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Introduction
This tutorial assumes that you have downloaded some vector data (probably a
combination of Themes from the MasterMap Topography Layer) from Digimap and that
you have converted the data to the AutoCAD DWG file format using the InterpOSe
translation application. However, you can follow this tutorial with any other AutoCAD
drawing.
Once you have a drawing open in AutoCAD, it ought to be quite simple to plot it to a
known scale but actually, it can be quite complicated for the AutoCAD beginner. The
aim of this tutorial is to give you a clear, step-by-step sequence describing the
preferred method of creating a scaled paper plot/print from your drawing.
The following tutorial is designed for AutoCAD 2011, 2012 and 2013 but can also be
used for all previous versions back to 2009; it may not be compatible with AutoCAD
versions before 2009.
Begin by opening the drawing file in AutoCAD. Initially, you will see the drawing
displayed in Model Space; this is the default environment for drafting but not for
plotting. Before proceeding, make sure that you are using the "2D Drafting &
Annotation" workspace so that the options available on the ribbon match those in
this tutorial.
2.
3.
4.
The Page Setup dialogue box looks a bit complicated but in fact you need only
make three changes. First, select a printer name from the drop-down list. Only
available printers are listed. Next, select a paper size. Only sizes available on the
chosen printer are displayed. So, you won't see the option of an A1 paper size if
you have selected an A3 printer. For the purposes of this tutorial, I am using an A4
sheet. Finally, set the plot scale to 1 mm = 1 unit, this is important and this
setting should always be used, irrespective of the plotted scale of your drawing.
Click the "OK" button to return to the Page Setup Manager and then click the
"Close" button to return to the paper space layout.
5.
Having changed the paper size, you will probably see that the viewport no
longer fits neatly on the sheet. In the screenshot below, the viewport is the small
rectangle in the botton left hand corner of the sheet.
Resize the viewport using grips so that it neatly fits on the sheet, leaving space for a
title block and legend if required. Grips (small blue squares) are activated by clicking
once on the viewport border. Click a grip to activate it and move it to a new location.
Click once more to complete the action. Make sure that the viewport border remains
within the plotter margin (the dashed line); any objects outside the plotter margin will
not be plotted. Once the viewport is correctly sized and positioned, hit the Escape key
(Esc) on the keyboard to deselect the viewport.
You may discover that you can no longer see your drawing, if so, double-click inside
the viewport border to enter Floating Model Space and then use Zoom Extents (Z
<Enter> E <Enter> or click the Zoom Extents button on the Navigation Bar).
Once you can see your drawing, double-click on the paper sheet outside of the
viewport border to return to Paper Space.
6.
The next step involves setting the scale of the viewport so that when the
drawing is plotted, the map/plan will be at a known scale. For this tutorial, I am
going to use a scale of 1:2,500.
In the Add Scale dialogue box, enter a Name for the new scale. I've called it
"1:2,500 (m)" to indicate that this scale is for drawings with drawing units in
metres. Next, enter the Paper units. I have entered "1000" because there are
1000 millimetres in a metre and that effectively deals with the problem. Finally,
enter the Drawing units; in this case "2,500" because that's the scale we want.
Click "OK" and then "OK" again to return to the drawing.
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9.
Before plotting, you will probably want to add a title and some other
information. Use the Multiline Text tool (found on the "Home" tab) to add a title to
your drawing while in Paper Space. Your finished drawing should look something
like the one above.
10.
the drawing. This step is very easy because we have already done all the hard
work. Click the Plot button at the top-left of the screen. The Plot dialogue box is
displayed and you will see that it looks very similar to the Page Setup dialogue box
we saw earlier. Not only that but the values for plotter name, paper size and scale
that we used earlier are already set. All that remains is for us to click the "OK"
button to send the plot to the printer. If you like, you can also preview the plot
before sending it, just to make sure it's what you expected.
Don't forget to save your drawing once it has plotted so that you can easily plot
more scaled drawings in the future.
Bonus Points
Locking the viewport
AutoCAD draws the default viewport of new layouts on the current layer but it is
always a good idea to keep your viewports on their own layer so that you can easily
control their visibility without affecting the visibility of other objects in your drawing.