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Need Help with scales for working in Meters


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I'm new to Autocad (12) and have a question that is really puzzling me, I do the following:

 

a.) open a fresh acadiso.dwt template file

b.) define a standard paper setup for layout1, paper is set to 8½x11 landscape

c.) run UNITS from the command line, for type: decimal, for insertion scale: meters

d.) I draw a line .2 units long in model space

e.) I set the viewport scale to 1:1 in layout1 and observe my line

 

What I see is a line drawn .2mm long instead of .2m, why is that? Shouldn't the line be .2m long spanning almost my entire sheet since I set my drawing units to meters and want to see a real-size view of 1:1?

 

thanks for any help!

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Welcome to CADTutor. :)

 

The default data base units for the acadiso template are milliimeters.

If you want to change to meters, use the -dwgunits command (include the hyphen) instead.

Read and follow the commandline prompts carefully, and you will be walked through

setting it up.

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Your working in metric one advantage is 0.2 is 0.2 wether it be mm or m you need to make a choice if you want mm then it should be 200 the main change will be when dimensioning you can draw in m 0.2 but dimension as 200mm the dim style would have the 1000 scaling set in it. What I am saying is you can mix and match draw in mm but have some dims in metre then scaling is 0.001. The quick answer on scale will be 1:1 or 1:1000

 

We work with units set to unitless meters or mm just play with scale.

 

Also if metric use A4 paper size.

 

I drew a line 200 long then inside the mview Z E then Z 1XP line fits snug as A4 is 210x297 scale 1:1

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thanks for the warm welcome :)

 

I ran -DWGUNITS and switched out of mm and into m but it still doesn't work. My model space units still get drawn as mm inside a 1:1 paperspace viewport. It seems no matter what I try paperspace can only see millimeters as the drawing units :(

 

Drawing units:

1. Inches

2. Feet

3. Millimeters

4. Centimeters

5. Decimeters

6. Meters

Unit for length : 6

 

Drawing unit display formats:

1. Scientific

2. Decimal

Linear display format : 2

 

Linear display precision : 4

 

Scale objects from other drawings upon insert? [Yes/No] : y

 

Match INSUNITS to drawing units? [Yes/No] : y

 

 

** WARNING: you have changed the unit for this drawing database. **

** All new objects will be drawn according to the new unit, but **

** existing objects will not change size unless you specifically **

** ask to have automatic scaling occur. **

 

Scale objects in current drawing to reflect change in units? [Yes/No] : y>:Yes

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Your working in metric one advantage is 0.2 is 0.2 wether it be mm or m you need to make a choice if you want mm then it should be 200 the main change will be when dimensioning you can draw in m 0.2 but dimension as 200mm the dim style would have the 1000 scaling set in it. What I am saying is you can mix and match draw in mm but have some dims in metre then scaling is 0.001. The quick answer on scale will be 1:1 or 1:1000

 

We work with units set to unitless meters or mm just play with scale.

 

Also if metric use A4 paper size.

 

I drew a line 200 long then inside the mview Z E then Z 1XP line fits snug as A4 is 210x297 scale 1:1

 

Thanks for the reply. I haven't looked at dimensioning yet, I'm just wondering why it is paperspace views everything inside model space as mms. I even tried switching out of mm and into m using -DWGUNITS.... paperspace continues to see modelspace drawing units as mm

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thanks for the warm welcome :)

 

I ran -DWGUNITS and switched out of mm and into m but it still doesn't work. My model space units still get drawn as mm inside a 1:1 paperspace viewport. It seems no matter what I try paperspace can only see millimeters as the drawing units :(

 

Drawing units:

1. Inches

2. Feet

3. Millimeters

4. Centimeters

5. Decimeters

6. Meters

Unit for length : 6

 

Drawing unit display formats:

1. Scientific

2. Decimal

Linear display format : 2

 

Linear display precision : 4

 

Scale objects from other drawings upon insert? [Yes/No] : y

 

Match INSUNITS to drawing units? [Yes/No] : y

 

 

** WARNING: you have changed the unit for this drawing database. **

** All new objects will be drawn according to the new unit, but **

** existing objects will not change size unless you specifically **

** ask to have automatic scaling occur. **

 

Scale objects in current drawing to reflect change in units? [Yes/No] : y>:Yes

 

After everything you showed, there was another question at your commandline,

include objects in Paperspace? how did you respond to that?

include objects in paperspace..jpg

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After everything you showed, there was another question at your commandline,

include objects in Paperspace? how did you respond to that?

 

tried both y and n, same result :(

 

do you have settings that work?

 

thx. again

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I would be happy to look at the drawing for you, I am too busy right now to try and talk you through it.

Can you post the drawing, so that somebody can check it out for you?

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Actually it's just the standard acadiso.dwt template file with a .2 unit long line drawn in modelspace. I'm just trying to understand why a 1:1 viewport in paperspace won't recognize meters as the drawing units.

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Actually it's just the standard acadiso.dwt template file with a .2 unit long line drawn in modelspace. I'm just trying to understand why a 1:1 viewport in paperspace won't recognize meters as the drawing units.

 

It will, see the screenshot.

Set your -dwgunits value before you draw the line to 6 for meters, and give it another try.

.2 METER LINE on Acadiso template.jpg

Edited by Dadgad
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Actually it's just the standard acadiso.dwt template file .....

 

As you gain experience - I would start by creating your own custom template with everything exactly as you want it.

-dwgunits

dimstyle

layers

linetypes

linethickness

colors

sheet sizes

borders

titleblocks

plotstyles

Set it once and forget it. Drawings always come out right - to your standards.

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I must be incredibly dense but I can't get it to work. Here's precisely the steps I take:

 

1.) launch Autocad 12

2.) open a fresh acadiso.dwt template file

3.) define a paper setup for layout1, paper set to 8½x11 landscape

4.) run -DWGUBITS command line (readout is below)

d.) draw a line .2 units long in model space

e.) set the viewport scale to 1:1 in layout1 and observe my line

 

...and again the line draws incorrectly. I repeated the whole process this time

answering Y to Include objects in Paper Space? but again no luck.. do you

notice any mistakes in what I've done?

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Command: -DWGUNITS

 

Drawing units:

1. Inches

2. Feet

3. Millimeters

4. Centimeters

5. Decimeters

6. Meters

Unit for length : 6

 

Drawing unit display formats:

1. Scientific

2. Decimal

Linear display format : 2

 

Linear display precision : 4

 

Scale objects from other drawings upon insert? [Yes/No] : y

 

Match INSUNITS to drawing units? [Yes/No] : y

 

 

** WARNING: you have changed the unit for this drawing database. **

** All new objects will be drawn according to the new unit, but **

** existing objects will not change size unless you specifically **

** ask to have automatic scaling occur. **

 

Scale objects in current drawing to reflect change in units? [Yes/No] : y

 

Include objects in Paper Space? [Yes/No] : n

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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As you gain experience - I would start by creating your own custom template with everything exactly as you want it.

 

I've already done some of that, it's a fun process really, right now I'm still in the process of learning ACad. My present goal is to predict how the program will behave in certain fundamental situations, all of its idiosyncrasies I can (hopefully) learn over time :)

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It's because the line was originally drawn at 2 mm. This is what happens.

 

Change units to meters using -dwgunits >> Units are changed to meters, and since the line was drawn at 2 units, it remains 2 units long.

 

Automatically scale objects to the new units >> The line once again becomes 2 mm long because Autocad thinks you want it to be how you originally drew it, which is 2 mm.

It was scaled back to it's original size because that is what the Automatic scale function is intended to do.

 

You have to scale your line back up to 2 meters, factor = 1000, or redraw it at 2 units long.

 

If you had drawn a car at 4 units long, and then discovered you were working in mm instead of the intended meters, you certainly would want your car to be 4000 mm (4 m) long instead of 4 mm, so the Automatic scale step should have been answered with a No.

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It's because the line was originally drawn at 2 mm. This is what happens.

 

 

It's because the line was originally drawn at 2 mm. This is what happens.

 

I drew the line after I reset the units to meters using -DWGUNITS, read my post no. 12

 

sorry with the confusion with steps d and e, they should read 5 and 6

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I drew the line after I reset the units to meters using -DWGUNITS, read my post no. 12

 

sorry with the confusion with steps d and e, they should read 5 and 6

Well, you've changed tactics since the first time. That first experience is the one I was referring to.

 

You will have to attach the drawing so we can stop guessing. Start at the Go Advanced button below the posting window then click on the paperclip icon after you have commented, and follow the prompts to browse for, and load your drawing.

 

I suspect you may be confusing Plot Scale with Viewport scale. Plot scale is (almost) always 1:1 (in other words, one letter size paper = one letter size paper) unless you have to force your layout onto a different size paper temporarily.

 

In paperspace, you can only choose mm or inches for paperspace units since even that largest commonly used paper is less than a meter long.

 

In the viewport, you set your scale to what you need, not in the page layout. Select the viewport. Open Properties. Unlock Display, change the Annotation scale and the Standard Scale to the scale you wish to use, even if you are not using annotative dimensions. The standard Scale may change automatically when the annotative scale is changed.

 

Let's see, 0.2 meters is 200 millimeters. That should fit a letter size plot at 1:1 and go about 80% of the way across the paper.

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Let's see, 0.2 meters is 200 millimeters. That should fit a letter size plot at 1:1 and go about 80% of the way across the paper.

 

if you do every step I mentioned in post no.12, is that what you get?? I'm only doing 5 or 6 operations from a virgin acadiso.dwt template file, this is not an elaborate dwg file (!)

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May I ask why you are drawing in metric units but specifying paper in imperial units (8 1/2x11)?

 

I tried another printer configured for a A4 sheet this time around... same problem happens

 

I was hoping to do some drawing using units other than mms or inches as my drawing units but I guess I'll stick to mms and inches and simply adapt, the other parts of the program are working wonderfully though, overall I can't complain

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