Hello Twebb-
Thanks for the feedback. I find 2D CAD to be very useful to model making.
I downloaded DoubleCAD XT, filled out the pages of required personal information, and sent it off to them for approval several days ago. Never heard back from them, so I guess I will never be able to test or use their product. Go figure.
Draftsight is very close to AutoCad LT. A few of the commands vary in name and work slightly differently, but they are almost clones.
The way I handle scale is as follows:
1. The only thing that I scale up and down are titleblocks.
Everything else is drawn 1:1, ie: a 6" measured part is drawn 6" long.
2. I draw my objects first (parts, etc.), and then insert (as a block which I explode after inserting into the drawing) a pre-drawn copy of all of the standard titleblock sizes for both decimal and architectural.
Below each titleblock, I have pre-configured text paragraphs and various text with associated leaders. The text size varies with each titleblock size.
I the group of titleblocks in the upper left corner of the screen for easy access.
Once the titleblocks have been inserted, and you have drawn the largest part or group of parts that you want to appear on a single sheet, then just look at which size titleblock fits around the group of objects you have drawn.
Copy the desired titleblock to your drawing area, and bring with it the pre-sized text and text with associative leaders (don't use text with a leader unless the leader is associative, ie: you drag the text to move it and the leader automatically redraws itself when it is associative, big time saver).
3. As you add text and notation to the drawing, always copy the predrawn paragraph or paragraph with leader and past/edit it into your drawing workspace.
This ensures that you always get the right text size with the right titleblock.
(They don't seem to teach this in school, at least they never taught me this, and the people I worked with always screwed up the titleblock and associated text size, usually at the worst moment).
Rule No. 1: Never scale your drawing objects up or down (huge mistake, although very easy to do), leave your drawing objects 1:1 always.
If you don't get this rule down and adhere to it you will not succeed in CAD.
Scale titleblocks only.
4. At the bottom of each of my pre-drawn titleblocks, I have the scale factor noted, as well as a big note that says "Plot this drawing at 1:20", or whatever scale I happen to be drawing on. If you put this information at the bottom of each drawing, you never have to remember what scale to plot at, and it is hard for anyone to screw up a plot this way.
There are many many die-hard "Paperspace" users who insist on forcing the drawing into Paperspace and always plotting everything 1:1 instead of 1 to whatever scale you are using.
Paperspace is bad news and does not prevent the user from screwing up the drawing.
I would strongly recommend that Paperspace never be used in a CAD drawing. It is an obsolete function and there are far better and simpler methods to use, such as XCLIP, which totally eliminate all the Paperspace problems.
Always keep all your drawing in Modelspace and use XCLIP if necessary to clip off a large XREF.
Don't use Paperspace. Many have used Paperspace for so long, and have gotten so engrained with it that they cannot even entertain the idea that there may be a much simplier and easier way to set up drawings. Don't be closed minded about CAD. Paperspace is an totally unnecessary and complicated tool to use, and it splits your drawing into two separate pieces, either of which can be edited, but not combined. Paperspace was a good idea that turned out bad in actual use.
I will try and post my standard set of titleblocks here. While I do have a chart for scale factors and their associated text sizes, I never have to use it since I use the pre-configured text and text with leaders as noted above.
If my drawing changes and gets larger, I delete the titleblock and replace it with a larger one. If you have alread drawn existing text and leaders in the drawing, and then change the size of the titleblock, then you will need to scale up each individual text and leader to suit the larger titleblock.
The bottom line is that you use different size titleblocks to plot drawings at different scales.
For model work, I usueall draw a titleblock 8.5"x11", and generally my parts fit within that box, and can be plotted 1:1 without scaling up or down to fit on the sheet.
If I am drawing a building 1,500 feet long, I have to plot to some scale so that I can represent that building on a single sheet of paper, usually 24"x36", and sometimes 30"x42". If you use the method I described above, don't worry about scale factors, just find the titleblock that fits the drawing, and plot at the scale factor noted below the titleblock.
How do you make sure you have the drawing plotted to the correct scale factor?
I have seen people in my company plot a drawing to the wrong scale. The project goes out to bid, the Contractor takes all his measurements off the drawing, and the drawing is plotted to the wrong scale, the material he bids is 1/2 what it should be, and the design company has a big claim on their errors and omissions insurance.
I have seen this scenario occur more than once at the same company.
The way to avoid this it to use a graphic scale on your drawings. I include a pre-drawn graphic scale on each of my titleblocks, and also on my model titleblocks.
Once the drawing is plotted, lay your scale (in the drafting world, a scale is a ruler) on top of the graphic scale after your sheet is plotted, and 10 feet on your ruler must line up with 10 feet on your printed graphis scale.
Always use a graphic scale and check it before you start using a drawing.
Many people print drawings to 1/2 size for convenience, and then measure off of the 1/2 size drawings, and end up with half the material they need.
The graphic scale on your 1/2 size drawing will tip you off that the drawing is not plotted to scale when you check it.
More subtle errors that must be caught are drawings plotted 1:10 instead of 1:12, or a similar situation that may be hard to notice.
I will post some examples of the above here today.
Pat J
