How Do I Increase the Area of a Drawing in Autocad?

To increase the area of a drawing in AutoCAD, you typically need to scale the drawing up. This enlarges all objects proportionally, thereby increasing the overall dimensions and the calculated area. The primary command for this is SCALE.

The most precise way to scale a drawing when you know a specific dimension should become a new length is by using the Reference option within the SCALE command.

Using the SCALE Command with Reference

The SCALE command allows you to change the size of selected objects. The Reference option is particularly useful when you don't know the current scale factor but know the existing length of an object and what that length should be.

Here’s how to use the SCALE command with the Reference option to increase your drawing's area:

1. Start the Command: Type SCALE in the command line and press Enter.
2. Select Objects: Select all the objects in your drawing that you want to resize. Press Enter when you're done selecting.
3. Specify Base Point: Choose a base point for the scaling operation. This is the point that will remain fixed while the rest of the drawing scales around it. A logical point like a corner or the center of the drawing is often used. Click the desired point in your drawing.
4. Choose Reference Option: At the prompt asking for a Scale factor or [Copy/Reference], type R to activate the Reference option, then press Enter. This step aligns with the reference stating: Type R to activate Reference scaling.
5. Specify Reference Length: You now need to define the existing length that AutoCAD will use as a reference for scaling.
   • Click on the first endpoint of the object segment whose length you know. This corresponds to the reference step: Type a reference-length from one of the objects of the drawing by: ...
   • Click on the second endpoint of that same object segment. This corresponds to the reference step: Complete the second point of the scaling base (end point) by: ...
6. Specify New Length: After defining the reference length, AutoCAD prompts you for the new desired length. Type the desired measurement for the segment you just referenced and press Enter.

AutoCAD will now calculate the necessary scale factor based on the ratio between the new length and the reference length you specified. The entire drawing will be scaled up proportionally based on this factor, effectively increasing its area.

Why Use Reference Scaling?

Using the Reference option is powerful because it eliminates the need to calculate the scale factor yourself. If, for example, you know a wall that is currently drawn as 5 units should actually be 10 units, you simply select the wall as the reference length (5 units) and specify the new length as 10 units. AutoCAD handles the math (a scale factor of 2 in this case).

Alternative: Scaling by a Factor

If you already know the desired scale factor (e.g., you want to double the size, so the factor is 2), you can use the SCALE command without the Reference option:

1. Start the SCALE command.
2. Select objects.
3. Specify a base point.
4. Type the desired scale factor (e.g., 2 for double size, 0.5 for half size) and press Enter.

Both methods effectively increase the dimensions and thus the area of your drawing. The Reference option is often preferred when you are aligning the drawing to a known real-world dimension.