How to Change Drawing Scale in DraftSight?

Understanding Drawing Scale in Draftsight

Changing scale in Draftsight is an essential skill, especially when preparing drawings for presentation or submission. The scale defines the relationship between measurements on your drawing and the actual dimensions in the real world. Properly adjusting the scale ensures that your drawings are accurate and fit for their intended purposes.

Getting Started with Scale Adjustment

To change the scale of your drawings in Draftsight, follow these detailed steps:

1. Open Your Drawing: Begin by launching Draftsight and opening the drawing file you wish to modify. Ensure that all your elements are visible and positioned correctly on the drawing sheet.

2. Select the Objects: Use the selection tool to highlight all the objects in your drawing that you wish to rescale. You can do this by clicking and dragging a selection window around the items or clicking each object individually while holding down the Ctrl key.

3. Initiate the Scale Command: Once your objects are selected, type the command SCALE in the command bar or access it through the modify panel. This action will enable the scaling options.

4. Define the Base Point: After initiating the scale command, you will need to specify a base point. This point acts as a pivot around which your objects will be scaled. You can click on an existing point in your drawing or enter coordinates manually.

5. Input the Scale Factor: When prompted, you can enter a numerical scale factor. Use a number greater than 1 to enlarge your drawing or a fraction (a number between 0 and 1) to reduce its size. For example, inputting 0.5 would scale the drawing down to half of its original size.

Scaling Based on Reference Dimensions

If you prefer to scale your drawing based on a reference length:

1. Activate Reference Scaling: After you have defined the base point, type R to activate reference scaling.

2. Specify Reference Length: Follow the prompts to indicate the length of the original dimension you want to reference. Click on two points to define the current measurement.

3. Define the New Length: Next, specify what the new length should be. This will adjust your drawing proportions to accurately reflect the newly defined measurements.

Changing the Drawing Layout Scale for Printing

When preparing for printing, setting a layout scale can be just as important:

1. Access Layout Tab: Switch to the layout tab of your drawing where you plan to print your design.

2. Scale Factor Configuration: Right-click on the viewport and select "Properties." In the properties window, look for the scale settings to adjust the drawing scale for the viewport accordingly.

3. Setting the Desired Scale: You can choose a predefined scale or enter a custom scale factor. Ensure to check that the scale matches the dimensional accuracy required for your printed output.

Final Checks Before Saving

Once you’ve completed the scaling adjustments:

1. Verify the Dimensions: Measure critical dimensions using the dimension tools to ensure all changes reflect the accurate measurements.

2. Zoom Extents: Utilize the zoom extents command to view the entire drawing and ensure everything appears appropriately scaled.

3. Save Your Work: Finally, save the modified drawing while keeping a backup of the original file for reference.

FAQs

What happens if I scale an object without specifying a base point?
If you do not specify a base point while scaling, the object may scale from an unintended location, leading to incorrect placement within your drawing.

Can I scale a drawing to a specific ratio, such as 1:100?
Yes, you can specify fraction-based scale factors like 0.01 for 1:100. This will reduce the size of the drawing according to your specified ratio.

Is it possible to reverse the scale adjustments made?
Yes, if you have set the scale factor correctly, you can reapply the SCALE command with the reciprocal of the previous scale to revert to the original size. Always keep a backup of your original drawing for reference.