New viewport for new template?

[goaliegrrl]

This is probably too extensive a question for this forum - if there is a tutorial that covers this, please point me in the right direction.

 

Background: I work for a large utility company, which for some reason doesn't think AutoCAD training is important for its entry level engineers (who use CAD daily), so it's incumbent upon me to figure it out. Thanks *** Gas & Electric!

 

I'm working off a .dwg file I inherited from the one dude who seemed to know what he was doing. He's moved on, or I'd be harassing him for help instead of coming here.

 

He's got it set up so that (pardon my terminology ignorance) the blue rectangle in model space is assigned to the drawing area of one of the templates (paper space). There are two pink rectangles assigned to additional templates (on their own tabs). They are "fixed", so that the scale cannot be modified while in paper space.

 

 

 

 

I would like to add a new template (new tab) to this .dwg file, assigned to its own blue (or pink? Does color mean something?) rectangle in model space, set up this same way (no scaling in paper space).

 

How can I go about it? If you can help, please pretend that I've suffered a recent head injury and am having difficulty understanding. I really don't know WTF I'm doing.

[Dana W]

This is really pretty simple, even for someone with a recent severe head trauma. But it does take a lot of words to explain it.

 

Is it possible that the different color frames indicate a paper size? I am assuming NO for the moment, just to get you a layout and viewport working. You will have to ask someone there if the colors have meaning.

 

The first thing you want to do is, in modelspace copy one of those rectangles (frames) around your portion you want to make a layout for, if you have not already done so. For now, it doesn't really matter which one, nor from where. If there is more than one size frame, choose the one that fits your drawing area the best.

 

I think what they mean by "No scaling in paperspace" is that there will be no need for a particular scale to be applied to the viewport in paperspace. These are diagrams, not shop drawings, prints of which at times could be measured with an engineers or architectural scale.

 

As far as AutoCad is concerned, there is no connection between the rectangle in modelspace and the viewport in paperspace, and there is no mechanism in AutoCad to make a connection to a particular object. It probably only means "This is the stuff you put in the viewport, and this is the viewport proportions."

 

Do you know how to create a new layout tab? Do you know how to put a viewport on the new layout tab?

 

I would copy one of the existing layouts and then cannibalize the stuff you can re-use, especially the viewport, and change and erase the stuff you can't use as is. There may also be a borderline/titleblock on the copied layout that will only need its page number changed.

 

Right click the layout tab you want to copy. Select "Move or Copy" from the resulting menu. In the resulting dialog box, first check the "make a copy" box, then tell it which existing layout you want the copy to be placed in front of, or place it at the end.

 

Now that you have the copy, which will be named originallayout(2), click its tab, and then right click the tab again, select rename and uh ah rename it something useful.

 

I am going to skip over how to set up the rest of the page. You will see what needs changing or erasing.

 

Now, click on the viewport frame, there will be a grip at each corner when it is selected. We'll get to those in a minute. While the viewport is selected, call up the right click menu. Somewhere in the top third of the right click menu, find Display Locked. Click on Display Locked and set it to No if it is not already. It should be locked, so when you are done, lock your viewport display by reversing this action.

 

Now that the viewport display is confirmed unlocked, deselect the viewport frame (esc), and zoom out far enough so the whole viewport frame is on screen. That last part is so the viewport won't "maximize" when you do the next thing.

 

Double click inside the viewport frame, (or type MS for modelspace) This "activates" the viewport, which means you have just jumped through the viewport back into modelspace. Now, pan and zoom around modelspace until you find your drawing area that needs to be in the viewport. Zoom it so you can see the whole frame you copied around it. Now type ZOOM, enter, type WINDOW. Click on one corner of your frame in modelspace. There will be no snap for the window, you will have to eyeball it. Now click the diagonally opposite corner of the frame. Hopefully, this will zoom you right up to your viewport frame.

 

Assuming this worked, you can now double click anywhere on your paperspace background (or command PSPACE) which will put you back in paperspace, and you can select your viewport frame and lock its display.

 

Oh, yeah the viewport grips. You can click a viewport grip and manipulate its size. Each viewport grip moves two adjacent sides at once.

 

Hopefully some of this helped or at least made sense.

[BIGAL]

Our surveyor has 12 layouts in his template as he must fill in multiple sheets in a certain way including like yours a mview of the survey area within a sheet title block that can not be changed.

 

I could be wrong but I would copy the title info of cgggsr sheet to your layout this way this part will always be correct from a sizing text point of view but your diagram can be scaled independently, no blue box anymore. Last thing make the title block in the layout at 1:1 it makes plotting easier

[ReMark]

goalie: I would suggest you brush up on your knowledge of paper space layouts and viewports. This will also help familiarize yourself with the terminology.

[goaliegrrl]

Dana W.,

 

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write me a novel This was very, very helpful, lots of good info. It's not easy to explain CAD when you're not sitting with the person, but you managed it!

 

The way I was trying to do it was everything you said, up to the ZOOM and WINDOW command sequence. I was trying to use the ALIGNSPACE that I found in Express Tools. For some reason, the origin in paper space would skew about 5 degrees, no matter what I did (??). I used OSNAP so I wasn't clicking slightly off-center or anything. Weirdness. I think my AutoCAD is haunted.

 

Thanks again!

[goaliegrrl]

ReMark,

 

Can you suggest a source (online tutorial, etc.) for total beginners that defines terminology?

[Dana W]

Dana W.,

 

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to write me a novel This was very, very helpful, lots of good info. It's not easy to explain CAD when you're not sitting with the person, but you managed it!

 

The way I was trying to do it was everything you said, up to the ZOOM and WINDOW command sequence. I was trying to use the ALIGNSPACE that I found in Express Tools. For some reason, the origin in paper space would skew about 5 degrees, no matter what I did (??). I used OSNAP so I wasn't clicking slightly off-center or anything. Weirdness. I think my AutoCAD is haunted.

 

Thanks again!

Yer welcomed. I do have a rep for explaining the entire universe as I see it when someone asks me for the time.

 

Also, like BIGAL was explaining, the premise is the same with me. I too do a lot of contract work for a shop that only uses one size of paper, title block and borderline.

 

Their template modelspace area is simply filled with empty rectangles. The difference is they are all the same color. Each rectangle supposedly represents the proportions of their standardized viewport for the 36x24 arch "D" full bleed piece of paper at a particular scale. For instance, the one for scale: 1/4" 1'-0" was drawn at 33 3/4" x 22 3/8" and then scaled up by 48 so it will fit around a reception lobby or conference room drawn in modelspace at 1:1 (full size). (48 times 1/4" = 1'-0"). They do this because, apparently it is difficult for the drafting manager to calculate scale even on paper.

If one's drawing fits in the rectangle nicely, then one is good to go.

 

Just as well, they use modelspace dimension and text styles too, one respectively for each potential scaled viewport, an example of which is already living in modelspace just above its "home" rectangle.

 

Their rectangles also have no relationship to paperspace other than the above conceptual one. Like you just did, I will zoom window these into a viewport. THEN, I will take an additional step to select the desired scale for the viewport. We have Monkey Man out in the field hanging millwork in 10 million dollar condo lobbies, so he has to have accurate, and physically measurable drawings to spill coffee on and obliterate the dimensions.

 

I am not confident in trying to figure out why your alignspace tilted a bit. I have never used it. I might guess that the UCS in modelspace was out of whack by that amount, before anyone drew in it, can't say why, can't tell you how to fix it.

[Dana W]

ReMark,

 

Can you suggest a source (online tutorial, etc.) for total beginners that defines terminology?

Just try and stop him. look at his post count Bwwwwahahahahahah!!

[BIGAL]

Start here I just had a quick look in tutorials and it has a layouts tutorial.

[ReMark]

Everything (well almost everything) there is to know about working with Viewports.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?72972-Things-you-should-know-about-Viewports.&highlight=viewport+scale

 

All about Viewports and how to set their scale.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?72213-Viewports-and-Setting-Scale&highlight=viewports

 

Where to find help when you have an AutoCAD problem.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?33652-Where-do-I-go-for-help-with-an-AutoCAD-problem

 

Glossary of CAD Terms for AutoCAD and it's applications.

 

http://www.g-wlearning.com/cad/9781605253282/student/resourceCenter/PDF/CADGlossaryTerms.pdf

 

I think these should be more than enough to start with. Soon enough everyone at *** Gas & Electric will come to recognize you as the in-house CAD guru. When they do, ask for a raise. Titles aren't important. Good luck.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2015 by ReMark

[goaliegrrl]

Thanks to all, I appreciate the help.

 

I really need to find a CAD class at a JC or something. I feel like they might have been better off hiring a gorilla to sit here and mash the keys 8 hours a day.

[Murph_map]

Thanks to all, I appreciate the help.

 

I really need to find a CAD class at a JC or something. I feel like they might have been better off hiring a gorilla to sit here and mash the keys 8 hours a day.

 

What part of the world are you located in?

[goaliegrrl]

I'm in Silicon Valley..

[ReMark]

I've taken three courses at a local community college and found all of them to be quite good. You have an instructor you can pepper with questions, classmates to not only brainstorm with but to network with as well, and the course materials/book(s) can be retained for future reference. Showing that you took a structured class will look good on your resume too. The cost is relatively cheap compared to attending an AutoDesk Training Center. And some colleges offer day, night and weekend classes so you should find something to fit your schedule.