How to Create a Drawing with a Different Vertical and Horizontal Scale
Here’s a problem many people face when working on engineering drawings, especially plan and profile sheets. How to create a drawing with different vertical and horizontal scales?
As everyone should know by now, in AutoCAD, you always draw FULL scale. This becomes a problem when working on some drawings, because when you are working on very large horizontal scale, you sometimes must exaggerate the vertical scale in order to make it read.
The best way I’ve found to accomplish this is to create two drawings. In the first drawing, draw everything full scale. Do not put any text on the drawing. When finished, create a second drawing and set it up to the horizontal scale. Then xref the first drawing into the second drawing and change the “X Scale” to adjust for the difference in scale. For example, if your horizontal scale needs to be 1=200, and your vertical scale needs to be 1=20, change the value of the “X” scale to be 10. It will stretch the XREF so that the height is 10 times bigger than the width.
Now add your text. Don’t forget to set all your scales for your layout, dimensions and text to be at the horizontal scale factor.
Mike
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OMG! That is so easy it’s brilliant, and it’s already within my skill set.
Thanks Jim, I’m glad this helped you
Hi Mike, why is xref the best way? I would be use blocks. When you insert a block you also can chose differend scales for x, y and z. And you have just one drawing.
The reason I use Xref is I find it easier to edit back in it’s original scale. You could use blocks and edit with block editor, especially if you just have one drawing.
Well I like to browse around when i’m not so busy at work. So are you currently using any Discreet products? If so what do you use?
I use 3D Studio Max for my renderings.
good tip – in the tip you said change the x scale to 10 – i think that should be the y scale
(maybe i read something wrong)
Yes, you are correct. It should be the Y scale. Thanks for correcting that.
Good tip — good site, too. One problems with an XREF is it tends to wander off and get lost on the day you email the parent to the client/boss/plotter/etc.
I like plain ole CTRL+X > CTRL+SHIFT+V for the PASTEBLOCK command. Then you can scale it, explode it and modify it within the same file.