Expert: Bob - 5/30/2007

Question
Hello, I have a question about going from a model space to layout to printing.  Why would my lines in the model space look solid until I adjust them and they turn to dashed lines.  Viewing the lines in the model space they appear to be solid and when I go to the layout space they are dashed print as dashed lines.  This cad file is old and has had many different people work on it and I am not sure where to look for settings that would do this.

Thanks,
Dan


Answer
HI -- Sorry, I am trying to wrap my mind around how to answer this without writing an essay, because you omitted the most important things -- the AutoCAD release, your experience, the field, and whether you need a real fix or just want to plot the drawing. When you give me nothing to go on, I have to write at a VERY basic level, which might insult you.

1-- if you just want to plot it. Make a copy of the file, open that, select the whole drawing and change all the linetypes in Properties to Continuous (Use the dropdown in Properties to narrow the selection, or use QuickSelect.)

2--If you dont realize that dashed lines look solid at some scales (your problem), you need to go through a couple of chapters in a good AutoCAD book, and/or look for tutorials online by typing LTSCALE tutorial into Google, read HELP, etc.
This is VERY BASIC --- Not to be rude, but you should not be in the spot to handle drawings like that without the scale and linetype knowledge, as you will go in circles, like now.
Newer AutoCAD releases get better and better at automating this, saving you some trouble. Again, not knowing the release, all I can tell you is that you give the appearance of not having had good AutoCAD classes under your belt. I hope I am mistaken -- but if its true, you can learn a lot from books.  Batting around trying to learn or catch up on your own leads to dissater -- and people who do that make messed up drawings the next person has hell with.
Good luck -- write back with specifics if you need to -- but I cannot teach 12 hours of class here, if you lack the basic knowledge on linetypes, scale, viewports, etc.

BOB