Scaling a legend to dwg size

How do I get this legend scaled down to my drawing size so I can use the same scale in my viewports rather than going back and forth between them? I know how to scale it, I don't know how to find the correct equations for the scale. The tiny drawing to the right is 1:1.

s

If you are utilizing a layout then that is where the legend belongs not in model space.

There are at least three if not more ways to assign a scale to a viewport. To manually set a viewport scale use the Zoom command > Scale option. I'd start with a scale of 1/100xp and work up/down from there.

Typical viewport zoom factors for metric drawings are...

1:10 - 1/10xp

1:20 - 1/20xp

1:50 - 1/50xp

1:100 - 1/100xp

1:250 - 1/250xp

1:500 - 1/500xp

Notice a pattern here?

To learn about all the options for settings viewport scales click on this link...

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?72213-Viewports-and-Setting-Scale&highlight=viewports

I do have a layout -

I've been exposed to legends in both MS and PS.

I thought I was told its best to do them in MS and then use annotative scales to let it change with the scale of the drawing??

The base drawing I received from the city has their legends that go with a particular drawing in model right beneath said dwg in MS.

As well as also putting dims and labels in ms (should I be adding them in ps)?

Is this just for dims and labels and not legends?

Please clarify (and many thanks!)

S

To answer the question. Determine the target text height. Divide by the text height in the legend. That is going to be your scale factor. You're going to have to do this wherever you decide to put it. Personally, I prefer to see legends and general notes in paper space.

Question 1:

Could you please explain where and why its best to do a legend (you guys are saying in PS - so why is it best to be in PS)?

Question 2:

Would this also be true for dims/leaders and dwg text? and if so why or why not?

Question 3:

Where does using annotative text come in to play for matching scales?

Personally the answer to all three of your questions for me anyways is it makes my life that much easier. Far fewer system variables that I need to worry about too.

Might I suggest that you give any and all methods we have suggested a try and see which one works best for you? That's basically how I came to my decision. I even used the same "test" drawing so as to make the test results as easy to compare as possible.

Personally the answer to all three of your questions for me anyways is it makes my life that much easier. Far fewer system variables that I need to worry about too.

 

So you do your dims and leaders in PS as well?

 

S

 

PS - I had someone teach me one way in a class and the other in another class. I was very confused at first not realizing they were just using two diff. methods to get the same result. That said, they never discussed the 'why' behind one over the other but I can research that.

Yes, I place all dimensions and multi-leaders in my paper space layout. Been doing it that way for quite some time.

Question 1:

Could you please explain where and why its best to do a legend (you guys are saying in PS - so why is it best to be in PS)?

Question 2:

Would this also be true for dims/leaders and dwg text? and if so why or why not?

Question 3:

Where does using annotative text come in to play for matching scales?

Unless you're working in an office and need to follow company standards, or working for a client who specifically requires things done a certain way, you're really free to create your drawings in whatever way works best for you. I typically do all of my dims/leaders in MS but I put all legends, notes, etc. in PS.

Question 3:

Where does using annotative text come in to play for matching scales?

Annotative text is redundant. Annotative scaling can be applied to text, which is probably what you are referring to. Objects that utilize annotative scaling can appear the same size in paper space regardless of the scale of the viewport. It also simplifies setting up styles for annotation in model space. It's especially handy when working with multiple scales. When annotating in paper space annotative scaling is not necessary.

Yes, I place all dimensions and multi-leaders in my paper space layout. Been doing it that way for quite some time.

+1, me too, unless I am working on a ProSteel generated drawing, as it place the automatic dimensions and position flag notes in Modelspace.

Have a think about using multiple view ports just have one for your legend this can be at a different scale to your plan.

Using annotative objects requires creating your object to be the size you want it to appear in a viewport in the first place, so you would have to shrink your legend a significant amount anyway, and then make it an annotative block. You can't make a bunch of separate objects annotative all together, and you can't make linework annotative at all unless it is in a block.

For instance, text. (Text and dimension objects are already blocks that AutoCad makes for you.)

Create a new text style and set the text height to whatever it needs to be to be readable in paperspace. If you want it to print at 3mm then set that as the text height. Then place a text object using that style where it needs to be in modelspace, and assign the viewport scale you will be using to that text object. You either assign the annotative scale to an object through object properties, or there is a toggle to have annotative scales assigned automagically to all annotative objects whenever the current view scale changes.

You can also change the view scale of modelspace at will, without messing anything up, in order to see what your annotative objects will look like before they get to the viewport step. This is real handy because annotative objects can be manipulated to different positions within each view scale, so not only the size, but the position is annotative. This is good because dimensions that look good at 1:1 will probably cover up most of the drawing geometry at 1:100.

DO NOT put annotative objects inside of a block. They will lock in the annotative scale of the block as it was created, which is always 1:1. Those anotative objects inside the block will appear to shrink in relation to the rest of the block as the annotative scale ratio gets wider. In other words, they lose the annotative property as soon as the block editor is closed.

Don't use an annotative text style in an annotative dimension style. Use a non annotative test style set to test height = 0, and set the text height in the dim style, then set the dim style as annotative. Well, it doesn't matter as long as your annotative test style and your dim style text height is the same. The test style height overrides the dim style height.

I personally prefer annotative over paperspace dimensions and leaders because what I draw often gets modified, after dimensioning is required, 3 or 4 times before the drawing is finalized. That is a demonic nightmare with paperspace dimensions. Associative dimensions don't always work as expected in modelspace anyway, and adding the paperspace factor to the scenario makes it 10 times worse.

Paper space dimensions are not a demonic nightmare as we have been using them for several years without any problems as long as they are "associative" which is NOT the same as "annotative".

Paper space dimensions are not a demonic nightmare as we have been using them for several years without any problems as long as they are "associative" which is NOT the same as "annotative".

No...they don't, if the user has DIMASSOC set to a value of 2.

No...they don't, if the user has DIMASSOC set to a value of 2.

I have found that typically the people who do have problems with paper space dimensions do not have DIMASSOC set correctly and they don't know about or are unfamiliar with the DIMREASSOCIATE command.

We always do dim and text in model space. When dim. it makes it easy to snap to model space objects.

Are you implying that dimensioning in a layout makes it any more difficult to snap to model space objects?