Are you an architect or a designer using AutoCAD for your projects? If so, you might be familiar with the concept of plotting to scale.
Plotting to scale is essential when it comes to accurately representing your designs on paper or any other medium. In this tutorial, we will explore how to plot to scale 1/100 in AutoCAD.
Setting up the Drawing
Before we dive into plotting, let’s first make sure our drawing is set up correctly. Open your drawing in AutoCAD and go to the “Layout” tab.
To create a new layout, right-click on the “Model” tab and select “Page Setup Manager.” In the Page Setup Manager dialog box, click on “New” to create a new page setup.
Give your new page setup a name and select the desired paper size from the list. For plotting to scale 1/100, you can choose any standard paper size such as A4 or Letter. Make sure the orientation is set correctly (portrait or landscape) and click “OK.”
Adjusting Viewport Scale
Now that we have our layout set up, let’s adjust the viewport scale to plot our drawing at 1/100 scale.
Select the viewport by double-clicking inside it. The viewport should now be highlighted with dashed lines.
In the command line, type “ZOOM” and hit Enter. Select the “Scale” option from the Zoom menu.
In the Scale option dialog box, enter 1/100 in the “Scale factors” field and hit Enter. AutoCAD will automatically calculate and apply the appropriate scaling factor for your viewport.
Note:
- If you are working with metric units (millimeters), the scale factor should be 0.01.
- If you are working with imperial units (inches), the scale factor should be 1/1200.
Plotting to Scale 1/100
Now that our viewport is set to the correct scale, let’s proceed with plotting our drawing.
Go to the “Output” tab and click on the “Plot” button.
In the Plot dialog box, select your desired printer/plotter from the list of available devices.
Under “Paper size,” make sure you have selected the correct paper size that matches your layout setup.
Verify that the “Plot scale” is set to “Fit to Paper.” This ensures that your drawing will be printed at its intended scale without any distortion.
Click on the “OK” button to start plotting. AutoCAD will generate a preview of your plotted drawing. Review the preview and make any necessary adjustments before finalizing the plot.
Note:
- If you want to save your plot as a PDF or other file format, you can select a virtual printer/plotter such as Adobe PDF or DWG to PDF in the device list. This allows you to create digital copies of your scaled drawings for easy sharing and distribution.
Conclusion
Plotting to scale is crucial for accurately representing your designs in AutoCAD. By following these steps, you can easily plot your drawings at a scale of 1/100.
Remember to set up your layout, adjust viewport scale, and choose appropriate plot settings before finalizing your plots. Happy plotting!