scaling problem

[newlearnerautocad]

i am using autocad2012.I need to draw in architectural units......and the drawing includes dimensions as large as 100 feet ...so i changed the scale to 10 in dimstyle....The problem is that it shows the dimension in that scale when i use dimlinear option but when i give the values to draw that line it plots it in 1:1 scale
so if i give 10 feet dimension,on using dimlinear it shows the dimension to be 100 feet.

plz help i am a newbie ....any help is greatly appreciated.

[Bill Tillman]

There will be others chime in on this soon but it sounds like a typical newbie approach to AutoCAD, that is you are trying to "draw to a scale" rather than "present what you've drawn to a scale". You can of course do this with AutoCAD but it just complicates your work.

Instead, you will want to draw all things in model space to a 1:1 scale. It doesn't matter if it's 1" or 10,000 light years. AutoCAD is basically an infinite universe and you are not limited by scale.

Once you have drawn your objects at full scale in model space you can use several different methods to present your drawing, either to file (PDF) or to a printer, using an appropriate scale for the media (paper size) you are using. I know this is always a difficult hurdle for new users to grasp, but once you master model space and viewports, you're on way to drawing anything, anywhere, to any scale. Think of model space as an infinitely large canvas. Don't limit yourself to the size of the paper you're working with. That's what AutoCAD is made to take care of for you.

[newlearnerautocad]

but if i draw with 1:1 scale the drawing becomes too big and difficult to work with....:/

[ReMark]

No, it doesn't. AutoCAD will accommodate the increase in size. As a matter of fact it is entirely possible to draw our solar system in AutoCAD. Your 100 feet versus our solar system. Think on it.

You really do NOT want to be drawing anything "to scale" as one would on a drafting board. Those days are over. Maybe if you were 80 years old and had been doing nothing but manually drafting up until yesterday and had just made the switch to CAD that might be acceptable but you are a newbie who should be doing things the right way from the beginning.

[Dadgad]

but if i draw with 1:1 scale the drawing becomes too big and difficult to work with....:/

Welcome to the forum.

Your perception of the size of the drawing comes from how far you are zoomed into it, back up (zoom out) a bit and it should all start to make sense.
Bill is right as rain, you should be drawing at 1:1.
You will likely be surprised to see that one of the dimensional unit options is LIGHT YEARS!

And, when you are using them, you still draw to scale.
Do you still think your drawing is TOO big?

[Bill Tillman]

but if i draw with 1:1 scale the drawing becomes too big and difficult to work with....:/

That's only because you're thinking like a newbie...with all due respect, many of us understand this way of thinking because it's where we started too. You must free yourself of the chains and shackles of that kind of thinking. Nothing is too big or too difficult to work with once you master the use of AutoCAD. You can zoom in and work with very small or tight areas, then zoom back out for the larger view. With a little practice, you'll put this mindset behind you where it belongs and get on with becoming the master of your own universe.

[newlearnerautocad]

sry m a noob but if i zoom out it says zoomed out as far as possible...

[ReMark]

Just what is it that you are trying to see at this point?

Attach a copy of your drawing file to your next post so we can take a look at it. Start by using the Go Advanced button then look for the Paperclip icon at the next screen. Upload your drawing then attach.

[Tiger]

doubleclick your mousewheel to do a Zoom > Extents. That usually clears the Zoomed as far as possible-problem. or do a REGEN.

[Dana W]

sry m a noob but if i zoom out it says zoomed out as far as possible...

Then regen.

Conceptually, the process in CAD is reversed. First you build it in model space, then you plot it in paper space. Sorta like printing photos, cropped if required, of your structure.

Once again, draw in 1:1 in model space. Think of 1:1 as simply another scale. Scale it in paperspace to fit your paper.