How Do I Fix Lineweight in AutoCAD?

In AutoCAD, lineweight refers to the thickness of lines that are displayed when you are working on a drawing. It is an essential aspect of creating professional-looking designs and ensuring that your drawings are easy to read and interpret.

However, there may be instances when you encounter issues with lineweight in AutoCAD. In this tutorial, we will explore some common problems related to lineweight and provide you with solutions to fix them.

1. Lineweight not visible

If you are unable to see the lineweight in your AutoCAD drawing, there could be a few possible reasons for this:

  • Layer properties: Check if the layer properties for the objects in question have the correct lineweight assigned to them. To do this, open the Layer Properties Manager by typing ‘LAYER’ in the command line and pressing Enter.

    Make sure that the affected layers have an appropriate lineweight assigned.

  • Linetype scale: Another reason for invisible lineweights could be an incorrect linetype scale setting. Linetypes consist of patterns of dashes or dots and may not display correctly if the scale is too small or large. To fix this, type ‘LTSCALE’ in the command line and press Enter to adjust the linetype scale.

2. Lineweights not printing

If your lineweights appear correctly on screen but don’t print as expected, follow these steps:

  • Printer/plotter configuration: Ensure that your printer or plotter is set up correctly to print lineweights. Open the Plot dialog box by typing ‘PLOT’ in the command line and pressing Enter.

    In the Plot dialog box, under Plot Settings, select a device that supports lineweight printing.

  • Plot style table: Verify that you are using a plot style table (CTB or STB) that supports lineweight printing. To check this, open the Plot dialog box and navigate to the Plot Device tab. In the Plot Style Table (pen assignments) section, select an appropriate plot style table.

3. Lineweights displaying inconsistently

If your lineweights appear inconsistent within your drawing, it could be due to the following reasons:

  • Real-world scale: Ensure that your objects are drawn at their correct real-world size. If an object is drawn too small or too large, it may affect how its lineweight is displayed.

    To fix this, use the ‘SCALE’ command to resize objects accurately.

  • Viewport settings: In case you are working with multiple viewports in AutoCAD layout, verify that the viewport scale is set correctly. Incorrect viewport scaling can result in lineweights appearing distorted or disproportionate.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we discussed some common issues related to lineweight in AutoCAD and provided solutions to fix them. Remember to check layer properties, adjust linetype scale if necessary, ensure proper printer/plotter configuration, choose an appropriate plot style table, draw objects at their correct size using real-world scale, and verify viewport settings when working with multiple viewports. By following these steps and troubleshooting methods outlined above, you can resolve most lineweight-related problems in AutoCAD and create drawings with accurate and consistent line thicknesses.