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AutoCAD Productivity

Shorten the Plot Scales List in a Viewport

by Michael Beall

From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #140
Originally published: June 2015

Scale menuIf you plot from a viewport on a Layout tab, and you have a specific collection of plot scales you typically use, you may be interested in editing that list to display only the ones you need to see.

There are other approaches to accessing the same plot scale regularly, but this is one of the most straightforward.

How to Modify the List of Plot Scales

  1. When you're in a viewport, click the location on the Status bar where you see the scale/factor for the current viewport.

  2. Scroll to the bottom, then click Custom… to open the Edit Drawing Scales dialog box.

  3. I would recommend keeping 1:1, but then select those plot scales you really don't need, then click Delete.

  4. Organize the ones you use all the time by using Move Up or Move Down.

    Edit scales dialog

Note: If you totally gom it up, you can always hit Reset, then choose your desired collection of either Imperial, Metric, or both.

See all the articles published in June 2015

Michael's Corner

Between 2003 and 2016, Michael Beall (and one or two guests) wrote almost 600 articles for CADTutor. The focus of these articles is AutoCAD productivity, and although some of them are now more than a few years old, most remain relevant to current versions of AutoCAD. The article above is just one example. Check out Michael's Corner for a full listing.

Tip of the Day

Lock your viewports!

Display lockedThe zoom factor of your viewports is crucial because it affects the plotted scale of your drawing. So, once you have set your viewport scale, it's a good idea to lock your viewport so that you don't inadvertently change it. To lock a viewport, select it in paper space by picking on its boundary and then right-click anywhere within the viewport. Select "Properties" from the right-click menu and the Properties panel will appear. In the "Misc" section, click on "Display locked" to activate the pull-down and set the value to "Yes".

Today's tip is by David Watson

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