Using Layouts to Set Up a Print - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 702

on the paper is thought of as being 1 ′ (300 mm) long, at a scale of 3 ⁄ 16 ″ = 1 ′ -0 ″
(1 = 60). Layouts are designed to let you juggle two or more scales in a drawing in
the same way in order to set up the drawing to be printed.
Preparing the title Block
In Chapter 8, “Controlling Text in a Drawing,” you created the title block or bor-
der for your cabin. As you may recall, you had to draw the title block much larger
than the intended plot size of 8½ ″× 11 ″ to fit the entire cabin on the sheet. Since
layout tabs always have a standard paper size such as 8½ ″× 11 ″ (A4 - 210 mm ×
297 mm) assigned, you will need to make a 1:1 version of the title block. Doing
this will give you a single reference drawing that will be used as the foundation
for each of your plan sheets.
Creating the title Block Reference
You certainly don't want to waste the time you invested in creating the title block
for your cabin in Chapter 8. Therefore, while the primary focus of this section will
be to create a usable title block reference, the secondary focus will be to preserve
as much of the work you've already done as possible. This will be accomplished by
using a number of commands with which you're already familiar.
To define your title block reference, take the following steps:
1. Open the 13A-FPLAY3.dwg file you created in the previous chapter, or
from this chapter's download found at www.sybex.com/go/autocad
2011ner or www.autocadner.com .
2. Turn on the title block layers A-ANNO-TTLB and A-ANNO-TTLB-TEXT
using the LAYER command. Close or collapse the Layer Properties
Manager palette when you're done.
3. Start the BLOCK command using the Create tool on the Block panel of
the Insert tab.
4. From the Block Definition dialog box, enter TTLB-8H11 for the block's
name. Click the Pick Insertion Base Point button, and pick the endpoint
in the lower-left corner of the internal boundary shown in Figure 14.1.
You have already used the BLOCK command to select objects manu-
ally in your drawing. Another way of selecting objects is to use the
Quick Select option to select objects based on a common property.
5. Click the Quick Select button, found on the right side of the Write Block
dialog box, to open the Quick Select dialog box shown in Figure 14.2.