Trying to create a giant image file, but am limited in how much detail I can export..

Hi everyone, this is my first post. This is a great website and i've used a few of the tutorials on this site to help me out already.

Ok, so basically what i'm trying to do is to create a to-scale model of the solar system.

Here is the first draft: i.imgur.com/dE80v.jpg

I was reading A Short History of Nearly Everything, and came across this quote from Bryson:

"Such are the distances, in fact, that it isn't possible, in any practical terms, to draw the solar system to scale."

Pshaw, said I. I am proficient with Autocad and Photoshop, said I. Right now I have a 3D autocad file with all the planets (and pluto too) and even the theoretical outer limits of the Oort cloud. I want to create a huge image file where even the smallest bodies (I included the moon but you can't even see it in this image) are of a observably significant size (at least 10 or so pixels in diameter) and to-scale with each-other. I have all that in autocad already, but unfortunately my method of exporting the drawing to an image file is limited in how detailed I can get with the exported image file.

Thanks to a tutorial I found here, I set up a most script plotter.Here is how I export my drawing: i.imgur.com/4MDXZ.jpg

The problem is that I'm limited by the detail which would be able to fit on the theoretical paper (which seems silly). The solar system is unfathomably empty, and I intend to show that. Of course i'm using the largest available "paper size," is there a way I can edit these pre-loaded paper sizes, or something else I can do in order to properly export all the empty pixels which I need?

Thanks a ton!

Edit: Using AutoCAD 2010, Educational Version

You can go into page setup manager -> modify -> printer/plotter properties -> custom paper sizes.

It will only let you define the paper size in inches or millimeters since it thinks you are going to be printing with a plotter made on this planet. The input fields are only 12 digits wide, but they do scroll left.:wink: How many inches are there in a lightyear?

I think you have crashed up against the physical limits of the hardware.

first, draw guidelines for yourself.

Set the zoom to whatever size you need to:

Remember that a circle will require a minimum of pixel dots to represent it properly. This means that the smallest will have to be large enough to be represented properly.. there comes a point where the pixel scale will be incorrect to that resolution.

That's why if you accidentally messup an intersection, no matter how close you are, there's a full pixel that will show-up on the wrong side of the line.

Anyways.. use the guidelines to pan around the drawing as you plot (or use the printscreen button or perhaps a multiple image capture program).

If you can print those images to scale, on whatever size/type of paper you want to, use the guidelines to trim and connect the resultant printed pieces. Perhaps even laminate it to something, so that the final product can hold-up under it's own weight.

I did that same method to make a scale drawing of a Tank from a videogame model.

This means that the smallest will have to be large enough to be represented properly.. there comes a point where the pixel scale will be incorrect to that resolution.

I must oppologize to the OP for being a little too flippant.

I had just visited the BBQ thread in the Chat area.

I was thinking that the image is already past this point, or is it? With the Earth and Neptune in the same image at scale distance and size, is there a limit to how resolved things can be, no matter how big the "Printable Area"?

Is there a hardware limit to the overall size of a "Virtual Image"?

Thanks for responding!

Dana W: I tried your original suggestion. It limits me to a paper size of 100 inches wide in one direction (which is still a great improvement from the 48in max I had before). I tried creating a really long 'paper' that was 100x300, but it's still far too small for any of the planets to start taking shape - though the sun is now clearly spherical! That tells me i'm close. I'm going to try making the paper even 'longer' in order to try and capture more, but i'm not sure i'll be able to get the spherical shapes for the planets using this method. At this point the moon is still not distinguishable from the earth (which is a problem because its existence is currently serving only to make the earth look bigger than it is).

Mike: Thats a great idea, i'm feeling a little foolish for not having thought of that myself. Once I stretch myself to the limit here i'm definitely going to give that a try.

If anyone is interested, here is the latest version:

i.imgur.com/CUoek.jpg