Viewport Scale Field in View Label Block uses Xref scale for "use scale name"

[hencoop]

Hi all,

My View Label Block assigned to my SheetSet  includes a Viewport Scale Field.  It is almost always changed to the Xref scale even when I edit the field and set it to "use scale name".  When I update the field manually it reverts to the correct scale and that stays through regens but ONLY as long as I stay in model space within the floating viewport.  As soon as I change to paper space it changes back to 1:10_XREF

Sometimes I can get it to correct itself if I use SCALELISTEDIT and move the viewport scale to the top of the list but even this is only temporary.  It inevitably reverts to 1:10_XREF

Does anyone know what is causing this or how to fix it?

[rl_jackson]

I could be missing something here but I'm not quite sure how a block could determine the viewport scale of a drawing or a particular viewport.

Generally I will use the Object Scale field to grab the viewport scale for my titleblock block just as a plain mtext object, if you delete the viewport in the drawing and create a new on or even create a copy of a layout it will lose the link the field has to the viewport as the new viewport will have a different object ID.

[hencoop]

It is a feature of Sheet Sets and views added to a sheet using the "Place view on sheet" tool in the SSM Model Views Tab".  The ViewportScale field is a placeholder field available under the Field Category "SheetSetPlaceholder":

[hencoop]

Pfffft!

I was editing my post and ran out of time.  I was going to make the images a bit smaller.  I had done that already but then I was working on adding this when I ran out of time:

Views added to the drawings from the SSM can have dynamic labels. The view numbers, sheet numbers and titles are managed within the SSM. Dynamic blocks with SheetSetPlaceholder fields for these values allow ALL titles and callouts across the entire Sheet Set to be automatically and dynamically updated because the field values are links to the specific sheet and view listed in the SSM.  A single edit in the SSM causes ALL references throughout the SheetSet that refer to that sheet number or that view to be updated.  Implementing this feature completely eliminates any need to check titles and callouts on individual sheets.  The only place they need to be checked is within the SSM.   My problem is that the ViewportScale field is misbehaving in View Labels in some of my views.

 The SSM uses two (user created) dynamic blocks to accomplish this: 

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

Sheet Set Manager issues are always great questions to ask, and the ability to automate sheet creation is an invaluable tool. I see that there may have been a solution made to the issue you posted. If so, please hit the Accept as Solution button if the post fully solves your issue or answers your question as it can demonstrate a great value to the community to have it as accepted solution to others that may have had the same problem. Thanks for participating in this community and for your valuable contributions.​ If it did not resolve the issue, please would you mind uploading the SSM file and any respective example files to recreate the issue and then troubleshoot it?

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

I have an idea, when checking your field code in the ViewLabel block -> Edit Attribute Definition ->Tag: SCALE ->Default SCALE:ViewportScale ->...-> has the field expression as :"%<\AcSm ?View.ViewportScale \f "%lu2%ct1%qf28161:">%"

After some further investigation I see that it may be incorrectly referencing a custom/ errooneous field code, when resetting the field code by "re-pathing" it to the intended correct settings via a "toggle" it resets (really odd behavior, I only selected anything else in the fields and the re selected the same fields codes as seen in the photo) to the supposed correct field codes. as: "%<\AcSm ?View.ViewportScale \f "1:%lu2%ct1%qf2816">%"

Perhaps somehow, the field code within the block was changed, so updating the field code within the block attribute then syncing the attribute could repair the field code? I hope this helps! let me know, by hitting the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.​

[Joe-Bouza]

I believe this is also the result of the receiving drawing not having the identical scale list

[hencoop]

It is my understanding that at the time a MODEL VIEW is created it is given a specific scale which matches the viewport scale from which the model view was created.  If that model view is then placed on a sheet (any sheet, not necessarily the same drawing it was defined in) using the SSM "Place on Sheet" tool under the Model Views tab, that view along with any associated Xreferences is put in the drawing as a new viewport having the defined View boundary and scale of which it was defined and that viewport is linked to the SheetSet.  If at any point that viewport becomes no longer linked to the Sheet Set, the SheetSet Placeholder values will become a series of ############ which replace whatever the SSM supplied value was.

The block is expecting to be associated with a Viewport on a sheet in a SheetSet.  It can only obtain its link to the viewport scale if it is specified as the "Label block for views" or as a "Callout Block" within the Sheet Set properties.  The viewport property "Linked to Sheet View" must be "Yes".  This can only be done by using the Place on Sheet tool in the SSM.  The field value is entirely dependent upon both the View and the Sheet Set it is linked to.  The options for how the value is displayed will each have a different code.  I have no idea what code it will take on if there is no Sheet Set View associated with it; or, the ATTRIB default value is no longer defined as the SheetSet Placeholder "ViewportScale".   I think these might be reasons for the differences you see.

[hencoop]

I did some additional checking:

There are several Xreferences.  Some had a blank line their scale list.  Others had scales appended with "_XREF"  I deleted the blank lines and renamed the scales with "_XREF".   If the scale name already existed I just removed spaces or added them to make another similar scale name.  That seemed to clear it up but then I started having a new problem.  As long as the Format selected is "Use scale name" it seems to work okay now that the "_XREF" are renamed and the blanks are removed.  I did need to put the name I preferred at the top of the scale list for it to be used.  Still very confused but at least I can get the correct scale format so far by using "Use scale name" and removing blank scales and renaming Xreference scales in all of the xreferenced drawings:

Initial Scale of New Model View
The above result is likely because the block definition specifies the scale format #" = 1'-0"

New Drawing Units

New Drawing Viewport Scale

Scale by Name OK

Format 1" = #' is not OK (divides 30 units by 12 and renders that in feet)

Xref and Blank Scales

Only a single Xreference drawing was included.  some others are really big.  I think the one will be enough to check out what is going on.

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

I think I was able to repair the drawings through an Autodesk Scale Cleanup Utility for 2018. I used the software as described in the readme file (cleaning the scales of all the drawings in the entire folder) by pointing the .dwt to the AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) template included with Civil 3D, just in order to have a "clean" scale list.

This allowed for all of the viewports (at least in the drawings you supplied) while being opened in the Sheet Setup Manager to be updated with the correct scales, @Joe-Bouza really was very helpful and gave a great hint towards a direction, being, scale names not matching. Before I ran the ScaleCleanup utility I was able to reproduce your results (being that the viewport scale field would not update to the correct scales)

I hope this helps and I am including a link to the ScalesCleanup utility page (there are versions available for all AutoCAD Versions except 2019 at this point)

Scale List Cleanup Utility for AutoCAD® 2018

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/downloads/content/scale-list-cle...

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if my post fully solves your issue or answers your question.​

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

I am checking back to see if my post helped you with your problem or question. Please mark my post as the solution if it resolved the issue or give me a bit more detail on this issue so we can continue to work towards getting this solved. Please hit the Accept as Solution button if a post or posts solves your issue or answers your question.

[hencoop]

I do not have AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 so I do not think I can use the 2018 tool.  The manual cleaning of my scale lists has helped solve this problem though.  So far it has been working for me as long as I remove the blank scale,  rename any "*_XREF" scales, put the desired scale at the top of the list in the drawing I want to use it in and set the Field value to "Use scale name".  That is far too much work to get a longstanding feature of AutoCAD to work as intended IMHO... but then Raster Plot devices STILL incorrectly scale C3D Styles by 12 and that has been confirmed as a problem and elevated to AutoCAD developers over 5 years ago... no telling when they will decide to fix that.  I'm not real sure how they decide what is important.  The program needing to function as intended does NOT seem to be the foremost criteria used.

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

That's great news about getting it to work. Also I have a Scale List Cleanup Utility for AutoCAD® 2019 ready for your use, that might be very helpful. I hope it works well for you. 

Scale List Cleanup Utility for AutoCAD® 2019

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/downloads/caas/downloads/content/scale-list-cleanup-u...

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if a post helps solve the issue or answers your question.​

Thanks for contributing so much to the AutoCAD and Civil 3D communities. Every bit of info you contribute helps others solve issues they might be having in a similar manner, by accepting the solution you help them identify solutions to their problems.

[copper.chadwick]

@hencoop,

Please hit the Accept as Solution button if a post fully solves your issue or answers your question.​

[hencoop]

@copper.chadwick I am having this problem yet again.  I gave up on it before and just entered static text to get the scale display I required.

I tried your suggestion and reset the field code for the scale in the block definition and used ATTSYNC on the existing View Label block.  That changed the value of my view title field to "VIEWTITLE" but left the scale as "1:10_XREF".  I did not see any xref scales in my scale list where I had seen just the one I'm having trouble with in this drawing just a few days ago and deleted it... yet it persists.  I checked "XREF Scales" at the bottom of the scale list flyup and there were dozens of xref scales.  I have no idea how those got added to my drawing; however, when I deleted all of them the scale field displayed correctly.

[hencoop]

So, in another drawing, I cleaned up (deleted) all of the _XREF scales and replaced the two view labels with the updated block definition to restore the actual Sheet Set values.  Both views were created in the same drawing (not the current drawing) having the same units and scale parameters.  One viewlabel scale name displays 0.031405 and the other displays 3/8" = 1'-0"

It was necessary to change the field value of the one displayed as 0.031405 to #" = 1'-0" for it to display 3/8" = 1'-0"

The concept of displaying viewport scales as a field linked to the actual viewport scale is great; however, if it needs to be fiddled with this much just to get it to display what it should it is NOT HELPFUL!