CAD Questions Thread?

[Rob]

All my drawings I do at 1:1 scale.

But yes I want to create a3/4 paper and add a viewport and then scale the drawing to say 1:200 or 1:100 etc...

I've closed down my laptop now, but I need to learn how it works. I'm fully self taught on CAD, never had a lesson so there's a few things I don't know.

I need to learn scaling and setup a temple so I can add an info box - date, drawing number, scale etc...

I'm also self taught, but adhere to large company rules. Want a lesson or two?

 

[Eddie.]

Generally, scales should be chosen based not on what you can show, but what you're trying to show.

I'm in Civil Engineering, so my examples will probably be different but my point is, think about what the end user will be using it for, if it's a GA, then you can show a wider area, if it's a detail you need to be closer in.

As stated, scales should be done in a viewport, which is inserted into paper space and may have a drawing border/frame too, but that's your call.

A very simple way to sort out your scales is to use the zoom function:

Zoom
nXP

Where n is the scale you want.

n = 1000/x

Where x is the desired scale. So if you want a viewport at 1:250;

1000/250=4 so; n=4 so; zoom, 4xp

Plenty of ways to skin a cat, but I find that easiest.

Edit: I draw in meters, which has a bearing on scales.

 

[Andy_con]

I'm also self taught, but adhere to large company rules. Want a lesson or two?

fair enough, I don't need any lessons on drawing etc its more finishing.

so scaling, template etc...

 

[Andy_con]

Generally, scales should be chosen based not on what you can show, but what you're trying to show.

I'm in Civil Engineering, so my examples will probably be different but my point is, think about what the end user will be using it for, if it's a GA, then you can show a wider area, if it's a detail you need to be closer in.

As stated, scales should be done in a viewport, which is inserted into paper space and may have a drawing border/frame too, but that's your call.

A very simple way to sort out your scales is to use the zoom function:

Zoom
nXP

Where n is the scale you want.

n = 1000/x

Where x is the desired scale. So if you want a viewport at 1:250;

1000/250=4 so; n=4 so; zoom, 4xp

Plenty of ways to skin a cat, but I find that easiest.

Edit: I draw in meters, which has a bearing on scales.

its more about what scales people have on their scale rulers ;-)

I love it when I used to receive plans in random scales like 1:75, you wont find 1:75 on a scale ruler

still not had the chance to play with scaling yet, hopefully tonight. thanks for the info

 

[Panda.]

You can set up templates with various prescaled viewports/titleblocks etc and import them into your drawings each time so you don't have to faff about with a title block/viewports each time, just update the contents of them.

For scaling, that chart i posted a few pages back has been invaluable to me! i can't get my head around the percentage/fraction thing!! We do all our drawings unitless (but done as 1 = 1m), not sure why, whether it makes scaling and importing other peoples drawings easier (certainly most of our engineering consultants do theirs unitless. But then they also struggle with georeferencing so....)

 

[Andy_con]

You can set up templates with various prescaled viewports/titleblocks etc and import them into your drawings each time so you don't have to faff about with a title block/viewports each time, just update the contents of them.

For scaling, that chart i posted a few pages back has been invaluable to me! i can't get my head around the percentage/fraction thing!! We do all our drawings unitless (but done as 1 = 1m), not sure why, whether it makes scaling and importing other peoples drawings easier (certainly most of our engineering consultants do theirs unitless. But then they also struggle with georeferencing so....)

didn't know that, that would be very helpful. something else I need to learn.

the main scales I need to use will be like 1:100, 1:200 and 1:500

 

[Panda.]

Yup, we have one template set up which when you import to a new drawing brings in different paper sizes all preset (including landscape/portrait) or you can chose the size you need from a list and just import it.

if you're drawing in M (even if the drawing is set up as unitless) then 1:100 is 10, 1:200 is 5 and 1:500 is 2. If you're drawing in MM (so a 6.1m road is 6100mm) then they're 0.01, 0.005 and 0.002.

 

[Andy_con]

Yup, we have one template set up which when you import to a new drawing brings in different paper sizes all preset (including landscape/portrait) or you can chose the size you need from a list and just import it.

if you're drawing in M (even if the drawing is set up as unitless) then 1:100 is 10, 1:200 is 5 and 1:500 is 2. If you're drawing in MM (so a 6.1m road is 6100mm) then they're 0.01, 0.005 and 0.002.

I only use two paper sizes A3 and A4

I have a feeling my cad might be setup as mm, but I can faff around and see what scale works best.

 

[Panda.]

You can change units pretty easily. Depends what you're drawing though. We're masterplanners so everything is done in metres because of the scales we're working at.

I only use two paper sizes A3 and A4

I have a feeling my cad might be setup as mm, but I can faff around and see what scale works best.

 

[Andy_con]

You can change units pretty easily. Depends what you're drawing though. We're masterplanners so everything is done in metres because of the scales we're working at.

I mainly use cad for drawing parts so use mm.

but just started doing OS plan stuff so really should be doing that in metres.

what do you master plan?

 

[Panda.]

I mainly use cad for drawing parts so use mm.

but just started doing OS plan stuff so really should be doing that in metres.

what do you master plan?

Everything pretty much! Housing development layouts/proving layouts for planning, retail/business parks (just completed a new IKEA store and associated landscaping down south) public realm work (The Spot in derby, lots of stuff in Nottingham/for the uni) and technical reports (LVAs etc). We mostly do outline planning stuff for housing developments though.

 

[Andy_con]

Everything pretty much! Housing development layouts/proving layouts for planning, retail/business parks (just completed a new IKEA store and associated landscaping down south) public realm work (The Spot in derby, lots of stuff in Nottingham/for the uni) and technical reports (LVAs etc). We mostly do outline planning stuff for housing developments though.

ah ok cool, well I'm on the other side.

I work for Cambridgeshire county council assessing the highway impact of planning applications. we so assess layouts of everything on the highway network.

but on the side I am now offering highways advice in Essex, so access arrangements.

 

[Panda.]

ah ok cool, well I'm on the other side.

I work for Cambridgeshire county council assessing the highway impact of planning applications. we so assess layouts of everything on the highway network.

but on the side I am now offering highways advice in Essex, so access arrangements.

Then you've probably dealt with a few of our jobs in Cambridge then!

 

[Eddie.]

its more about what scales people have on their scale rulers ;-)

I love it when I used to receive plans in random scales like 1:75, you wont find 1:75 on a scale ruler

still not had the chance to play with scaling yet, hopefully tonight. thanks for the info

Oh yeah I know, I'm more than aware that realistically there are only a few scales ever needed, my post was more about the theory behind Zoom XP, and how to quickly do it, depending what your end user wants.

 

[Andy_con]

Oh yeah I know, I'm more than aware that realistically there are only a few scales ever needed, my post was more about the theory behind Zoom XP, and how to quickly do it, depending what your end user wants.

and it was a very useful post, thanks

 

[Andy_con]

Then you've probably dealt with a few of our jobs in Cambridge then!

ive only been here 3 months, was at Essex county council for 14 years doing the same thing.

company?

 

[Panda.]

www.fpcr.co.uk

ive only been here 3 months, was at Essex county council for 14 years doing the same thing.

company?

 

[Andy_con]

www.fpcr.co.uk

um don't know them off the top of my head

 

[Panda.]

um don't know them off the top of my head

We work on behalf of the developers/land owners so it'll be Hallam/Gladman/Welbeck etc and we're just a consultant within the team basically.

I've got to master proving layouts this week, when you need to get seriously geeky with details!

 

[Andy_con]

We work on behalf of the developers/land owners so it'll be Hallam/Gladman/Welbeck etc and we're just a consultant within the team basically.

I've got to master proving layouts this week, when you need to get seriously geeky with details!

gladman........... OMG - the worst of the worst.

ive spent many hours at Essex looking at master plans and just listing all the things I don't like ;-)
planning agents love a big list of design changes!

so you deal with big and small stuff?

got a 2d cad drawing of a car, refuge vehicle and car I could have?

 

[Panda.]

gladman........... OMG - the worst of the worst.

ive spent many hours at Essex looking at master plans and just listing all the things I don't like ;-)
planning agents love a big list of design changes!

so you deal with big and small stuff?

got a 2d cad drawing of a car, refuge vehicle and car I could have?

Yeah thankfully our team don't do much work for them, but one of the others that's all they do!

 

[Andy_con]

Yeah thankfully our team don't do much work for them, but one of the others that's all they do!

is that a no on the vehicle drawings?

 

[Panda.]

is that a no on the vehicle drawings? :wink:

Oh yeh, we've only got what gets sent through from the engineers, nothing stand-alone on our system that I can find. There's hundreds of CAD blocks online though!

 

[Andy_con]

Oh yeh, we've only got what gets sent through from the engineers, nothing stand-alone on our system that I can find. There's hundreds of CAD blocks online though!

I did do some google searching, but one that looked ok they wanted you to sign up and all the ones where you didn't have to sign up looked crap.

didn't know if you might have a car shown in a caring space or something I could nick?

do you use autotrack?

 

[Panda.]

I did do some google searching, but one that looked ok they wanted you to sign up and all the ones where you didn't have to sign up looked crap.

didn't know if you might have a car shown in a caring space or something I could nick?

do you use autotrack?

Nope, we just get drawings from the transport guys that have all the turning radius stuff already sussed out! I'll have a root through our system..

 

[Andy_con]

Nope, we just get drawings from the transport guys that have all the turning radius stuff already sussed out! I'll have a root through our system..

shame, ok thanks

 

[Andy_con]

Generally, scales should be chosen based not on what you can show, but what you're trying to show.

I'm in Civil Engineering, so my examples will probably be different but my point is, think about what the end user will be using it for, if it's a GA, then you can show a wider area, if it's a detail you need to be closer in.

As stated, scales should be done in a viewport, which is inserted into paper space and may have a drawing border/frame too, but that's your call.

A very simple way to sort out your scales is to use the zoom function:

Zoom
nXP

Where n is the scale you want.

n = 1000/x

Where x is the desired scale. So if you want a viewport at 1:250;

1000/250=4 so; n=4 so; zoom, 4xp

Plenty of ways to skin a cat, but I find that easiest.

Edit: I draw in meters, which has a bearing on scales.

i seem to be having a lot of trouble scaling, ive clearly drawn the drawing wrong.

can you help?

www.purehighways.co.uk/work/Mastermap.dwg

 

[Panda.]

found your issue:

So right click on your paperspace at the bottom (layout one) and modify it. Where it has Scale and a drop down box, you had 1mm = 50 units. Needs to be 1mm = 1unit. Then redraw a new viewport and your model will probably appear at around 2xp (custom scale - it came in at 1.78 custom scale for mine)

i seem to be having a lot of trouble scaling, ive clearly drawn the drawing wrong.

can you help?

www.purehighways.co.uk/work/Mastermap.dwg

 

[Rob]

Ok so I'm going to be a douche again, just so there's no confusion.

No one is drawing in meters of drawing in milimeters, you're drawing in units, which are set to correspond to a dimension.

i seem to be having a lot of trouble scaling, ive clearly drawn the drawing wrong.

can you help?

www.purehighways.co.uk/work/Mastermap.dwg

Offer is there for some help... lol!

 

[Andy_con]

found your issue:View attachment 169993

So right click on your paperspace at the bottom (layout one) and modify it. Where it has Scale and a drop down box, you had 1mm = 50 units. Needs to be 1mm = 1unit. Then redraw a new viewport and your model will probably appear at around 2xp (custom scale - it came in at 1.78 custom scale for mine)

oh yeah I was dick around with them settings the other day.

worked perfect many thanks.

on A3 size 0.1, 0.2, 0.5xp etc... seems to be right.

ill print shortly and stick my scale ruler on

 

[Andy_con]

Ok so I'm going to be a douche again, just so there's no confusion.

No one is drawing in meters of drawing in milimeters, you're drawing in units, which are set to correspond to a dimension.


Offer is there for some help... lol!

ok thanks.

sorry I didn't decline your offer just never answered.

yes also open to offers of help

 

[Andy_con]

found your issue:View attachment 169993

So right click on your paperspace at the bottom (layout one) and modify it. Where it has Scale and a drop down box, you had 1mm = 50 units. Needs to be 1mm = 1unit. Then redraw a new viewport and your model will probably appear at around 2xp (custom scale - it came in at 1.78 custom scale for mine)

just printed an layout and the scale is totally wrong and I cant figure out why?

layout 3 I wanted at 1:200, any clues?

www.purehighways.co.uk/work/Mastermap.dwg

 

[Andy_con]

right it would seem 0.2xp is 1:200

 

[Panda.]

just printed an layout and the scale is totally wrong and I cant figure out why?

layout 3 I wanted at 1:200, any clues?

www.purehighways.co.uk/work/Mastermap.dwg

Your paper size is wrong, it was set to something random. So when you tell 1mm=1unit also make sure you're using ISO A3. I've just exported and printed a copy on A3 after sorting the paper size and it's accurate.

 

[Panda.]

1:200 is either 5 or 0.005 (it's 5 in the case f your drawing)

 

[Andy_con]

Your paper size is wrong, it was set to something random. So when you tell 1mm=1unit also make sure you're using ISO A3. I've just exported and printed a copy on A3 after sorting the paper size and it's accurate.

um when I right mouse on layout 1, then page setup manager, its got paper size selected as A3. or is there another setting I'm missing?

 

[Panda.]

um when I right mouse on layout 1, then page setup manager, its got paper size selected as A3. or is there another setting I'm missing?

Select your layout then click modify (as you would to make sure the units are 1=1) and there's a paper Size drop down. IOr templates are set up to ISO full bleed A*.

 

[Andy_con]

Select your layout then click modify (as you would to make sure the units are 1=1) and there's a paper Size drop down. IOr templates are set up to ISO full bleed A*.

man I'm retarded, don't get that

 

[Andy_con]

ive got 0.2 = 1:200
and 0.4 = 1:100

but not sorted 1:500 yet

 

[Panda.]

ive got 0.2 = 1:200
and 0.4 = 1:100

but not sorted 1:500 yet

Something is afoot with your drawing, as 0.4xp should be 1.2500? I can't see what it is though!