Plotting Drawings

8. Plotting Drawings

8.1 Layout Management

It displays 1 or more scaled views of your design on a standard size drawing sheet called a layout. In other words, a layout is a 2D environment where you can provide the size of your drawing sheet, add a title block, display different views of your model, and then create dimensions and notes for your drawings.

Following things can be done in layout management:

1. Create a 'Layout' and assign plotting parameters to it
2. Set up 1 or more viewports in the Layout
3. Set the scale that each of viewport will be plotted to
4. Set the visibility of layers in each of the viewports
5. Set the shading or hidden line parameters in each of viewport (so-called 'Visibility')
6. Select the 'Plot Device' to print to for the Layout
7. Select the 'Plot Style Table' to be used for the Layout (color based - .ctb, or style based -stb)
8. Select the 'Paper Size' that you want to plot to
9. Select the 'Plot Area' - this should almost always be 'Extents'
10. Set the appropriate 'Plot Scale' - this should always be 1:1
11. Set the appropriate 'Drawing Orientation' - this should always be 'Landscape'

Creating Multiple Layouts

1. Choose Layout2 TAB (at bottom of the screen)

2. Choose name of the layout
3. Change remaining Layout options from 'page setup and plots'

8.2 Plotting 2D and 3D Drawings

1. 'Plotting' is also called 'Printing' because you can print to both large-format plotters and also to small printers just like any other windows operation to produce hard-copy output. The AutoCAD uses standard Windows printer drivers to control plotters and printers. In order to plot a drawing on the graphics screen, it must be open. Plotting is always done through 'Layouts'. Before plotting the drawing, different things are to be done( in Layout Management).
2. Select the 'Plot' icon, or type 'Ctrl+P', or Select from the 'File' pulldown menu and then 'Plot...'
3. In the Plot, select the 'Preview' button
4. If everything looks good, then right click, and then select 'Plot'. If it does not look good, then click 'Exit' and then fix the setup.
5. When the setup is fixed, select 'OK' and then the drawing will plot.
6. If you want to use this plot setup again in the same drawing, pull down the list of Page Setup Names and then select the one you want.
7. The Page Setup can control everything on the dialogue boxes about plotting, such as the Plot Device, the paper size, the Plot Style Table, the plot scale, the plot area, and the drawing orientation.

PLOT Command:

1. Choose File (on the menu bar), Plot

or

2. Click on the Plotter icon

or

3. Type PLOT in the command line

Command: PLOT (or, PRINT)

4. Press 'CTRL+ P' on the keyboard.

PLOT Settings:

1. Choose Plotting Setting tab.
2. Choose an appropriate paper size based on the chosen plotter.
3. Choose the units of paper (inches/ mm)
4. Choose the drawing orientation (Landscape, Portrait, Upside down)
5. Choose the plotting area
6. Choose the plot scale
7. Choose plot to center or specify an x or y offset
8. Click 'OK' button.

8.3 Creating multiple views for a 3D drawing

You can create multiple view in a 3-Dimensional drawing using MVIEW Command.

MVIEW Command:

1. The 'MVIEW' command can control the size and position of the MVIEW viewports. MVIEW is to tilemode= 0 as vports is to tilemode= 1.
2. Use 'MVIEW 'when you like to see a view of the model.
3. PSPACE mode must be active when you use MVIEW. The AutoCAD will automatically switch to PSPACE when you issue the MVIEW command.
4. The default MVIEW option is '<>'. In order to use this option, pick a point which represents one corner of the 'MVIEW'. At the 'other corner' prompt, pick a point that represents the opposite corner of the 'MVIEW'.

1. Choose View (from menu bar), Viewports, 1 Viewport

or

2. Type MVIEW in the command line

Command: MVIEW

ON/OFF/Hideplot/Fit/2/3/4/Restore/<>: P1

Other corner: P2

Irregular Shaped Vieports 29.4

1. Draw a shape in paper space (e.g. circle/ ellipse)
2. Choose View( form menu bar), viewports, object
3. Choose the obj to make a viewport.