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Scale issues exporting to AutoCAD


CharlesJ

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VectorWorks 11 also creates blocks out of design layers as needed, but there are various scale problems which are fixed in 12. If you have a problem file that you want to submit as a bug report, that would help to ensure we didn't miss any cases.

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Firstly, thanks for your responses. I do appreciate it. I will try to be more specific in the hope that In you can tell me whether what I would like to do is possible or if I need to find another way to work.

Typically, I work with Saved Sheets and the sheets have more than one scale. (i,e., my title block symbol is in 1:1, floor plans are usually 1/4", etc.,) This allows me to communicate more clearly with my boss, who is not very computer literate, because he does not have to manipulate a file very much to print or view it.

When it comes time to export the drawings to send to a consultant, it would be great if I could simply export a Saved Sheet because if one of us is looking at hardcopy and another at a VW or AutoCAD file, we can refer to "Sheet A2.1" or whatever and know that the other person we are commmuncating with, via phone or email, is looking at the same information.

So my question is: is this possible in VW 11.5or do I need to find another way to work? We recently upgraded so another one to v12 is a tough sell.

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If you upgraded very recently, you may qualify for a free upgrade to v12. Call sales/customer service for more info.

AutoCAD has only one model space, and it has only one scale. So there's no simple way for us to export more than one scale to model space. If you export design layers rather than sheet layers, VectorWorks will physically scale some objects to bring everything to the same scale. This will make things look the same in model space in AutoCAD.

If you export sheet layers, the viewport scale is used for all scaling, and everything in model space is exported at 1:1. This results in the sheet looking correct in AutoCAD, but model space may look different if different design layers had different scales.

There is currently no way to change that. This shouldn't be a big problem for recent versions of AutoCAD, as the user can enter a viewport on the sheet layer and work from there. Model space is becoming more of a database and less of a useful drawing area, even in all-AutoCAD files.

It may be possible to allow an option in the future that would do the rescaling even when exporting sheets, and allow specifying a model space scale. This might be especially good if we exported different design layers or layer scales to different xrefs, so they could be edited independently. This is on the wish-list.

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Hi Charles1,

quote:

it would be great if I could simply export a Saved Sheet because if one of us is looking at hardcopy and another at a VW or AutoCAD file

?

Can you not send a pdf file of your sheet? This would make it easy for people at both ends to see the same drawing.

If the the people at the other end must work on the drawing, then a good approach might be to make Vectorworks mimic AutoCad. That is, do everything on one layer, and use classes to differentiate drawing parts.

If you want to have different scales on the same drawing, use workgroup refs and then ship all the parts as separate drawings and let the guy on the other end reassemble them into one drawing using AutoCad's XREFs. He can use a pdf print to see how the sheet should be assembled.

Once he's assembled a sheet, he shouldn't have to do it again. Just send him the revised workgroup refs and he can swap them with his XREFs.

This will require pre-planning and some time spent on the phone or in a meeting with the AutoCad person. After that, it should run smoothly.

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