without the work around of scaling all drawings up by a factor of 1000.

 

 

J