Hello, I'm in the process of teaching my class Autocad/LandFX for the first time. Many of them are having apparent scaling issues when placing details on layouts. IN a given project, we have a site plan, which has an Xref base overlaid underneath. Then we create A layout or two in paperspace with plans at different scales of viewports, and then several construction details on subsequent sheets using a standard title block. Details, which are derived/drafted in a separate cad document and captured using the template process in LFX are saved to a newly created LFX project. These details are then added to the appropriate layouts from the details manager as described in tutorials. Some details place on the sheet in a way that is expected, fitting onto our 11x17 layout. Others, for no apparent rhyme or reason, are far too large (not full scale, but certainly bleeding off the page. This is very bothersome and I don't know how to advise them.
In the provided LFX documentation on the subject (FOUND HERE: https://www.landfx.com/kb/details-graphics-issues/manage-details/1080-scaling.html), there is a detailed tutorial on how to go about fixing these issues. The article ends with the curious instruction:
"Note: Detail sheets should always be single standalone drawings, with only details placed, and only on one layout. Having a design file, and Xrefs, and multiple layouts, compounds the detail scaling problem outlined on this page. The Xref can be the source of the proxies responsible for this issue."
I am honestly having a hard time processing this notion, as I thought the whole idea of setting up a sheet set in a LFX cad drawing (IE with a plan, perhaps a couple of plans at different scales, and numerous detail sheets that are referenced by "callouts" on the plan(s)/etc) was that it is a self-contained universe of cross referencing across multiple "sheets" to produce a cohesive CD set in the end. Am I missing something here?! What is the point of using sheets/callouts/etc if the details must exist in a separate file/layout all on their own?
Please help. Is there a simpler way to get details to place at the scale they were captured?
In the provided LFX documentation on the subject (FOUND HERE: https://www.landfx.com/kb/details-graphics-issues/manage-details/1080-scaling.html), there is a detailed tutorial on how to go about fixing these issues. The article ends with the curious instruction:
"Note: Detail sheets should always be single standalone drawings, with only details placed, and only on one layout. Having a design file, and Xrefs, and multiple layouts, compounds the detail scaling problem outlined on this page. The Xref can be the source of the proxies responsible for this issue."
I am honestly having a hard time processing this notion, as I thought the whole idea of setting up a sheet set in a LFX cad drawing (IE with a plan, perhaps a couple of plans at different scales, and numerous detail sheets that are referenced by "callouts" on the plan(s)/etc) was that it is a self-contained universe of cross referencing across multiple "sheets" to produce a cohesive CD set in the end. Am I missing something here?! What is the point of using sheets/callouts/etc if the details must exist in a separate file/layout all on their own?
Please help. Is there a simpler way to get details to place at the scale they were captured?
Daniel,
You’re seeing exactly the reason we recommend keeping detail sheets as one dwg per layout. Yes, it’s a small amount of additional effort, and a very minor inconvenience, not unlike returning a shopping cart.
The reason we accept this small additional effort, is the time saved when things go south. And when things do go awry, scaling issues will be the least of your worries. We had a tech support case where a user had over 30 layouts of details in a single dwg file, and they were beginning to get errors upon opening the file. We recommended immediately spending the time to split it into 30 separate dwg files. They chose to soldier on. A few weeks later they reported the file was unable to be opened and had to now be completely recreated from scratch.
The primary scaling issue, is that layout paperspace is in Inch units, but plans are most commonly in decimal Feet. Thus inserting a detail drawn in Inch units into a Feet plan, even though only into paperspace, can trigger a hidden 12x scaling as AutoCAD attempts to correct the unit difference in the background. By keeping the detail sheet as a separate dwg, it can remain in Inch units, and prevent any errant scaling.
Also note, that the Detail Viewport can be used, to reduce the “detail” down to just a viewport in the same file.
We’d be happy to take a look at the drawing and see if it’s something simple and give you a more accurate assessment. You are always welcome to send in a file through the Tech Support feature in the software.
—J
You’re seeing exactly the reason we recommend keeping detail sheets as one dwg per layout. Yes, it’s a small amount of additional effort, and a very minor inconvenience, not unlike returning a shopping cart.
The reason we accept this small additional effort, is the time saved when things go south. And when things do go awry, scaling issues will be the least of your worries. We had a tech support case where a user had over 30 layouts of details in a single dwg file, and they were beginning to get errors upon opening the file. We recommended immediately spending the time to split it into 30 separate dwg files. They chose to soldier on. A few weeks later they reported the file was unable to be opened and had to now be completely recreated from scratch.
The primary scaling issue, is that layout paperspace is in Inch units, but plans are most commonly in decimal Feet. Thus inserting a detail drawn in Inch units into a Feet plan, even though only into paperspace, can trigger a hidden 12x scaling as AutoCAD attempts to correct the unit difference in the background. By keeping the detail sheet as a separate dwg, it can remain in Inch units, and prevent any errant scaling.
Also note, that the Detail Viewport can be used, to reduce the “detail” down to just a viewport in the same file.
We’d be happy to take a look at the drawing and see if it’s something simple and give you a more accurate assessment. You are always welcome to send in a file through the Tech Support feature in the software.
—J
Thank you for this response. Some confusion remains. If they exist in completely separate files, is it still possible to reference the detail sheet in a master "base" file (setup in decimal feet) with "linked" callouts? In other words can the sheet index ((and detail manager) reference paperspace layouts in completely separate files? I may just be missing that larger insight about the meta file management/workflow piece. Are there any fully fleshed out examples that are available from LFX to download and peek at? A cursory search of the resources suggests the answer is no. Is anyone else in the community willing to share some screenshots of a project example (or the files themselves) to reverse engineer?
On another note: Have you ever seen the youtuber who does shopping cart return enforcement? This says something about the state of our society, I'm just not sure what it is or if we really want to know...
On another note: Have you ever seen the youtuber who does shopping cart return enforcement? This says something about the state of our society, I'm just not sure what it is or if we really want to know...
Daniel,
A Land F/X Project can span across any number of dwg files, allowing details and detail callouts to be in any number of files with the same project assigned.
It's a very easy thing to try out - simply place a detail in one dwg, and then in a completely different dwg use the Detail Callout tool to place a callout for it. If you switch between the two drawings, and re-place the detail as a different number, the Update Detail Callouts tool will update the callout with the revised detail number.
As for shopping cart returns, I'm even a bit of a vigilante enforcer myself.
--J
A Land F/X Project can span across any number of dwg files, allowing details and detail callouts to be in any number of files with the same project assigned.
It's a very easy thing to try out - simply place a detail in one dwg, and then in a completely different dwg use the Detail Callout tool to place a callout for it. If you switch between the two drawings, and re-place the detail as a different number, the Update Detail Callouts tool will update the callout with the revised detail number.
As for shopping cart returns, I'm even a bit of a vigilante enforcer myself.
--J
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