Problems with zoom extents/possible hidden objects

[Anonymous]

When trying to print my drawing selecting Extents, center the plot in the print window, the drawing will print as if shifted off to one side.  I've also noticed that when I use zoom extents in paperspace, the drawing gets shifted off to one side, as if there's something there that I can't see.  I've tried selecting that entire area to see what's there, but there's nothing there for me to erase.  I've also tried using the Erase command to erase everything outside my drawing area, but nothing happens there either.  This makes it very annoying when it comes to printing the drawing, as I have to tip-toe around certain printing methods to make sure it doesn't shift the drawing over.  What am I missing?  I've tried thawing/turning on all layers to see if there is something hidden there.

The drawing is just a title block that contains text, and has a viewport showing an xref'd drawing.

Any help is appreciated.

[Anonymous]

something in the xref is out there

[pendean]

You are asking AutoCAD to grab everything in your file, seen or unseen by you, and include it with "extents". Is there a reason you like to let AutoCAD decide for you what that is? Just curious.

Thaw/turn on all layers in your file, CTRL+A to select all, hold SHIFT down and draw a rectangle around what you want to keep, then tap the DEL button on your keyboard. Repeat inside each XREF you have.
Yes, you just erased something or many things you cannot see: feels good, right? If not, go hunt for those items.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I'm asking AutoCAD to work properly, yes. Zoom extents should always work
correctly, and this time it's not. Just wondering why it's doing that. I,
along with many other people, use zoom extents and I use the printer
settings the way they are intended to be used. If used properly, it all
runs smoothly, and works quite well.

The problem is that I have hunted for those items via thawing/turning on
the layers, as previously mentioned in my post, and it didn't work. This
should be quite simple, so I assume there is either a glitch that people
have possibly heard of and know how to fix, or it's a setting I'm not aware
of.

[Anonymous]

I have a viewport in my paperspace, inside a title block (so I guess just a regular drawing).  How can the xref (which is inside the viewport) skew the printing?

[Anonymous]

To clarify, I am printing a drawing from the layout tab.

[pendean]

EXTENTS tells AutoCAD to grab everything: this is working properly as it is grabbing everything as you are instructing it. The problem is you cannot see 'everything' to fix it.

Since we can't see your file or how it is set up and what other things may be at play, all we can do is suggest the obvious: you have something 'out there' getting picked up with EXTENTS choice.

Is this viewport 'clipped" by chance?

Want more help? Please post the offending Layout in the DWG and the xref, delete anything considered delicate/private in it and the xref. I can't answer your questions about why really without seeing it first hand.

Any reason you don't want to use another selection method? LAYOUT works well if your intent is to plot what is defined in PAGESETUP in that layout tab. Or other options of course. Just other ideas.

[leothebuilder]

Thst id why I use Layout for plotting and not Extents.

Just in case something "is out there"

[pendean]

Agreed, 'Extents' has very limited use for us here too: our users prefer more control with the other options.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I know what EXTENTS does. I use it all the time. The problem is that
it is trying to say the EXTENTS of the drawing are where they actually
aren't. The question is how do I get to see what it says is there in a way
other than what I've previously mentioned?

No, the viewport is not clipped.

Reason? yes, I use EXTENTS, and CENTER THE PLOT, because it results in a
very clean way to easily repeat the printing process, so that when I group
all of the drawings together in a combined PDF, they are all in the exact
same position, and are very presentable (middle of the page, no shift from
drawing to drawing). I don't want a work-around, I'm looking for the
solution to the problem. Autocad is an expensive program, so I'm not
looking for solutions that don't even allow me to use the program
properly. Unfortunately I cannot send you the files for this problem. I
will continue trying to solve the problem on my own, just thought there
might be a glitch that people knew of in this area.

To clarify, I have a title block on a layout (paperspace), with a viewport
in it, that shows an xref'd drawing. Nothing in that xref should affect
what it thinks the EXTENTS are in the layout tab (paperspace), so that is
not the problem. The problem obviously lies somewhere within the
paperspace.

[Anonymous]

I was going to suggest wblock just what you want to see, but I guess that would be a work-around

[sthompson1021]

Have you tried to purge the dwg? Make sure that the box for unnamed objects is checked. An empty text item will cause the problem you are describing.

[pendean]

Obviously. Let's have a look: post the DWG file with the problem layout (and XREF). We appreciate what you are observing, but unless there is something wrong with your file it's likely what we are saying instead. Show me!

[Murph_Map]

Have you checked for nil TEXT objects or text that have no value? Turn on Qtext and zoom Extends and look. Also try setting the point style (DDPTYPE) to something else than the default you may have a point out there in never-never land. 

[swphan]

I have the same problem. I have notice the problem it's not about xref.

When I start a new drawing. I insert a block with attributs in it. 

1- Layout1: I made a Zoom Extent it's correct.

2- Change to Layout2: I made a Zoom Extent it's also correct.

3- Change to Layout1 again: I made a Zoom Extent all the drawing shift to the right.

4- Change to Layout2 again: I made a Zoom Extent all the drawing shift to the right.

5- And if I change again the drawing will shift again to the right.

6- But if I explode the block. Everything going back to normal.

When I start a new drawing with a rectangle.

Everything work fine.

I try to insert a rectangle as a block in a new drawing.

And I did not see it.

I hope that will help.

[swphan]

I found the reason why I have this problem.

I don't know why it's like that.

But when I removed attributes contains fields in it.

Remake my block. I don't have this problem anymore.

But I need field in my attributes.

So I hope there is a solution for this problem.

[sthompson1021]

Can you post a drawing with this problem?

[swphan]

I send a DWG as an example to show the problem.

I work on AutoCAD 2014.

[swphan]

Any idea to solve my problem.

Because I didn't receive any solution possible.

Please help me.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

I just ran into a similar problem, zoom extents seems to include a hidden item.

AutoCAD "thinks" something is there but I can't see it or select it.

Tried purging, tried freezing/unfreezing layers,tried turning layers on/off, tried exploding everything, tried selecting in the area where the object might be (a desperation move) ... nothing worked.

The link shown below to the autodesk knowledge database helped me solve my problem.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Object...

Following the steps revealed a hidden hatched point (or something like that).

I was now able to select the point and deleted it.

Fixed my problem.