digital design and communication teaching (didact) department

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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In this workshop we will look at: Settingupyourdrawingsheet Viewports Printingyourwork

Onceyou’vedrawnyourworkintheModelspaceandyou’rereadytoprint,youneedtosetupyourDrawingSheetLayout(i.e.thepieceofpaper)you’llbeprintingyourworkon.Intheorythetheonlythingthatwilllimithowbigthepieceofpapercanbeisthesizethepapertheprinteryou’resendingittocantake.InmostcasesthiswillbeA0(841×1189mm)althoughmorecommonprintingsizeswillbeA1(594x841mm)andA2(594x420mm).InthecaseofthisworkshopwewillbesettingupanA3page(420x297mm)asthiscanbeeasilyprintedtothecolourplottersandwillbestsuitthescaleofthedrawingdone.

SETTING UP YOUR PAGE LAYOUT:

Thisbasicallymeanssettingupthepieceofpaperyou’llbeprintingyourworkonandisquicktodo.

Simplyclickonthetagthatsays“Layout1”nexttotheModeltagonyourAutocaddocument(seeImage1).Youwillleaveyourworking“Model”spaceandmovetothe“Layout”space(seeImage2).

You’llnoticeaboxonthesheetofpaperthatmayshowsomeofyourworkoragridinitifthegridisstillon.ThisisaViewport,whicharelikewindowsintotheModelspacewhereyou’vebeendrawingyourwork.Itisfromthesethatyoucanzoomintoyourworkatascaletofitontothepieceofpaper.

Image 1 - changing from your working drawing (“Model” space) to your working sheet of paper that you will actually print (“Layout” space)

Image 2 - Layout Space

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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SETTING UP YOUR PAGE LAYOUT (contd):

ThefirstthingyouneedtodoissetthepagesizeandPlotStyle(“Plotting”isCad’sversionofprinting).Dothisbyrightclickingoverthe“Layout1”tagandthenclickingon“PageSetupManager”(seeImage3).

Makesure“Layout1”ishighlightedandthenclickonModify.

Image 3 - Page Setup Manager

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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SETTING UP YOUR PAGE LAYOUT (contd):

ThiswilltakeyoutoyourPageSetupforLayout1andhereyouneedtochangeanumberofthings: Printer/plotter-Currentlysays“None”,changetoAdobePDF or“DWGtoPDF.pc3”PaperSize -SettoA3(420x297mm)PlotArea -Whattoplot,select“Layout”(seeImage5)Plotstyletable-Setto“Grayscale”

Makesure“PlotScale”readsasinImage5andthedrawingorientationisseton“Landscape”asinImage5.

Oncethisisdone,click“OK”andthenClosethePageSetupManager

Image 4 - Page Setup - Layout 1

Image 5 - Page Setup - Layout 1

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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Viewports and Scaling:

You’llnoticethepapersizehaschangedandshouldnowbe420x297mm(youcantestthisbytypingDIandmeasuringthelengthofthepaper)

You’llneedtodragtheViewportsothatitfitsontothepieceofpaper.DothisbyclickingontheborderoftheViewportandthendraggingitbyoneofitsfourcornerswherethere’sabluebox,andthiswillmakeitbigger.RoughlystretchittofittheA3sheet(youcanchangethesizeoftheViewportatanytime).

NextdoubleclickinsidetheViewport(itsborderswillgobolderincolourandyou’llnoticethe“PAPER”tagchangesto“MODEL”-seeImage7).Scrollwiththemousetozoominandout.usetheZoomExtentstool(“Z”return“E”return)andyouwillzoomintheViewporttoallthedrawingworkyou’vedone.ThisisagreatwayoffindingyourworkintheViewport.

UsethePantool(“P”return)tocentreyourgardendesign,pressreturnagainonceyou’redoneandandyou’llbereadytoscalethedesigntoasuitablesizeforyourA3sheet.

Thisisdonebytyping:

“Z”return,“S”return,andthentypingthescaleyouwant,inthiscase1:100,bytyping“1/100xp”andpressingreturn.

Clickon“MODEL”tochangebackto“PAPER”andstopzoominginandoutoftheViewport.

ThisshouldbefairlysuitableforthesizeofthedrawingtofitcomfortablyontheA3sheet.Ifyouwantedtozoomtoadifferentscale(forexampletoshowaparticularpartofyourdesigninmoredetail)youwouldsimplygothroughthesameprocessandtype“1/50xp”for1:50scale,“1/20xp”fora1:20scaleetc.

NB/ Onceyou’vegotthescaleyouwant,youcanlockitsothatitwon’tchange(unlessyouunlockit) ThisisdonebyclickingontheborderoftheViewportandthen,inthepropertiesbox,clickingon “DisplayLocked”andclick“Yes”.Thiscanbeveryusefultopreventyoufromaccidentlydouble clickingintheViewportandchangingitsscale.

Image 6 - Modified Layout 1

Image 7 - “PAPER” tag changes to “MODEL” when you double click in the Viewport space. Click on it to change back from “MODEL” to “PAPER”

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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TASK - CREATE A DRAWING SHEET:

Beforeyouprint,you’llneedtocreatesheetbordersandtitlessimilartoImage8.YoucanusetheTools(Polyline,Textetc)justlikeyoudoinModelSpace.

Youmaywanttocreatea“Titleblock”layertodothisin. Youwillneedtostatethefollowinginformationonthedrawing: DrawingTitle DrawingScale YourName Youwillalsoneedakeyforanyofthesymbolsandhatchesyou’veused.YoucancreatethekeyintheModelspacenexttowhereyou’vebeendrawingyourdesignandthencreateanotherViewportinyourLayoutandzoomintotheKey.

NB/ YoucanhaveasmanyViewportsasyouwantinyourLayoutspace.Tocreateanewone,simplyclick on:

View>Viewports>1Viewport

andthendrawtheViewportintheLayoutspacewhereveryouwantit.

Digital Design and Communication Teaching (DiDACT)Department of LandscapeA

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PRINTING:

Toprint,simplyrightclickontheLayouttabandclickPlot.ThePlotboxwillcomeup(seeImage9)whichshouldhavethecorrectsettingsfrombeforewheneditingthePageSetupManager.IfyoudowanttochangePlotsettings(forexampleyoumaywanttoprinttoadifferentprinteroruseadifferentplotstyle)youcandosohere.ThiswillnotchangethesizeoftheactualpaperinyourLayoutbutdoesmeanyoucanprinttodifferentsizesandstylesasyouneed.

Howeverfornow,allyouneedtodoisclickonPreviewinthebottomlefthandcornerofthebox-thisisjusttocheckthateverythinglooksclearonyourplan.

Ifitlooksreadytogo,justclosethepreviewboxandclick“OK”.YouwillthenbeaskedwhereyouwanttosaveyourPDF.Saveitandthenyoucanopenitandprintit.AlternativelyifyouwishtoprintstraightfromtheCaddrawing,youcandosobychangingthePrinter/plottertoaprinterthatcanprintA3.

Ifyouwanttochangeelementsinyourdrawingsuchastextsizesorhatchscalesifyouthinktheydon’tlookright,yousimplyclosethePreviewbox,CanceltheplotandthenreturntoyourModelspacewhereyou’vebeendrawingandeditwhatyouwishtochange.