scale

How do people manage scale(s) in AutoCAD? Let me clarify my question.

Dimensions have dimscale.
Dotted lines have Global and local linetype scale.

Then, of course, there is a print scale. It's only dawned on me today that
it's all a complete mess.

Are there betters ways with which to manage all these variables? Do
individual layouts have better ways of managing object and global ltscale?

The most awkward is the insulation linetype (batting). Is it possible to
override (ignore) global linetype scale? My insulations get all screwed up
in layouts.

Henry
Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
University of Bath
http://staff.bath.ac.uk/abshhkc
http://3thirteen.co.uk

 

Checkout PSLTSCALE.

Conny

 

You could try MultiSCALE, part of MultiDRAFT. www.multisuite.com

The software includes lots of other structural engineering CAD tools for
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT and there are site licence discounts for educational
establishments.

 

I don't know how anybody else does it but I always draw everything fill size and then use paper space to dim and plot or from
model space set the following variables in these ratios:
ltscale;.5 - textsize;.125 - Dimscale;1
R. Wink

 

Henry,

I've got some tips you'll probable need in the nearby future.
1.) Allway's draw 1:1
2.) Set your LTScale according to your plot scale 1:50 --> LTScale = 50
3.) Do one of the folowing: * Design your papersizes 1:1 in
modelspace and rescale them to your plotscale
** Disign your papersizes
1:1 in paperspace (Layout) and zoom in with your viewport
4.) In case of ** it can be quite useful to create a layer that does not
plot and draw a viewport sized rectangle and zoom in on that.

Hope to have been of some use to you,

M. Moelands

 

Others have answered your scaling questiion so I will addres the batting. Do
a search on There is a lisp routine for that that is far supperior to the
linetype.

 

Although you can draw the insulation using lisp or manually, a linetype
is far more efficient and will result in a smaller drawing.
Using layouts is probably the easiest way of handling drawing scaling as
you can have more the one layout showing different parts of the same
drawing at different scale, not to mention all the other benefits of
using viewports, the only problem comes when you have to pass the
drawings on to people who aren't using AutoCAD.

 

The Batting Lisp routine can be found on my AutoCAD Download Page at
http://www.cadalot.co.uk

Regarding scales

Draw in Model space at 1:1
Draw in Paper Space at 1:1 (Title Block and Notes only )
Use Zoom in Viewport for scale
Use scale factor for dimensions (still dimensioning in Model Space)
Use scale factor for Lines so they view in Model and Paper space as
they will plot.
Have Custom Lines to get exactly what we want out of the plotter and
printers.


HTH

Alan (Cadalot)

 

Henry, lots of people have chimed in with good tips for you, and certainly
using Alan's batting lisp routine will work well. However, there is another
option that you may find useful: individual object linetype scaling. I do
this all the time for linetypes that are out to lunch in terms of the scale
of my drawings.

As has been suggested, always draw at 1:1. I'm assuming you're plotting from
paper space using viewports. Set your overall linetype scale to plotted
scale if you won't be plotting in more than one scale. This way, most of
your drawing geometry will have correctly scaled linetypes. Then select the
linework for your batting and give it its own scale factor relative to the
overall linetype scale. That's it, you're in business. The only drawback to
this method is you may need to remember that you have some objects in your
drawing that are individually scaled.

Unfortunately, because AutoCAD is somewhat hopeless in terms of handling
scales of different base units, particularly within the same drawing, you'll
find some predefined linetypes that are out-to-lunch in your particular
drawing. If the linetype was defined with inches in mind, and you're drawing
in feet, for example, you'll find that the linetype will not scale
correctly. That's why, for instance, you'll find two separate linetype
definition files come out of the box with AutoCAD - one for imperial base
units, and one for metric.

Frankly, drawing scale handling is one of my biggest pet peeves with
AutoCAD. Up here in Canada, where we use both imperial and metric scales on
a regular basis, I often have to re-scale the actual geometry of drawings
that need to be converted from one base unit to another - a huge headache
that Autodesk should have dealt with ages ago. You'll find the same problem
going between inches and feet as base units. As a result, some linetypes
will have scaling problems. And then there's dimension styles - don't get me
started.....!

Of course, if you're really handy, you could go into Acad.lin and add a
definition of the batting linetype that would work in the base units you're
using. It's tedious and a slight learning curve, but I've had success with a
number of linetypes I've added for my personal use. Good luck!