drawing imits etc. AutoCAD 2005, layout, paper size

Hi

Someone has told me that I should have a printer installed to have A4 size etc. listed in the ACAD. I don't get A4 listed in the ACAD page setup.

When a certain page size is chosen in MS Word, it automatically adjusts the text to the size of the paper. In ACAD how do I set units, and, how do I set that 1cm drawn in ACAD is actually 1km? How do I set limits so that the drawing doesn't exceed the print paper size I'm going to print it on?

What are these two "layout" tabs in AutoCAD? What does they do? In Word there is a Print Layout.

Suppose I draw a line 5 units long in ACAD. If I had drawn the line on a paper would have written "5" above the line for later reference. Can I do this in ACAD? Can I write the length above the line or length of the boundary of a circle, i.e. circumference?

I'm extremely sorry for asking all these questions altogether. But as you can see they are all related. Please help me with them. It would be really kind of you.

If you could use a video to demonstrate the steps, it would be extremely nice of you.

the 'print layout' you need is called 'paper space' - you can set up a load of pages for printing or viewing one drawing using the layout tabs. in paper space the page is scaled to suit the paper size (set up in file > page setup), while in model space it is drawn 1:1 - full size. you need to use a 'viewport' in paper space which is scaled (say to 1:10000) to translate your full size drawing to a paper size drawing.

also, you require 'dimensions' to write sizes next to objects. they can be linear, radius, angular etc. these key words should help you learn..... try help files for more info.

Someone has told me that I should have a printer installed to have A4 size etc. listed in the ACAD. That would be me *wave*

I don't get A4 listed in the ACAD page setup. What printer do you use?

When a certain page size is chosen in MS Word, it automatically adjusts the text to the size of the paper. ACAD is not Word, as I am sure you know but I don't think it will help you to keep compairing the two. In ACAD how do I set units, and, how do I set that 1cm drawn in ACAD is actually 1km? First is the settings in UNITS (type it), I prefer to have it set to Unitless however and then just draw in the unit that I require, usually I draw everything in millimeters, as in if I want a line 20mm long I will input 20 when I draw a line. How do I set limits so that the drawing doesn't exceed the print paper size I'm going to print it on? You don't, really. After you have drawn your stuff in 1:1 you go into your layout, create a Viewport and set a scale to that viewport so that everything fits on your paper.

What are these two "layout" tabs in AutoCAD? What does they do? In Word there is a Print Layout. Again, get Word out of your head. The layout tabs represent your paper drawings. That's where you get you set the scale and make sure everything looks right on your drawing.

Suppose I draw a line 5 units long in ACAD. If I had drawn the line on a paper would have written "5" above the line for later reference. Can I do this in ACAD? Can I write the length above the line or length of the boundary of a circle, i.e. circumference? You can dimension your lines and objects after you have drawn them. But there is no automatic dimensioing while you draw, unless you count Dynamic input.

What would one do if the drawing is too big that when it is printed it gets all messy on the paper?

Please have a look on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN0p5kOdkgE. Are the "layout" and "paper space" same thing? It seems so.

create a Viewport and set a scale to that viewport so that everything fits on your paper.

How do I create such a "Viewport" for a 2D drawing?

Please help me.

Layouts give us access to paper space.

Create a viewport or viewports using the MView command.

"Once you create the viewports, you can change their size, their properties, and also scale and move them as needed."

Most people create a layer just for their viewports and set this layer to "no print".

After setting up your viewport(s) be sure to lock the display so the scale is not inadvertantly changed.

I have a question for you. In 2005 is there a Viewports scale toolbar? If there is you should enable it as this is a handy way of changing the viewport scale factor.