Query on Plant Layout drawings
Query on Plant Layout drawings
(OP)
Hi folks,
I have a small query on creating Plant layout drawings in AutoCAD. I just wanted to know how to start and proceed big drawings( in metres) such as Plant Layouts.My doubt is on setting the drawing limits, Plot scale (for plotting the drawing on an A3 sheet),if the drawing is given with a scale of 1:30 ,should I use the scale command.how do I manage the annotations and dimensions sizes for such drawings in print?
Can you please detail me on proceeding for such a drawing from scratch to Print?
Thanks in Advance.
I have a small query on creating Plant layout drawings in AutoCAD. I just wanted to know how to start and proceed big drawings( in metres) such as Plant Layouts.My doubt is on setting the drawing limits, Plot scale (for plotting the drawing on an A3 sheet),if the drawing is given with a scale of 1:30 ,should I use the scale command.how do I manage the annotations and dimensions sizes for such drawings in print?
Can you please detail me on proceeding for such a drawing from scratch to Print?
Thanks in Advance.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
I don't know if there is a current edition, but, the book was fabulous and an incredible help.
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Thanks a lot for your details.Highly appreciate your response.
But I just wanted to know how to start and proceed on a A0 size drawing in AUTOCAD?
What are the steps involved in it as it is a bigger size?
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
No one likes to work with large sheets.
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
That was when version 10 (for DOS) was current.
I have no idea what text might be most useful now, but I do suggest working through one such guide instead of wandering aimlessly.
At least search YouTube for answers to your questions.
General suggestions:
Don't worry about drawing limits.
Aside from a numeric range limited to something like 16 decimal digits, the universe within AutoCAD has no serious limits. ... or units, really.
You can draw in Angstroms or in light years, it makes no real difference.
But you must draw full size, i.e., 1 unit on the model screen is one of whatever unit you choose.
Using the UNITS command or dialog early can be helpful with strange units like feet and inches.
Draw in Model Space only.
Dimension and annotate in Paper Space, mostly.
It helps to have a prototype drawing file to start from, hopefully something that's in the units you want, with a useful layer arrangement, and of an object about the overall size of what you want. Copy the file, or open and save under a different name, erase everything you don't need, and go. You can eventually make your own, but it's easier to start with one from someone who knows the software. There is a risk if you get a prototype from someone who is self-taught and does everything 'wrong' but in an internally consistent way, you will have difficulty producing what _you_ want.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Missed those... and, drawing full size is critical and an essential habit to get into... A lot of my standard details are annotated with the drawing detail and scale factor of 16 and some with 12, but, often something else... I usually have my standard details in a defpoints 'box' with the dimscale, ltscale, text size, and last revision date outside the 'box'. I 'block' them into the model drawing and use different scale factors for the views in paperspace. There may be a proper way to do it... not aware of it. Just what I've done over the decades.
Should have added that honouring layer types is also critical and inserting blocks on Layer 0 is also important.
I usually have my borders and titleblocks as separate blocks with the titleblocks having attributes and insert these into paperspace; for a large project the common 'attributes' are filled in prior to inserting the block so I don't have to add them to the paperspace drawings. I also name the tabs in paperspace with the actual drawing name, eg., 17304S01, 17304S02, etc.
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
We draw all drawings in model space but non-scaled drawings (i.e., P&IDs, PFDs, Isometrics) are dimensioned and annotated in model space and all scaled drawings are dimensioned and annotated (i.e., plot plans, orthos, etc.) in paper space. We plot everything to ANSI D (22x34) which allows us to print a true half scale to ANSI B (11x17) for convenience of handling. The only exception to that is Isometrics which are plotted ANSI B.
All annotation and dimensioning are done in paper space. Text heights are 0.125 (1/8") for general text, notes, and annotations and 0.1875 (3/16") for titles, labeling, and equipment tagging. Dimensions are left in inches up to 2'-0". Any dimension >/= 2'-0" is shown in feet-inch notation.
Every component is assigned a layer when drawn and all layers are given a discipline designator prefix (i.e., C for civil, P for piping, etc.) for ease of locating in the layer manager.
We don't really have a set scale for the drawings as the type of drawing can vary the scale. However, you can view the link below for common engineering scales.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/scaling-bluepri...
Hope this helps,
DGrayPPD
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Delighted to receive such a detailed replies from you all. Wonderful!!
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Seems like everyone was 'self-taught'...
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
In continuation to this,i would like to clarify few points on units. When i start a drawing in metres (1 unit = 1 metres),what are the things I should consider when i take it to a print on an A3 paper which is in mm. Does it cause any problems? Need some light on this.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
As a caution, it is possible to change the original model from paperspace, so be careful and 'lock' your viewports.
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
In continuation to this, I just want to clearly understand the concept of defining limits in an AutoCAD drawing.
For example, I can draw any drawing of any size (which is in metres or MM) approximately and proportionally without any specific dimensions and I can take a print on any size. What is the significance of setting the drawing limits for a drawing? How does it affect my drawing sizes and Print sizes? Need more clarity on this topic please.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Thanks a lot for your insights.I expect few more replies from our experts on this.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
After you've settled on a paper size you are going to use and have your border setup, you then know the biggest viewport you can fit on a sheet. Ideally, you will want to use the biggest viewport you can leaving room for notes, legends, keyplan, etc.
Once you have your basic viewport set, you can set your scale. The scale of your viewport(s) should be the smallest possible to fit your plan within the confines of the viewport AND be a standard scale. If you find that the drawing is illegible when showing the limits of the plant consider breaking things up and show only a portion of the plant on a sheet. This doesn't mean breaking up the model space drawing, just show a portion of the model in each viewport on each sheet. There is no limit to the number of sheets you can use, use as many as is necessary, a few years back I had a project that used about 20 sheets. The important thing is that the plans are legible. (And the same scale from sheet to sheet.)
A "standard" scale being a scale found on your desktop scale and fall into one of two types architectural and engineering. In my work, I use almost exclusively Architectural scales (1/8=1'-0", 1/4"=1'-0", 3/16"=1'-0", etc) so am not that familiar with all the standard engineering scales although 1:30 does look like one.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Thanks a lot for your insights IFR and Dbill74 .very useful information. What I understand is that the plot scale of 1:1 is not mandatory in all cases and that the drawing just needs to be legible enough.
So can we conclude that the drawing limits we set is used for setting the sheet size on which we would be plotting?
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Any conclusions or inferences to this topic "Limits"?
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Nice to see your replies.I just want to understand the concept of units in AUTOCAD. If I set the insertion units to metres,then is it that I am setting my current drawing units to metres.
How does the plotter or print recognise my units if it is in metres or MM.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Thanks for your prompt response. Say if i draw a line for 5metres and plot it on an A3 sheet with a plot scale of 1:1,then what is the result I can expect on the plot?
By the way could you please clarify me on the concept of units in AutoCAD?
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
There are multiple places you encounter so-called "units" in AutoCAD, so I'll discuss the three that come to mind:
The command line UNITS defines the number of decimal places that will be shown on all coordinate readings, measurements, and distance calculations.
The dimension style dialog box can also define a parameter that will convert the measured values in the dimension lines. This parameter can be anything you specify, but by default will probably multiply the basic measurement by "25.4". It can easily be changed to "0.3048" or something else that is useful.
The printer dialog shows the scaling units to be used when printing the drawing, which is the ratio of the selected area to plot to the area available to plot on the paper.
Note that NONE of my descriptions have involved the terms "meters" or "inches" or "millimeters" or any term of measurement whatsoever. AutoCAD does not know what they are!
I repeat, there are NO UNITS OF MEASUREMENT in AutoCAD. All appearance of using units, such as the dimension styles, is just printing of letters such as "mm" after a result - not due to AutoCAD having any knowledge that the measurement is intended to be millimeters. Same goes for dimension expressions of feet/inches with the '/" characters - it all just a bunch of factors and multiples to be calculated, not a reflection that one drawing is "imperial" and another is "metric".
The closest AutoCAD gets to using actual real-world measurement units is the printer dialog - but even there it's just arbitrary. I had a lot of school friends who would constantly over-think the whole thing.
STF
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Excellent!Now I feel enlightened and now it's time for the practical experiment.Thanks a ton your detailed insights.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Brilliant!Very much helpful ideas that will make any one's day.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
After scrapping too many thousand dollar sheets of Six-Em-Oh, I changed our procedures so that each template drawing file included a dimension between two targets, that was to be measured on the actual template, and initialed, before the template went into the job folder for fabrication.
The problem first came to my attention a long time ago, when I detected a three percent change in length in a diazo contact print vs. my carefully drawn vellum. That was long before CAD and printer/plotters, which allow an awful lot of opportunities to erroneously 'fit' an image element where you didn't intend to change it.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Dik
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
Glad that the thread is getting inputs from all the corners.
RE: Query on Plant Layout drawings
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