Paper Space tutorial? How to use layouts?

[GreeneSWCD]

I'm about ready to put together a large job that is going to have a lot of sheets.  Since most of my jobs are one sheet plans, this is out of my comfort zone.  I usually just have a scaled cover sheet/border that I drop into model space and put whatever I need into it there and then print it.  This job has several mini jobs in one huge model space.  I think It's going to be better for me to actually use paper space as its intended this time.  I'm using 2010.  Can someone give me a quick run through of how to go about it?  Just a skeleton of an order of operations, so at least I have something to search for detailed instructions. 

[Pointdump]

The easiest way is to type "layoutwizard" on the command line. (I don't know where to find that in the menus.) It'll walk you through the steps, and you'll be printing like a boss.

Dave

[GreeneSWCD]

I'll check it out.  Thanks a million. 

[GreeneSWCD]

Should I set up each sheet as it's own layout? 

How do I scale the text in the layout?  It doesn't appear to be connected to the text scale set in model space. 

Is it possible to have some layers hidden in some layouts, but not in others? 

Layoutwizard only set up a layout for me.  It didn't tell me how to use it.  😉 

[m.kromm]

Take a look at this tutorial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xk_APULhhE

[GreeneSWCD]

I'll check it out.  Thanks.

[Pointdump]

Should I set up each sheet as it's own layout? 

Yes. I set up lots of pages, different size pages, different printers, portrait and landscape pages, even PDF files that I can use to send my drawing to someone who doesn't have AutoCAD to view.

How do I scale the text in the layout?  It doesn't appear to be connected to the text scale set in model space. 

Annotative scaling was first introduced in ACAD 2008. It's the bomb! Learn about it Here. 

Is it possible to have some layers hidden in some layouts, but not in others? 

Yes.

Layoutwizard only set up a layout for me.  It didn't tell me how to use it.

I think the easiest way to learn is to nose around AutoCAD's channel on Youtube. They've got videos on anything you could ever want to learn.

[GreeneSWCD]

Annotative scale does appear to be the bomb!  Thanks for that video. 

i also didn't know that autocad had a youtube channel.  So now I've found another great resource, which is another bomb! 

I'm getting there.  Thanks guys.

[GreeneSWCD]

PointDump,

How do you save as a pdf?  I didn't think that was possible in 2010. 

[Neilw_05]

You can't "SAVE AS" to PDF but you can plot to PDF. You can use the driver that comes with Autocad (I believe it was introduuced last year). or you can use a Windows PDF driver if you have one installed.

[m.kromm]

There are plenty of PDF print drivers out there, the one that come to mind is PDF995, it sets itself up like a printer, just select it like any other printer, it will prompt for a file name, the autocad plot interface allows you to set all the parameters you are already familiar with

/\/\ark

[Neilw_05]

Another free PDF driver is BULLZIP. I prefer it over PDF995 mainly because it doesn't present advertisements at every sheet as well as a few more options.

[GreeneSWCD]

Looks like I have a driver installed in my program already to plot to pdf.  I would have never looked for it there.  Good thing too, since I'm on a government computer, getting outside drivers installed takes an act of God. 

[Pointdump]

Sorry, I had to go stake some points. Where were we?

It works like Neil says. It plots to PDF. In your Page Setup Manager you can change a Layout from whatever plotter it's set for by clicking Modify and selecting "DWG To PDF pc.3" as your plotter choice. It will then ask you where to save the file.

 For a good explanation of all this, see Ellen.

[Anonymous]

Green,

I'm fairly sure that plan production tools exist in 2010.   This will be very useful on a large job where you intend to cut it into many sheets especially if the sheets are sequential and follow an alignment.  It might be worth your time to look into plan production tools also.

[Sinc]

We also tend to use the "DWG to PDF.pc3" file.  I think it might have been introduced in the 2008 version, but can't remember for sure.  The first release didn't work that well, but it got much better by the 2010 release.  It's not quite as good as some of the "for pay" third-party releases, but is almost as good, and is included with C3D.  It also creates "vectorized" versions of PDFs, so when you create an external reference to one of these PDFs (PDF overlay), you can still use OSNAPS to snap to the linework.

[LeafRiders]

In 2010 the DWG to PDF.pc3 file provided from Autodesk may be out to lunch. PDF995 is one I've been succeful with many times. The Sheet Set manager is a little awkward still. I'm hoping this is improved upon in future years. I myself prefer to setup my primary layout as needed and set everything in place, and right-click my layout and copy multiple times, from there it's quite fast. Key is to have everything nutted up front and it will save you time once you get into "copying" multiple layouts. Print settings, plot scale, viewport scales, paperspace labelling, etc.

Once you weight time vs. effort, using sheet set manager and some of the "time saving" features of plan production. You'll often find it's faster to do it right on your own the first time, vs. having AutoCAD let you down. If you're just a quick set of map sheets and you don't need to worry about text being cut off in multiple viewports etc. then the Sheet set manager etc. will get 'er done for ya.

[Sinc]

I find that the SSM often failes to "reconnect" correctly with a drawing.  In other words, opening a drawing should automaticalliy open the associated Sheet Set, but it often doesn't, and I haven't yet been able to figure out any rhyme or reason for this failure.  So I often have to browse manually to the SSM fiile.   Very annoying.  Yet another one of those bugs we have to deal with constantly.  And there's also a bug where layouts in a a DWG are ignored when using "Publish via Page Setup Overide" from the PSM, since one uses the page setups in the individual DWG., where the other uses the DWT.  If these aren't the same, it won't work.  And thies is also opposite of using the PUBLISH command straight out of a drawing.  SO MANY BUGS!!!!!!  UGH!!!!

But all things considered, I HUGELY RECOMMEND that everyone embrace the SSM.  It can save so much time that it's insane to ignore it.

[Anonymous]

layoutwizard - the answer to hours of grief, many thanks!

Adam