Before starting let’s understand that we will use the Model Space for Drafting / Modeling and Paper Space for Page Setup and Plotting. In other words we are not going to set any boundaries, except limits, in the Model Space and will not restrict ourselves to any Paper Size, Scale or Viewports.
Don’t even think of Size of the drawing in terms of Spread as long as we are working in Model Space. We will draft / model everything to the real world or true scale i.e. 100’ would be drawn as 100’ without any scaling down. As we have already learnt there is no size limit in Model space and we can draw anything as big as it gets, instead of worrying about the size and scale of the drawing we will focus on making the drawing Organized, Composed and Smart.
Right, now to begin with the first thing we should set is the Units. Drawing units would instruct AutoCAD about the type of measurements we are going to use. To achieve this click on Format – Units, a dialogue box of Drawing Units will open. In this dialogue box there are 4 sections –
1. Length specifies the current unit of measurement and the precision for the current units.
Type sets the current format for units of measure. The values include Architectural, Decimal, Engineering, Fractional, and Scientific. The Engineering and Architectural formats produce feet-and-inches displays and assume that each drawing unit represents one inch. The other formats can represent any real-world unit.
Precision sets the number of decimal places or fractional size displayed for linear measurements.
2. Angle specifies the current angle format and the precision for the current angle display.
Type sets the current angle format.
Precision sets the precision for the current angle display.
The following conventions are used for the various angle measures: decimal degrees appear as decimal numbers, grads appear with a lowercase g suffix, and radians appear with a lowercase r suffix. The degrees/minutes/seconds format uses d for degrees, ' for minutes, and " for seconds – 123d45'56.7"
Surveyor’s units show angles as bearings, using N or S for north or south, degrees/minutes/seconds for how far east or west the angle is from direct north or south, and E or W for east or west – N 45d0'0" E
The angle is always less than 90 degrees and is displayed in the degrees/minutes/seconds format. If the angle is precisely north, south, east, or west, only the single letter representing the compass point is displayed.
Clockwise calculates positive angles in the clockwise direction. The default direction for positive angles is counterclockwise. When prompted for an angle, you can point in the desired direction or enter an angle regardless of the setting specified for Clockwise.
3. Insertion Scale controls the unit of measurement for blocks and drawings that are inserted into the current drawing. A block or a drawing that is created with units that are different from the units specified with this option is scaled when inserted. The insertion scale is the ratio of the units used in the source block or drawing and the units used in the target drawing. Select Unitless to insert the block without scaling it to match the specified units.
Note – In the Options dialog box, User Preferences tab, the Source Content Units and Target Drawing Units settings are used when, either in the source block or the target drawing, Insertion Scale is set to Unitless.
4. Sample Output displays an example of the current settings for units and angles.
Direction – Displays the Direction Control Dialog Box
Defines the angle for 0 degrees and specifies the direction in which angles are measured. When prompted for an angle, you can locate a point in the desired direction or enter an angle.
Base Angle sets the direction of the zero angle. The following options affect the entry of angles, the display format, and the entry of polar, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates.
East specifies the compass direction east (the default).
North specifies the compass direction north.
West specifies the compass direction west.
South specifies the compass direction south.
Other specifies a direction different from the points of the compass.
Angle specifies a value for the zero angle when Other is selected. You can specify the angle by entering a value.
Pick an Angle Button defines the zero angle in the graphics area based on the angle of an imaginary line that connects any two points you specify with the pointing device. Available only when Other is selected.
For our assignment set the units to Architectural and precision to 0’0” and leave the rest as it is. Once the Units are set we can proceed to Limits, which we will see tomorrow.
Stay tuned…!
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