- Introduction
- Creating a New Drawing
- Model Space and Layout Space
- Communicating with AutoCAD
- Object Snaps, Ortho Mode, and Polar Tracking
- Undo/Redo
- Grid and Snap
- Draw a Circle
- Navigating Around the Drawing
- Object Properties
- Layers
- Dimension Styles
- Dimensioning
- Modifying Drawing Objects
- Grip Editing
- Introduction to Advanced Editing Techniques
- Cleaning Up Layout Space
- Plotting and Page Setups
- Chapter Summary
- Chapter Test Questions
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Cleaning Up Layout Space
Now that we have some basic dimensions on the drawing, let’s go back to the layout space and make some adjustments to the viewport and the title block so we can get the drawing ready for plotting.
Setting the Viewport Scale
Remember that in layout space (paper space), viewports are simply holes or windows into the model space environment. You can activate a viewport to zoom and pan around model space and even make changes to your model. You can also assign a viewport scale to each viewport. By setting the viewport scale, you are telling AutoCAD to display the model at a certain scale factor full scale, half scale, 1/8″ = 1′-0″, etc.) within that viewport. The viewport in the ANSI A Title Block layout was part of the template file used to create the drawing. In the next exercise, you’ll set the scale of the viewport and adjust the position of the model within the title border.
EXERCISE 2-24 SETTING THE VIEWPORT SCALE
Choose the ANSI A Title Block tab at the bottom of the drawing to switch to layout space. The geometry from model space will show up in the viewport.
Choose the Zoom All tool from the Zoom tools on the navigation bar. This will fill the drawing area with your layout sheet.
Double-click inside the viewport to activate it. The viewport will highlight, and the crosshairs will appear only inside the viewport.
Click on the Automatically Add Scales icon just to the left of the Viewport Scale button on the status bar shown in Figure 2-50, and turn it on so that the dimensions automatically scale in the next step.
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FIGURE 2-50 Setting the viewport scale
Click on the down arrow to the right of the Viewport Scale button on the status bar shown in Figure 2-50 to display the scale list and choose 1:2. Your drawing will zoom so that your model is half-scale (1:2) on your layout (paper).
Choose Pan from the navigation bar, and pan your drawing so that it looks like Figure 2-51.
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FIGURE 2-51 The scaled viewport
Save your drawing.
Notice that the dimension features are now twice as large as they were before you set the viewport scale. This is because the dimension style was set up earlier with the Annotative feature turned on (see Figure 2-35). When combined with turning on the feature that automatically scales annotative objects, as done in step 4 of Exercise 2-24, this setting actually creates another set of dimensions for the new viewport/annotation scale so that you can view your drawing at different scales and have all the annotation objects display at the correct size.
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FIGURE 2-52 The adjusted dimensions
EXERCISE 2-25 ADJUSTING DIMENSIONS
Change the viewport scale back to 1:1 on the status bar. The view is zoomed in at a scale of 1:1, and the dimension features are scaled down by half.
Choose the Undo tool to set the scale back to 1:2.
Click on the Annotation Visibility icon to the left of the Viewport Scale button on the status bar shown in Figure 2-50. Turn it on so that all scale representations of an annotation object are shown when it is selected and grips are turned on.
Use grips to relocate the dimensions so that they no longer overlap, as shown in Figure 2-52.
Double-click outside the viewport to close the viewport and switch to paper space.
Save your drawing.
Text
Now, let’s update the title block and place some text. When placing text in a drawing, AutoCAD will ask you to define a box in which to place the text. Once that text box is defined, a miniature text editor appears where you specified, and you can start typing your text. The text editor has a number of formatting features found in many text editors (fonts, bold, justification, etc.). You can insert predefined text fields (such as the file name, date, plot scale, etc.) and can also import text from an external text file.
EXERCISE 2-26 PLACING TEXT
Make sure that you are still in paper space and that the viewport is not active.
Set the Title Block layer current by selecting it from the Layer drop-down list.
Choose Zoom Window from the navigation bar, and zoom up on the lower-right corner of the title block, as shown in Figure 2-53.
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FIGURE 2-53 Defining a text box
Choose the Multiline Text tool from the Annotation panel on the Home tab of the ribbon. AutoCAD prompts you to Specify first corner:.
Pick the endpoints at point 1 and point 2 shown in Figure 2-53. The Text Editor context tab of the ribbon replaces the Home tab of the ribbon at the top of the screen, and a flashing text cursor is displayed at the upper-left corner of the text box. This indicates where the text will appear when you type.
In the Style panel, first set the current text style to Roman, then set the text height to .125.
Choose the Justification button on the Paragraph panel and choose Middle Center MC from the menu. The flashing cursor will move to the middle of the text box.
In the text box, type Introduction to AutoCAD and choose Close Text Editor from the Close panel. AutoCAD places the text centered in the text box you specified.
Press <Enter> to repeat the MTEXT command.
Pick the endpoints at point 1 and point 2 shown in Figure 2-54. The Text Editor context tab of the ribbon replaces the Home tab of the ribbon at the top of the screen, and a flashing text cursor is displayed at the upper-left corner of the text box.
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FIGURE 2-54 Placing more text
Set the style to Roman again, then set the text height to .250 and choose Middle Center MC from the Justification menu.
Type Angle Bracket in the text box and then choose Close Text Editor to end the command.
Save your drawing.
So far, you’ve simply typed in the text you want to display. You may want to place text that is specific to the drawing (such as the drawing file name) or that is dynamic (for example, the plot time or date the drawing was last revised). AutoCAD provides you with a number of predefined text fields that will display various drawing or system information. In the following exercise, you’ll use a text field to create the text.
EXERCISE 2-27 USING A TEXT FIELD
Choose the Multiline Text tool from the Annotation panel on the Home tab of the ribbon, and select the endpoints at point 1 and point 2 shown in Figure 2-55. The Text Editor context tab of the ribbon replaces the Home tab of the ribbon at the top of the screen, and a flashing text cursor is displayed at the upper-left corner of the text box.
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FIGURE 2-55 Placing a text field
Set the style to Roman, then set the text height to .125 and the justification to Middle Center MC.
Choose Field from the Insert panel. This displays the Field dialog box (see Figure 2-56).
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FIGURE 2-56 The Field dialog box
From the Field names: list, choose Filename.
In the Format: area, choose Uppercase.
Select the Filename only option and uncheck the box on the Display file extension setting (see Figure 2-56).
Choose OK to insert the field into the drawing. The Field dialog box will close.
Choose Close Text Editor to end the command. The drawing file name CH02_EXERCISE appears in the title block (see Figure 2-57). The field text is highlighted to indicate that it is a field value.
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FIGURE 2-57 The Filename text field
Choose Zoom Extents from the navigation bar.
Save your drawing.
As you can see from the Field dialog box (see Figure 2-56), there are a number of predefined fields. Using field names is a great time-saver. By default, the field is updated every time you regenerate, save, or plot your drawing. So, any changes to the drawing file name will automatically update the text.