Need help setting up scales and plotting (metres)

[lois-pl]

Hello, I have been having a very hard time plotting drawings with the correct scale, basically because Autocad's default scaling system doesn't work (or it's just very user-unfriendly).

• I am making a template file.
• I work with metres, and I only need to setup the following scales: 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500, 1:1000
• I want to also setup an A4, A3, A2 and A1 sheets.
• I will design everything in model in real scale (1:1)
• I want to print "DWG to PDF" in ISO full bleed
• Plot area must be "Layout"
• I need to click inside the Mview and be able to setup the scale from the toolbar below
• I also need to see my paperspace dimensions in mm, so if I measure an A4 page it will show 297x210 (mm) instead of 0.297x0.21 (m)
•  

What happens is that when I set a scale from the toolbar like 1:100, the drawing becomes suuuper small, definitely not 1:100. I have no idea why. Autocad needs to simplify its scaling system, it has too many variables, and probably one is messing up everything.

I suppose that 1 unit is 1000mm, because 1 unit is 1m.

My default scale list has 1:100 as 1 paper unit = 100 drawing units (why??)

Please help me setup the ultimate drawing file so that I can start using it without any more trial and errors in the future. This issue has been cursing me since I started using autocad.

Thank you

PS: Online resources and tutorials are very confusing since everyone uses different systems to scale and I need to set it up how I described. I'm exhausted from doing trial and error and if something works I never really know why.

My current pagesteup

my current scale list

[cadffm]

Hi,

these predefined sample scales are made for MILLIMETER usage

and your Paperspace is in Millimeter too (the Paper is defined in Millimeter).

3 Ways, I describ 2 of them:

1. Create own new scales for Meter usage (not prefered if you not like to use annotation feature)

2. In Layout, Viewportscale: Use 10:1 instead 1:100 (because 1m is a factor of 1000 for Millimeter), same with other scales, and in pagesetup or Plot dialog, plot 1:1  - your frame and title are drew in 1:1 Millimeter.

 (prefered if you not use annotation feature much)

OR

3. In Layout, Viewportscale: Use 1:100 for 1:100, same with other scales, and in pagesetup or Plot dialog, plot 1000:1  - your frame and title are drew in 1:1 Micrometer. (very unusual today)

- - -

The most important thing for the best recommendation would be to know whether you use the annotation function or not.
Are you familiar with this? I suspect not, otherwise the issue would have been clarified earlier,
so answer 2 is definitely the best solution.

If you don't use a annotation function, then ignore the "1:1xx" settings everywhere and just use the scaling factor.
By the way, in my answer 2, that's a factor of 10!

Why?:
1 meter in 1:100 is 0.01 meter and 0.01 meter is 10 millimeters.
The paper format is defined in millimeters, hence the conversion.

[cadffm]

• I will design everything in model in real scale (1:1) in Meter
  This is part of a clear specification, because 1 or 1000, both are 1:1, one would be correct in meters, the other in millimeters

• Plot area must be "Layout" second worst choice.
   If possible: Keep paperspace clean outside your frame, this way you can use EXTENTS and you will have less trouble in the future.

• I need to click inside the Mview
• and be able to setup the scale from the toolbar below
  or select the viewport to select the scale from the gripmenu or properties-palette

• I also need to see my paperspace dimensions in mm, so if I measure an A4 page it will show 297x210 (mm) instead of 0.297x0.21
  If you want to measure 297x210, you have to draw it 297x210 - see above about my 2.