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How do I Arrange Drawings in AutoCAD?

Published in AutoCAD Layouts 4 mins read

To arrange drawings for plotting and presentation in AutoCAD, you primarily utilize layouts. These layouts allow you to organize different views of your model space at specific scales and configurations.

Here's a breakdown of how to effectively arrange drawings:

1. Working with Layouts:

  • Accessing Layouts: Look at the bottom-left corner of the AutoCAD window. You'll typically see tabs labeled "Model" and "Layout1," "Layout2," etc. The "Model" tab is where you create your actual drawing. The "Layout" tabs are where you arrange views of your model for printing.
  • Creating New Layouts: Click the "+" (plus) sign next to the layout tabs to create a new, blank layout. This gives you a fresh sheet to work with.
  • Activating a Layout: Simply click on the layout tab you want to work on.

2. Configuring Page Setup:

  • Accessing Page Setup Manager: Once you're on the layout page, right-click on the layout tab's name (e.g., "Layout1") and select "Page Setup Manager..." from the context menu.
  • Modifying or Creating Page Setups:
    • In the Page Setup Manager, you can modify an existing page setup or create a new one. Creating a new setup is best practice to avoid altering defaults.
    • Click "New..." to create a new page setup. Give it a descriptive name.
    • In the Page Setup dialog box, configure the following:
      • Printer/Plotter: Select the printer or plotter you'll be using.
      • Paper Size: Choose the correct paper size for your drawing (e.g., A4, A3, ARCH D).
      • Plot Area: Usually, "Layout" is the best choice as it plots everything within the paper margins of the layout.
      • Plot Scale: This is critical! Set this to "1:1" if you intend to set the scale within viewports (recommended). Alternatively, you can set a custom scale here (not recommended for typical use).
      • Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments): Choose a plot style table (CTB or STB file) to control the appearance of lines and colors in the plot. Monochrome is often used for simple black and white prints.
      • Drawing Orientation: Select Portrait or Landscape.
      • Click "OK" to save the page setup.

3. Using Viewports:

  • Creating Viewports: Viewports are windows that display views of your model space within the layout. To create one, use the MV (MVIEW) command. Type MV in the command line and press Enter. Then, specify the corners of the rectangular viewport you want to create.
  • Scaling Viewports:
    • Double-click inside a viewport to activate model space within that viewport.
    • Zoom to the desired scale. A common method is to use the ZOOM command followed by the scale factorXP option. For example, ZOOM 1/48XP will set the viewport scale to 1/4" = 1'-0". ZOOM 1XP represents a 1:1 scale.
    • After setting the scale, you may want to lock the viewport to prevent accidental zooming, which would ruin the intended scale. To do this, select the viewport, go to Properties (Ctrl+1), and change "Display Locked" to "Yes."
  • Arranging Viewports: Move and resize viewports as needed to fit your drawing on the layout. You can overlap viewports or leave space between them, depending on your design.

4. Adding Annotations in Layout Space:

  • Title Blocks and Borders: Add title blocks, borders, notes, and dimensions in layout space. These elements are typically at 1:1 scale relative to the paper size.
  • Dimensions: Use the dimensioning tools to add dimensions that reflect the actual size of the objects in model space. AutoCAD automatically scales the dimensions appropriately within the viewport.
  • Text: Add notes and labels using the text tools.

Example Scenario:

Imagine you have a house plan in model space. You want to create two layouts: one showing the overall floor plan at 1/4" = 1'-0" scale and another showing a detail of the kitchen at 1/2" = 1'-0" scale.

  1. Create two layouts: "Floor Plan" and "Kitchen Detail."
  2. In the "Floor Plan" layout, create a viewport and set its scale to ZOOM 1/48XP.
  3. In the "Kitchen Detail" layout, create a viewport and set its scale to ZOOM 1/24XP.
  4. Add title blocks, notes, and dimensions to each layout as needed.

By using layouts and viewports, you can easily arrange different views of your model space at various scales for effective presentation and plotting.

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