Creating a paper space in AutoCAD is an essential step when it comes to preparing your drawings for printing or plotting. Paper space allows you to set up and customize the layout of your drawing, including the size and orientation of the paper, the scale of the drawing, and adding title blocks or other necessary information. Let’s dive into how you can create a paper space in AutoCAD with ease.
Setting up Paper Space
To create a paper space layout in AutoCAD, follow these steps:
- Open your drawing: Open your existing drawing or create a new one by going to “File” > “New” or using the shortcut Ctrl + N.
- Switch to Layout tab: In AutoCAD, you can switch between model space and paper space by clicking on the tabs at the bottom-left corner of the application window. Click on the “Layout” tab to access paper space.
- Create a new layout: To create a new layout, right-click on an existing layout tab (e.g., Layout1) and select “New Layout.”
Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Ctrl + N.
- Name your layout: After creating a new layout, it will be assigned a default name (e., Layout2). To rename it, right-click on the layout tab and choose “Rename.” Give it an appropriate name that reflects its purpose.
Customizing Paper Space Settings
Once you have created your paper space layout, you may want to customize various settings to suit your requirements. Here are some common customization options:
- Paper size and orientation: To change the paper size and orientation, right-click on the layout tab and select “Page Setup Manager.” In the Page Setup Manager dialog box, click on “Modify” to change the paper size, and select either portrait or landscape orientation.
- Adding viewports: Viewports allow you to display different portions of your drawing at various scales within the paper space layout.
To add a viewport, use the “MVIEW” command or choose “Viewport” from the “Layout” tab. You can then resize and position the viewport as desired.
- Scaling: Scaling is crucial to ensure that your drawing fits appropriately within the paper space layout. To set the scale for a viewport, double-click inside the viewport to activate it, then enter the “SCALE” command and specify a scale factor or choose one from the list provided.
Working with Title Blocks
A title block is an important component of a drawing sheet that contains essential information such as project name, drawing number, date, and author. AutoCAD provides tools to create and insert title blocks into your paper space layout.
- Create a title block: You can create a title block using standard AutoCAD tools such as lines, rectangles, text boxes, etc. Design it according to your company’s standards or project requirements.
- Save title block as a template: Once you have created a title block design that you want to reuse in multiple drawings, save it as a template file (.dwt) by going to “File” > “Save As” and choosing Drawing Template (*.dwt) from the dropdown menu.
- Insert title block: To insert a saved title block template into your paper space layout, use the “INSERT” command or choose “Insert” from the “Layout” tab.
Browse for the template file and click “Open.” Position and scale the title block as required.
With these steps, you can easily create a paper space layout in AutoCAD, customize its settings, and add title blocks to enhance your drawings’ professional appearance. Remember to save your work regularly to avoid losing any changes made to your layout.
Now that you have learned how to create a paper space in AutoCAD, take some time to explore various customization options and experiment with different layouts to find what works best for your specific projects. Happy designing!