Dynamic DImension Scaling

[JPlanera]

I’m trying to figure out what would be best... The place I work at has all drawings dimensioned in MS. Before I came along, they would scale the "part" to fit the standard title block.... Im trying to get them away from this practice, so i created a LISP that would insert the title block on center and allow you to manually stretch/scale the title block to fit around the part.

Because each part is a different size, along with the title blocks, Annotative styles would be too cumbersome, or maybe they wont... i never dove in to that area. I developed a LISP that would take the size/scale of the title block and adjust the dimscale and text height, but it deletes any pre/post data in the dimensions ie. %%c %%d, etc... As i am not the best LISP writer, im debating on the best alternative... Any thoughts?

[JPlanera]

Bueller?.... Bueller?

[nestly]

i created a LISP that would insert the title block on center and allow you to manually stretch/scale the title block to fit around the part.

 

I don't understand why you would scale the "part", or scale the "titleblock, when you could just place the Titleblock in paperspace at full size and scale the view of the part. If you wanted to update the dimensions, just create one new Dimension style using Paperspace scaling and switch all the dimension to use that style.

 

or, maybe I didn't understand what you're trying to do?

[ReMark]

Could it be the company the OP works for is reluctant to move to using layouts? It sounds like they want to continue with working exclusively in model space thus the reason for the lisp routine.

[JPlanera]

Yes that would be the best route and I am comfortable doing it that way, however, I cant say the same for the other engineers in my office. This place has been around well before AutoCAD, so things have been done a certain way, and it seems that as the software updated, the drafters didnt.... I feel it moot at this point to try and switch everything to paperspace right now. Along with that, THOUSANDS of drawings are all done in MS with the part scaled... I personally cant stand it! So... Im debating my alternatives and was hoping someone here has fallen in the same hole i find myself in, and has come up with something...

So right now, I have the engineers here drawing everything full scale in MS. The title block is scaled to fit the part. I have one dimension style that gets scaled with relation to the title block size, but DIMSCALE erases all of the tolerance displays and my post/pre text info...

[JPlanera]

Could it be the company the OP works for is reluctant to move to using layouts? It sounds like they want to continue with working exclusively in model space thus the reason for the lisp routine.

 

Exactly... With the amount of Legacy data we have here, it would require a shutdown to make the switch...

[JPlanera]

As an aside, one of the engineers has been here about 40 years.... You know how those "old dogs" feel about the "new tricks"...

[ReMark]

You have to change the culture. Perhaps you do this one drawing at a time.

 

Take a representative drawing and mock it up using a layout. Trouble is you'll have to give some serious thought as to what goes where when it comes to text and dimensions.

 

What are you drawing anyway? Machine parts?

[JPlanera]

Yes. Our business is forgings. So product drawings along with the tools required for production, etc..

 

I am already attempting a "culture" change with certain aspects of the standard here. Before i started here, they had 1 drawing file that included assembly, tooling drawings, recut drawings, and the like. At one time they could have 10 instances of one part.. then somewhere else in the drawing was a "current" one. This became increasingly annoying when i was asked to send out a drawing for machining to find out it was the wrong one! So all of "my" projects are done in a way i feel more effective. using one drawing for each component, and xrefing, blocking, everything in to the assembly drawing. I just need to perfect my layout strategy. Once i have everything set, I will present my alternative and attempt to apply a new standards practice here.

[ReMark]

To make the transition easier for the "old dogs" you could place all your text and dimensions in your layout and avoid using annotative scaling altogether. But that is a decision that must be made after a thorough review of how drawings are done in the first place. Does your company tend to use quite of few different scales in one drawing?

[JPlanera]

Ok, imagine a single drawing file that housed an assembly of a die set that stamped out bottle openers or something... All of the components of the assembly are also drawn and detailed in the same file. All of the revised drawings of all the compenents are also in the same drawing file.... This is all in model space...

 

This is how things are done now. You can sense my irritation, cant you? lol

A zoom extents would generate a picasso painting!

 

 

...Does your company tend to use quite of few different scales in one drawing?

 

Yes. More than I'd like to see...

 

Ive been racking my brain trying to figure out a way to do everything efficiently in MS, but I always end up at the same inevitability... To dimension in PS!!