Expert: Bob - 8/21/2008

Question
QUESTION: I am a Landscape Designer and I have Autocad 2006, I am pretty proficient with this program but I am struggling to figure how to scale a drawing to the page.  I received a drawing from an architect that was in 1:10 scale but when I brought it to paper space it was tiny.  when I draw a 3' line it is way bigger than the home.

ANSWER: Hi

I am confused:

1-- how can a drawing from the architect be in 1/10 scale? AutoCAD is drawn at 1:1 only.
2-- "brought it to paper space"????? Say it another way, please. I dont understand exactly what you did.  And why would the landscape plan be drawn in paper space???
3-- "tiny" and "way bigger" -- sorry, they are not professional terms, but complaints. If you measure the house, as shown on your screen next to the 3' line, you will be able to determine the ratio of the scaling error, so you can figure out what to do next.

SO --
A -- for now -- You need to fix the project, so you can complete it. This means either
1-- scale up the house, if it was drawn at the wrong scale by the other guy.
2-- figure out what you did with paper space to get it so wrong.
THEN
B-- you need to get a good AutoCAD book and go over the chapters on setting up to plot --- viewports, layouts, scale, etc. Also, sometimes when people are self-taught, they use their own names for things, which makes communication difficult.

If you will answer the 3 questions, above, in enough depth that I understand you, I will help you get the immediate problem solved.

BOB



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Bob,  I guess I don't know what to do with a .dwg file when I receive it from a client.  I think the parameters that he draw in are metric or engineering and I am not familiar with the steps to make it architectural.  I have been importing drawings into an existing file that has lines for landscaping and hardscaping already there as well as my template for trees and plants.  I don't know if that is the right way to do it or not.  I have AutoCAD for dummies 2006, it doesn't give me the steps for what I am looking for.  Sorry for being a 'complainer' with my non-professional terms, what would the command be for the scaling error?

Thank you, Sandy

Answer
Hi Sandy

You need a PROFESSIONAL book -- which you know that one is not. There are plenty of them. The fact that you want to stay at that low level and still do work is your problem --- doing things right saves time, and learning AutoCAD in a superficial way costs tons of time and errors.

You did not answer my questions or follow my directions
If you measured how much too big or too small the drawing was, I could probably tell you the problem.

If you think --- it would not matter if the drawing were in Engineering units, since AutoCAD is drawn one to one.
If the project is overseas, in Canada, etc -- of course it is Metric.
If you are to work in metric, do so.
If you want to work in Imperial, you must scale it down, either with the SCALE command (select all of it and scale it to 1/25.4)

But -- the problem should not be that it is in Metric, as it would be too big, rather than too small.

So if you dont measure the house, we are going in circles. I cant give you a command that caused the error -- maybe you imported it and did not pay attn to the scale??????????????

And you dont "import" a drawing to add landscaping -- you would either use WBLOCK, copy and paste, or (best, in many cases) XREF.

I am not meaning to beat you up --- but if you cant learn the terms by studying up a bit, you cant communicate.

BOB

PS --- You gave me the lowest rating I have ever gotten, with mean, snide comments, caused by your refusing to look at yourself.
Usually, I am nominated for the top each month, so all those people must be wrong, and Sandy is right.
It CANT BE that you asked and follow up less clearly than the high school students or those in other countries with limited English???
It CANT BE that you are so stuck on doing it your way that you were not at least GRATEFUL that I spent nearly an hour of my time, for FREE???????????
It CANT BE that I should just refuse to answer when I see a poorly formed question that does not make sense, so I wont be afraid of a low rating??????????

OR MAYBE IT COULD BE that you had no perspective that you were asking a volunteer, and were upset to read the VERY TRUE WAKE UP CALL  that you have no idea what you are doing??

You should be ashamed -- and you should re-rate me, if you want to come off as an adult.