drawing at one to one and other bits REALLY NEED SOME HELP...

... or else my laptop may have a very limited future!

I have realised that whilst I can create drawings without too much difficulty I clearly dont have a strong enough grasp of the basics.

for example:

drawing at 1:1 preset objects like leaders or even dashed lines are seen too small to show up the arrowheads or dashes, even when customs are set - how do i get around this and actually use these features? as it is i make do with drawing everything from separate elements but this is a huge waste of important time!

also, i have always just used existing files from my uni days to create new drawings on because my title block and viewports are all set up, but they're set up to A3 and now i need to use A1, so if i scale something in that viewport to 1:10 having been drawing at 1:1 and then print it at A1 it wont actually be at 1:10 anymore - how do i resize the page on which the viewport is selected? I have tried to create a new layout but am unable to set this to a measured size

would be so grateful if someone could help me out - so much work to do in so little time with no mouse and little understanding!

... or else my laptop may have a very limited future!

 

I have realised that whilst I can create drawings without too much difficulty I clearly dont have a strong enough grasp of the basics.

 

for example:

OK, mine are very broad explainations, but you have covered a lot of complicated ground.

drawing at 1:1 preset objects like leaders or even dashed lines are seen too small to show up the arrowheads or dashes, even when customs are set - how do i get around this and actually use these features? as it is i make do with drawing everything from separate elements but this is a huge waste of important time!

Investigate the use of the line type scale, Text style, dim style, multileader style features. These let you customize your arrowheads, dimension text, and so forth.

also, i have always just used existing files from my uni days to create new drawings on because my title block and viewports are all set up, but they're set up to A3 and now i need to use A1, so if i scale something in that viewport to 1:10 having been drawing at 1:1 and then print it at A1 it wont actually be at 1:10 anymore - how do i resize the page on which the viewport is selected? I have tried to create a new layout but am unable to set this to a measured size

The size of the paper has nothing to do with the viewport scale. Use your page set up manager to select a new paper size from the provided dropdown list. If you change to A1, without changing the viewport scale, the scale of the plotted objects will not change. You will have to re-scale your border line and title block and maybe make your viewport smaller. Physically changing the size of your paper and viewport will not change the viewport scale. That only changes when you click into it and zoom, or change the scale through the properties list, or commands.

would be so grateful if someone could help me out - so much work to do in so little time with no mouse and little understanding!

Get a cheap usb optical wheel mouse and install it on your laptop. That touchpad is a real pita for me too.

For some detailed help in your endeavors, start with one thing at a time. investigate it through your F1 Help key, then ask some questions and we all can walk you through it.

For instance, to get your text set up to use with dimensions and leaders, you will use your text style manager to pick a font and visual appearance. Make a new text style from a Copy of Standard. At this point you will want to use a text height of 0 (zero). That allows your other styles (dim, leader, and so forth) to control the text height at time of insertion.

Don't worry, its much easier than it sounds.

Utilize annotative scaling for your text and dimensions if you want to keep them in model space. Create a separate layer for each too. With annotative scaling you can assign different scales to your text and dimensions that correspond to the viewports they will be displayed in.

LTSCALE should be set to 1.

Create a new title block and border for the new sheet size you will be using. You can pretty much steal the title block you have now and just add it to a new border.

Viewports should also be on their own layer set to "no print".

Viewports, after they are set up, should have their display locked so the scale of the viewport will not be inadvertently changed should you do any panning or zooming in the viewport.

When it comes time to plot do it from your layout at a scale of 1:1.

A double post. I just responded to this same question elsewhere in the forum.

PLEASE DO NOT DOUBLE POST! It is really annoying.

thanks for your help - i will try out your suggestions and let you know how it goes! sorry to double post, didnt know where was best for it and was desperate for an answer but i shall learn for next time!

I have merged your two threads. There is no need to post the same question multiple times. In the future, please post your question once and then wait for replies.