6 replies to this topic

[Dave Pazyniak]

Good Morning,

 

Thank you all for your help.  I saw many old post on this topic, but some were pre 2016 and I'm not sure there was a preferred answer...

 

What is the best way to handle projects that will be printed at 1/4" scale versus ones that will be printed at 1/8"?  Do I need to determine page size and scale choices before starting the project?  I have set up all my text items to display at the size I want for a 1/4" drawing.  Once I have that established, do I need to set up another set of options for 1/8" projects, or is there a way to easily adjust every test item proportionately (before any drawing and/or after drawing is almost finished)? 

 

I am limiting myself to one issue per day.

 

TIA

Dave

[Kevin Rabenaldt]

Dave, I print on basically two paper sizes.  The paper I generally use for 1/4 scale is 24 x 36.  If a house is too big to fit on 24 x 36 then I increase the 24 inch dimension in increments of 2 inches until the layout(s) fit.  My printer can handle up to 36 by 48.  Commercial printers (at printing service) even bigger but even 36 x 48 is too big to handle.  For 11 x 17 I will print "fit to page" with the layout for 24 x 36 paper printing.  This does give you a scale less than 1/8.  If you want to print your drawings with a layout that fits of 24 x 36 and 1/4 scale and print 11 x 17 (and 1/8 scale), then your layout will have more white space along the perimeter.  If you can print on 12 x 18 paper (some printers can do this, especially inkjets) that paper size is exactly 1/2 of 24 x 36.  However 12 x 18 paper is a special order and costs proportionally more than 11 x 17.  Clear as mud?  Also, since you should not scale off a drawing away, just make a note that if printed on 11 x17 paper the drawing is "fit to page" and not to scale.

 

Kevin

 

Another point.  I print my drawings on 11 x 17 paper to provide me a paper backup.  I fold the drawings in half and stick in a standard folder.  You just can not have enough backup options.  When you draw for a long time, the digital ones seems to disappear through time and computer upgrades.

[Keith Almond]

Personally, all my drawings are set up for 1/4" and if I print at 3/16" then I live with the reduced text etc. You can use autoscale, but I've found that it causes more problems than it solves. I never print at 1/8" but if I was going to, I would set up specific "blank" drawings with text sizes etc. already configured so that everything is legible at 1/8", the same as I did for detail drawings at 1/2" & 1"

[Tom Rogers]

Are you using plan sets or multi-drawings?  Plan sets you can set up different sets at different scales.  I have a template for each size and the only and the only item that you need to have different versions of are title blocks.  Other than that I can print out the same set on a 11x17 page and send a client a 22x34 sheet to be plotted. 

[Dave Pazyniak]

Thanks, guys.  Part of my problem is working for different builders that have their own drawing requirements for page sizes and scales od drawings...

 

What is the best way to handle a detail drawing?  I draw my floor plan, dimension it, and note it up. Now I want to show a blow up of the kitchen cabinets at a larger scale.  Do I set up a custom drawing mode?  All existing dims and notes are too large.  If I put my note and call outs on the plan set page, they do not move when I revise the drawing.

 

I've spent several years using Softplan, but always just for the floor plans.  Never did much of anything with 3d or elevations, just drew them with linework.  Just upgraded to 2016 and I'm trying to break old habits and take advantage of the tools softplan provides.

 

Is there a completed sample project (fairly involved) I can view to see how it is all put together?  Can I watch the training video library on my ipad?  other training resources?

 

Thanks again,

Dave

[Brian Berzinskis]

I like Keith setup my drawings all at 1/4 inch and if I ever print at 3/16 inch scale then I live with the text being a little smaller. I also print sets on 11x17 for when I go into the field as it is easier to hold and make marks on but I always print to scale at 50% to my original 24x36 and it typically only chops off the title block and not the actual drawings.

 

But onto your question about the enlarged partial drawings, I have been using custom drawing modes for that in the few times that I have done it. Most of my cases the normal drawing mode is used for my partials and are printed at 1/4 inch scale while my custom modes are key maps at a smaller scale that show the entire apartment building and not the single unit. So for those reasons my custom mode usually has most of the text removed and if I need to add something like unit numbers then I will do it on that drawing mode and manually change the text scale.

 

Of note Overview and Detail Notes can be set at different scales if you find yourself using two different text sizes often.

[Keith Almond]

I have set up some drawing sheets that are completely blank, but have things like dimension arrow, arrows and text PRE customized, so that they come out about the right size depending on the scale. As follows: