Learn how to optimize your drawings from scratch by using the right scale factors, inserting blocks, modifying dimension styles, and moving windows. This article guides you through detailed steps on how to create a handrail detail using a scale factor of 8, control dimensions and save your work consistently.
Key Insights
- The article provides steps on how to open a new drawing and save it efficiently. The author uses a scale factor of 1 1⁄2 inches representing a foot, and explains how to calculate the equivalent scale factor for the drawing.
- The author discusses the process of inserting a block into the drawing. The VDCI detail border, one horizontal, one vertical is chosen and a uniform scale factor of 8 is applied.
- Dimension styles and fit factors are explained in detail, with an emphasis placed on understanding how to modify these elements. The author also provides tips on how to move windows, position the drawing, and save the file effectively.
Note: These materials offer prospective students a preview of how our classes are structured. Students enrolled in this course will receive access to the full set of materials, including video lectures, project-based assignments, and instructor feedback.
Let's begin our new drawing. So I'm going to type in Control-O for open. I'm going to slide down and choose 05 original, and go open.
I'm going to do a save as, so file, save as. I'll slide down to the file name area, put my crosshair just to the right of 05, and remove out the words dash original, and go save. Well, we're in luck on this drawing.
Look at the scale. It tells us it has a scale factor of 1⁄2 inches represents a foot. Well, 1⁄2 is to 12 as 1 is to 8, so the title block, which is actually rectangles and lines, was brought in or created at a scale factor of 8. So let's go to insert.
I'll go to insert, over here to insert, insert block, go to more options, go over to browse. I will choose VDCI detail border, one horizontal, one vertical. I'll go open.
Right now it says specify insertion point on screen. I'm going to go on and deselect that, so it will go to,000. I will give it a scale factor of 8, a uniform scale factor of 8, make sure it does not say exploded, and go okay.
Learn AutoCAD
- Nationally accredited
- Create your own portfolio
- Free student software
- Learn at your convenience
- Authorized Autodesk training center
So it's 1⁄2 inches equals a foot, and this will be a handrail detail. So zoom extents, zoom real time, and I'm going to save, control S to save. Now, I'm going to list some things, and so I'm going to say right now, let's list the dimension, and you can see that the dimension is on layer 0, and that it has a dimension style of tick.
Well, the question in my mind is, what's the fit factor for this dimension style? So I'm going to type in DDIM, select tick, go over and modify it, and I can see that it has a fit factor of 48. Well, for this drawing, we want the fit factor to be 8, not 48, but let's leave it as it is for right now, just because I want you to see what's happening. So I'm just going to cancel out of this.
But you can see that one thing that's happened is as soon as I went into there, that the size of the dimensions updated to the current dimension scale factor, which is a fit factor of 48. So I can go back into DDIM and modify it, give it a scale factor of 8, delete the 4, go okay, and go close, and now you can see it looks much more normal. So I'm now going to do a move window around the geometry, move it from here to here, and I'll just pick enter, and then I'm going to erase out E space bar, I'll do the crossing here, I'll do the window here, and then zoom extents, Z space bar, E space bar.
You can see that I have the dimension alignment dots over here. These came in with the drawing. I'm going to zoom back, E space bar, W space bar, erase window, select the dots, and save the file.
Now what I want to do is I want to position the drawing. So I'm going to go move window, and I'm doing my zoom window around everything except for the title block. I'm going to say move it from the end up here at the handrail, perpendicular to the guide bar right here, and then move P for previous from the end of here, right here, perpendicular to here, and I'm going to save.
Now one thing I can see is I need to move some of my text over, so I'm going to say move window from the insertion point of the text to the node NOD right over here, and control S to save the text. Now remember that when I looked at these dimensions earlier, I noticed that they're on layer 0, so I'm going to select the dimensions, and I will move them, go to the home tab, I will move them to the layer ADEMS, and hit escape, and then save. What I'm going to do though, I'm going to go into the layer dialog box, I'm going to take the layer ADEMS, I will make it color 120, I will take text, make it color 120, and I think that's good enough for right now.
So let's save the drawing and come back in a few minutes and complete the drawing.
