- AutoCAD allows us to draw our geometry in real scale, or one-to-one. This means we can draw a house in real dimensions. But eventually we still need to print black lines on white paper. To scale our final prints, AutoCAD uses layouts and concepts known as paper space and model space. These are somewhat abstract concepts, so don't feel bad if it takes a little practice and use to become comfortable with them. Obviously, we cannot print a full house plan at one-to-one scale on a piece of paper, so it must be scaled down.
Rather than scaling down our geometry and losing the convenience of drawing in real space, we'll use layouts. Model space, shown here, is where we create our object geometry drawn in real dimensions. Here, if I use the distance tool, we can see that this house is drawn at one-to-one scale, 46-foot wide by 41-foot deep. This means that all the lines and all the components are drawn in real dimensions. Here we find layouts. Each layout represents a single piece of paper, and is also drawn to real scale.
So here I have a 36-by-24 rectangle to represent my 36-by-24 piece of paper. Now to show the geometry I create in a model space, I'm gonna cut a hole in this piece of paper called a view port. Think of a view port as a hole with a piece of glass in the paper. The glass allows us to look through the paper into model space below. But the glass can be used to magnify the model to scale so it fits on the page. In pencil drafting we used a standard set of scales, which we'll use here as well.
Here we can use mechanical scales, like 1-to-2 or 1-to-10, as well as architectural scales, like one-eighth inch equals a foot, or one-quarter inch equals a foot. Now before the model space and paper space really took hold, AutoCAD drafters used to scale their dimensions and page layouts to the scale they wanted to print the page at. Like scaling everything by a factor of 48 for a quarter-inch equals one foot scale. The problem came when you had multiple sheets at different scales, or wanted to zoom in to show details at a larger scale.
Dimensions and text would be scaled, too. This meant occasionally dimensions and text would be in the wrong scale and print at different sizes on the same page. Today there are still two schools of thought on using layouts. I see some firms adhere to this older method. Using paper space, drafters would create their pages, as I mentioned, but use a single view port to show everything in their drawing. The other school of thought, of which I find slightly more useful and more closely tied to how the concepts of paper space and model space were originally intended, is to draw your geometry in model space, as I have here, and then place all of your dimensions, all of your annotations, in paper space.
All the annotations, including dimensions, notes, call outs and any other information that essentially does not exist on the final produced product being drafted. In this case, when I actually build this house I wouldn't have the word Living Room stenciled on the floor. If it doesn't go in the final house, it doesn't go in model space. Using this method, you can create just one dimension style and one text style, and these are created at the size you want to see them on the printed page. Text created at a quarter of an inch will be plotted at a quarter of an inch when the page is printed.
This allows for consistency, as well as not needing a dozen dimension styles for every scale. Again, these concepts are slightly abstract and require a little planning and a basic understand of drafting principles, but with the tools provided in AutoCAD for MAC, they should help and allow you to create and use your geometry to your full advantage.
Author
Released
2/17/2015- Accessing palettes
- Changing preferences
- Opening and saving files
- Working with views
- Creating basic geometry: lines, ellipses, splines, and more
- Selecting, moving, copying, and scaling geometry
- Working with layers
- Using gradients
- Creating blocks and dynamic blocks
- Working with references
- Creating layouts
- Annotating drawings
- Plotting and sharing
- Starting in 3D
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
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Related Courses
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AutoCAD 2015 Essential Training
with Scott Onstott8h 35m Beginner
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Introduction
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Welcome50s
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1. The Interface
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Components of the interface1m 21s
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Accessing the palettes3m 8s
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Command-line overview3m 41s
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User preferences2m 59s
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Using the Help menu1m 51s
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The right-click menu1m 57s
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2. File Management
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File-type basics2m 11s
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Opening files1m 21s
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Saving files2m 15s
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Configuring a new drawing1m 10s
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Templates1m 56s
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Drawing units2m 49s
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3. Navigation
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Zoom commands2m 36s
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Panning1m 35s
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Regenerating and redrawing1m 22s
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Views1m 28s
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4. Basic Geometry
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Geometry of your geometry1m 57s
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Absolute-coordinate entry3m 17s
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Relative-coordinate entry2m 25s
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Lines2m 41s
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Circles and arcs3m 24s
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Polylines6m 44s
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Ellipses1m 45s
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Splines1m 54s
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Points1m 16s
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5. Geometry Tools
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Snap & Grid2m 30s
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Ortho and Polar Tracking2m 1s
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Object snaps4m 7s
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Object-snap tracking1m 56s
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Measuring tools3m 14s
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Divide1m 35s
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6. Modifying Geometry
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Selection methods4m 53s
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Quick Select1m 55s
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Move3m
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Copy3m 29s
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Rotate2m 24s
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Scale2m 24s
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Stretch3m 17s
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Trim and Extend3m 6s
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Offset3m 16s
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Mirror2m 23s
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Array3m 44s
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Polyline editing4m 48s
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Join and Break3m 11s
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Fillet and Chamfer3m 53s
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7. Layers
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Object properties2m 1s
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Layer basics2m 56s
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Creating layers5m 34s
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Layer tools2m 43s
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Advanced layer tools2m 31s
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Layer states3m 24s
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8. Advanced Objects
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Hatch basics3m 36s
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Using gradients2m 11s
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Groups1m 54s
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Blocks1m 38s
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Creating blocks2m 22s
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Updating blocks3m 24s
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Dynamic blocks2m 13s
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Dynamic blocks practice5m 41s
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External references3m 56s
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Binding external references2m 47s
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Underlaying images4m 9s
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Underlaying PDFs2m 36s
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9. Layouts
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Creating layouts1m 54s
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Viewport basics3m 33s
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Locking viewports1m 20s
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Viewport layers1m 33s
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10. Annotations
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Text styles1m 42s
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Single-line text2m 14s
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Dimension styles3m 35s
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Linear dimensions2m 53s
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Aligned dimensions2m 14s
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Special dimensions1m 31s
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Leaders1m 33s
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Dimension overrides2m 32s
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Annotation scaling1m 59s
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11. Plotting and Sharing
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Page setups3m 6s
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Plot styles2m 12s
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The Plot dialog1m 34s
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Plot to PDF2m 8s
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Batch publishing2m 8s
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Pack & Go1m 53s
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12. 3D Basics
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Views in 3D2m 50s
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Basic 3D geometry3m 14s
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Modifying 3D objects3m 22s
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Conclusion
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Next steps38s
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Video: Understanding paper space/model space