2012

Control How Objects Are Plotted
You can control how objects are plotted by setting the plot scale, by using
plot styles and plot style tables, and by setting an object's layer properties.
Set Plot Scale
When you specify a scale to output your drawing, you can choose from a list
of real-world scales, enter your own scale, or select Fit to Paper to scale the
drawing to fit onto the selected paper size.
Usually, you draw objects at their actual size. That is, you decide how to
interpret the size of a unit (an inch, a millimeter, a meter) and draw on a 1:1
scale. For example, if your unit of measurement is millimeters, then every unit
in your drawing represents a millimeter. When you plot the drawing, you
either specify a precise scale or fit the image to the paper.
Most final drawings are plotted at a precise scale. The method used to set the
plot scale depends on whether you plot model space or a layout:
■ From model space, you can establish the scale in the Plot dialog box. This
scale represents a ratio of plotted units to the world-size units you used to
draw the model.
■ In a layout, you work with two scales. The first affects the overall layout
of the drawing, which usually is scaled 1:1, based on the paper size. The
second is the scale of the model itself, which is displayed in layout
viewports. The scale in each of these viewports represents a ratio of the
paper size to the size of the model in the viewport.
NOTE You can modify the list of scales that are displayed in all view and plot scale
lists with SCALELISTEDIT.
Set a Specific Scale
When you plot, the paper size you select determines the unit type, inches or
millimeters. For example, if the paper size is in mm, entering 1 under mm
and 10 under Units produces a plotted drawing in which each plotted
millimeter represents 10 actual millimeters.
The illustrations show a light bulb plotted at three different scales.
1206 | Chapter 30 Print or Plot Drawings