Making a template for paperspace

[tails]

Hi guys, I have used cad a fair bit in the past, but have never set up a template and have not used AC for over a year so I'm very stuck.

 

I'm using AC for Mac at work but AC 2009 LT on my friends laptop at home.

 

Okay so I would like to set up a title block and template for the paper sizes A3, A2 and A1. How do I do this? I don't have to print these sheets and AC seems to know I don't have a printer bigger than A4?

 

I need everything to be in metric. I seem to be getting model space in metric and my scale list in imperial. I want all metric nothing to do at all with imperial. How do I make everything metric?

 

I'm getting confused with this whole units thing is that new.

 

If someone could explain in simple terms I would be most grateful.

 

Lastly I'm new here so Hi, I'll probably pop in and out. If anyone wants any SketchUp help I'll do my best.

[nestly]

I don't work with metric, but if you select the acadiso.dwt template from your AutoCAD 2011 Templates folder, your drawing will already be set up for metric. If you pick one of the ISO templates farther down the list in that same folder, you be set up for metric, plus you'll have a sample TitleBlock to work with.

 

[tails]

thanks nestly I'll see if that works for me

[tails]

So think I'm getting to grips with it a bit more. If I want to make my own title block do I draw this in paperspace? and save it as a dwt. I have never made a title block as they have always been pre set up at places i have worked.

[rkent]

I prefer to have one .dwt template drawing where all the various settings, layers, pagesetups, etc. reside. That way if I want to change any of those I only have one place to make those changes.

 

Then I have 6 or 7 titleblock drawings of different sizes and orientation. These will be inserted into a new drawing started with the .dwt file. Because the titleblock .dwg file will be inserted (or xrefed) the titleblock will be drawn in model space. I xref in the titleblock and insert an attribute block for the titleblock information. This is done with one push of a button to make it easy enough to work with.

 

You can also have multiple layout tabs in the .dwt file with a different titleblock on each layout. I tried that one for a while but found myself having to delete layout tabs all the time to remove the ones I didn't need for that drawing.

[nestly]

Typically, if you save the titleblock in your template, your title block will be in drawn in paperspace (and on it's own layer)

 

If you're inserting your titleblocks into your template as rkent described, then you'll draw your titleblock in modelspace and save it as it's own drawing (.dwg). When you insert a titleblock into your template, you'll insert it into paperspace.

 

*edited for clarity

[BIGAL]

Draw your title block in paper space and as you want a A1 & A3 its easy draw the title 1:1 about 800x565 this is A1, for A3 just set scale 1=2 in plot screen this way one title block only.

 

We do this every day two different plotters. You can save plot configs have one called A1 and the other A3 so just pick which one you want.