Linetypes

[acuthbert]

Hi there,

I am new to AutoCAD and I'm having trouble changing some line types.
What I want to to is modify some line segments to become dashed lines instead of continuous lines. The segments I want to change are in a layer with a whole bunch of other lines that I don't care about. I have been able to change these to a dashed line but the dashes are not visible in the paperspace. I want to be able to change the dashes so they are visible.
Would it be easier to create a new layer with the linetype properties that I want and to copy my segments there? If so, how can I copy objects into a new layer?

Thanks,
-Andy

[Modman_4]

Which version are you on? In 2008 and newer you start a fresh drawing and set the CANNOSCALE in modelspace by selecting a scale from the list at the bottom on the taskbar. Modelspace is still 1:1 but this setting allows the program to adjust the scale you view your linetypes at.

Next you make sure LTSCALE, MSLTSCALE, PSLTSCALE & CELTSCALE are all set to 1. Now, go into the linetype manager to look for examples of the linetypes you wish to use. AutoCAD has 3 versions of a lot of the common ones -- this represents different scales, an average one, a double-scale one and a half-scale one. Load all of them and test out lines for each of them, and make your selections based on how they appear to you in modelspace. Changing the CANNOSCALE will change their appearance, so you can see what they'd look like in a 1/4" scale drawing for instance, versus a 1" = 30'-0" drawing. This is why if you do a lot of detail drawing you should set the CANNOSCALE for that detail scale before making your decisions.

Now as to your existing drawing, you can try the things above in that drawing, or you can copybase the contents of your existing drawing into the new one. I have no idea if any of your linework has had scale overrides applied, but I would advise selecting all and going in and setting theirs all to 1. Then you will see what it all really looks like, and can proceed to replace linetype on a case-by-case basis. It is a better drawing practice to have a linetype assigned by layer, and therefore change what layer your line is on instead of overriding it. Overrides can really screw up an XREF in more ways than one. Anyways let us all know how you did 🙂

[marchitect_nc]

Ok Modman, I cannot wrap my mind around this Cannoscale thing.
In modelspace I have all my drawings; plan views, elevations, sections, and details, all of which will be displayed in various scales in paperspace. (And I have dimension styles and text styles set up for the various scales.)
So what am I supposed to set the Cannoscale variable at? If I'm setting it in modelspace, which scale am I setting it for? 1/4" for the plans? 1" for the sections? or 3" for the details?
And if I set it so that the linetypes for the 3" scale stuff looks good what happens to the linetypes for the 1/4" scale drawings?
It doesn't make sense.
Can you shed some light on this?
Thanks,
mg

[Anonymous]

Actually, if you really, truly, want to get into CANNOSCALE settings, you
pretty much need to give up on the notion of tapping the MODELSPACE tab and
working there, if you need or have multiple scales working in one DWG file
(that's another topic of course).

Set up your viewports, set up your viewport scales, and work inside your
viewports in Layout tabs instead. Then everything looks correct all the time
in each viewport and you never mess with CANNOSCALE in modelspace.

Oh, and in case you don't know or have forgotten, VPMAX gives you that MSE
(ModelSpace Experience) to work inside your viewport without tapping that
modelspace tab.

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
--