AutoCAD 2018 Windows 10 OS 64Bit Drawing a Line

[Anonymous]

I am trying to draw a line for the purpose of knowing how to draw one at a particular scale. It seems that I either did something wrong or app is corrupted. For example: The input was: 10' <0

[imadHabash]

Hi,

as I understand your question that you have an invalid input while drawing a line, try from DDUNITS command to change your Length Type to Architectural and see if it's help . 

Regards,

[Anonymous]

That did not help. I set my scale at 1/4" = 1'0". I, then input 3'0" <0 but it went nowhere, just stayed there???

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

just to make sure, you have not used a space between 3'0" and <0

- alfred -

[beyoungjr]

Hi,

Your input appears to have a space between the distance and angle...

Make sure your input appears as 10'<0.

A few things to remember...

• Only Architectural and Engineering units will enable you to work well with the ' (apostrophe) as a symbol for feet.
• You NEVER need the " (end-quote) symbol for inches, but it will be accepted when Architectural or Engineering units are used.
• You NEVER need to express the final value as 0 (zero) in an expression, eg. 10'0" should be just 10'.
• The < (less-than) symbol, chosen for it's appearance as an acute angle, MUST follow the the numeric distance value with no spaces between.  If you are using dynamic input in AutoCAD you can avoid this symbol by using the TAB key to advance to the angle input field, and TAB again to get back to the distance field.

By the way... I hope your zoom distance is not so far out that you are unable to see the line as you are creating it?  Try setting the LIMITS for your drawing and do a Zoom->All before you attempt the line again.

Hope this helps,

Blaine

[beyoungjr]

Also, the scale you are setting is for Annotative objects like text and dimensions, and sometimes blocks.  Do not expect your line of 10' length to be anything but 10' long.

Blaine

[Kent1Cooper]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

.... The input was: 10' <0

---

Others are correct that you have a space that shouldn't be there, but you also need the relative-displacement symbol:

@10'<0

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> but you also need the relative-displacement symbol:

In case dynamic input is off 😉

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

So, how do I set the drawing units to 1/4"=1'0 if, as you say it is annotative??? 

[beyoungjr]

Happy New Year!

The vast majority of CAD users draw and design their work at full scale (1:1).  The presentation or publication of drawings is where scaling comes into play.

Example:  A house plan is drawn at actual size and there may be multiple floors, along with elevations and other project details, represented at different positions in the Model Space environment.  Fixtures and other construction blocks are also full scale.  We only need to scale these views for the purpose of providing working drawings with borders, title blocks, and other published content.

We typically add test and dimensions (annotate) after the majority of design work has come together.  Of course alterations and revisions are sure to come but the annotation phase is usually a subsequent step to design.

I hope that I am interpreting your post correctly that you are trying to design at scale?  I also looked at older posts you have made where you sought a scaled .dwt template file and it seems like you are still after this concept.

If you truly wish to have your actual designs scaled then you could consider drawing everything full size then using the SCALE command (no relation to print/plot scale) to reduce or increase the size of your design.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss further to see what you are really after and help you get there.

Cheers,

Blaine

[Anonymous]

Yes you have interpreted correctly. Now I have another problem and that is when I try to draw a line by inputting @3'10<0 it doesn't draw a line so, am I doing something wrong???

[s.borello]

The scale has to do with annotative objects... you will draw real world elements in 1:1.  

[Anonymous]

Now I have another problem and that is: When inputting a length of a line, for instance, 3'10<0 it comes back "point or option key required" So. how am I supposed to input the line length???

[pendean · Accepted solution]

Read this https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/error-...

[Anonymous]

Oops! Left the "word" off of "key", it should read - "keyword". Sorry about that

[beyoungjr]

Are you using Dynamic Input?

Are you specifying the start point before trying the line length?

Looks like Dean's link solved for you.

Blaine

[Anonymous]

I have been gone quite awhile as I had to go back to Philly to see my grand pop as he was very sick. I just got back home yesterday, 02/08/2019. I started classes again but still having trouble understanding what you had told me in your last post. So, I input a line that is 9'10-1/8" long, that line extends almost to both sides of the screen. That will not work for me. I like to know exactly what do I input, for instance, do I input 9'10-1/8"<0 or what do I input???

[pendean]

Do you just need to zoom out?

Any reason you are not asking your class instructor or fellow students to help you in person with hands-on guidance? Sounds like you are ready to do that now.

[Anonymous]

Actually, since I was discharged from VA medical center in Tucson I was told to recuperate for at least two months. I contacted the school I am attending and requested a leave of absence of two months per the VA medical center. Leave of absence was granted. So, I am actually trying to learn on my own. I just did not want to sit around and look like an idiot so, I decided to try to learn autocad on my own but, apparently I am not getting anywhere with drawing a line at scale (???). I wonder if you can show me how to draw a line that shows a line at 3'10-3/8" at a scale of 1/4"=1'0". I am installing Hardwood flooring, they are at quite various lengths. The dimension of the small bedroom is 9' 10-1/8" x 9' 10-1/4". I wanted to draw the small bedroom at a scale of 1/4"=1'0". I had a friend who is a architectural draftsman but, alas! he has moved back to his home state of Washington. He always done the architectural drawings at scale. I decided that is what I wanted to do, so, here I am trying to be one. Apparently I am not getting anywhere.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> draw a line that shows a line at 3'10-3/8" at a scale of 1/4"=1'0"

Please differentiate between

• the line length drawn in model-space
• the line length shown scaled on your plot/paper

In model-space you should always draw in the correct (un-scaled) length. If a room is 10'x10' then draw it in that size, because when use calculations like floor area or wall area (perimeter x room-height) you want to get real values and not scaled ones.

To show your geometry scaled (also possible with different scales like for details) you should use the layout and viewports ... each viewport can have it's own scale to plot your part(s) scaled to paper.

- alfred -