When you draft on paper, you determine the scale before you start drawing.

This
scale compares the size of the drawn object to the actual size of the object the
drawing represents. For example, each quarter inch in an architectural drawing
might equal one foot in the floor plan of a house. The scale you choose must all
ow the drawing of the object to fit on the paper.
In AutoCAD LT, this process is reversed. You draw with a unit type you specify (
architectural, decimal, and so on) or with the default unit type (decimal). Each
unit on the screen represents whatever you want it to be: an inch, a millimeter
, a kilometer. Therefore, if you are drawing a motor part, one unit might equal
a millimeter. If you are drawing a map, one unit might equal one kilometer.
When you print or plot, you can set different scales for different sections of a
drawing. You don't need to think about setting a scale until you're ready to pr
int or plot your drawing.
Although you do not specify the scale of your drawing until you plot, you can en
ter in advance the scaled size for
Text (if drawn in model space)
Dimensions (if drawn in model space)
Noncontinuous linetypes
Hatch patterns
Views (in layout viewports only)
Scaling these elements ensures that they are at the correct size in the final dr
awing.
Specify the Scale Factor in Model Space
If you plan to plot your drawing from the Model tab, you should calculate the ex
act scale factor by converting the drawing scale to a ratio of 1:n. This ratio c
ompares plotted units to drawing units that represent the actual size of the obj
ects you are drawing.
For example, if you draw at a scale of 1/4 inch = 1 foot, you would calculate th
e scale factor 48 as follows:
1/4" = 12"
1 = 12 x 4
1 (plotted unit) = 48 (drawing units)
Using the same calculation, the scale factor for 1/8 inch = 1 foot is 96, and th
e scale factor for 1 inch = 20 feet is 240.
Example
The sample architectural scale ratios in the table can be used to calculate text
sizes in model space. Scale
Scale factor
To plot text
size at
Set drawing text
size to

1/8" = 1'-0"
96
1/8"
12"

3/16" = 1'-0"
64
1/8"
8"

1/4" = 1'-0"
48
1/8"
6"

3/8" = 1'-0"
32
1/8"
4"

1/2" = 1'-0"
24
1/8"
3"

3/4" = 1'-0"
16
1/8"
2"

1" = 1'-0"
12
1/8"
1.5"

1 1/2" = 1'-0"
8
1/8"
1.0"


If you are working in metric units, you might have a sheet size of 210 x 297 mm
(A4 size) and a scale factor of 20. You calculate drawing limits as follows:
210 20 = 4200 mm
297 20 = 5900 mm
Once you establish the scale factor, you can use it to set text height, dimensio
n sizes, linetype scale, hatch pattern scale, and viewport scale. When the drawi
ng is complete, you can plot it at any scale, or you can plot different views of
your model at different scales.
Apply Scale Factors
You set values for the following elements depending on whether you intend to plo
t from model space or from a layout in paper space.
Text. Set the text height as you create text or by setting a fixed text height i
n the text style ( STYLE). The text height for text plotted from model space sho
uld be multiplied by the scale factor. Text created directly on a layout should
be set to true size (1:1).
Dimensions. Set the dimension scale in a dimension style ( DIMSTYLE) or with the
DIMSCALE system variable. Dimensions created directly on a layout should be set
to true size (1:1).
Linetypes. For objects plotted from the Model tab, set the scale for noncontinuo
us linetypes with the CELTSCALE and LTSCALE system variables. For objects plotte
d from a layout (paper space), use the PSLTSCALE system variable.
Hatch patterns. Set the scale for hatch patterns in the Boundary Hatch dialog bo
x ( BHATCH) or with the HPSCALE system variable.
Views. When plotting from the layout tab, use ZOOM XP, where XP is the scale (th
e inverse of the scale factor) of the view relative to the size of the paper.
See Also
Edit in Layout Viewports
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To format drawing units
From the Format menu, choose Units.
In the Drawing Units dialog box, set the unit values for your drawing. As you ch
ange unit settings, AutoCAD LT shows examples under Sample Output.
Under Length, select a unit type and level of precision.
Under Drawing units for DesignCenter blocks, select the unit that you want AutoC
AD LT to use to scale blocks, images or other content inserted into the drawing.
If you do not want AutoCAD LT to scale inserted content, select Unitless.
Under Angle, select an angle type and precision.
To specify an angle direction, choose Direction, and then select the base angle
in the Direction Control dialog box. The angle direction controls the point from
which AutoCAD LT measures angles and the direction in which they're measured.
The default starting angle, 0 degrees, is toward 3 o'clock (or east), and positi
ve angle measurement is counterclockwise. If you select Other, you can enter an
angle, or choose Angle to specify an angle using your pointing device.
Choose OK to exit each dialog box.
Command line UNITS
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Commands
DIMSTYLE
Creates and modifies dimension styles

LINETYPE
Loads, sets, and modifies linetypes

PAGESETUP
Specifies the plotting device, paper size, and settings for each new layout

PLOT
Plots a drawing to a plotter, printer, or file

STYLE
Creates, modifies, or sets named text styles

UNITS
Controls coordinate and angle display formats and precision

ZOOM
Increases or decreases the apparent size of objects in the current viewport

System Variables
CELTSCALE
Sets the current object linetype scaling factor

DIMSCALE
Sets the overall scale factor applied to dimensioning variables that specify si
zes, distances, or offsets

HPSCALE
Specifies the hatch pattern scale factor, which must be nonzero

HPSPACE
Specifies the hatch pattern line spacing for user-defined simple patterns, whic
h must be nonzero

LTSCALE
Sets the global linetype scale factor

LUNITS
Sets linear units

PSLTSCALE
Controls paper space linetype scaling

TEXTSIZE
Sets the default height for new text objects drawn with the current text style

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