How to use Drawing Scale & View Magnification in AutoCAD

Here is how to use Drawing Scale and use the View commands in AutoCAD

When creating drawings manually on a drafting board you must

• select a sheet size
• 
select a drawing scale
• 
select a place to begin drawing on the sheet

Usually these decisions must be made before you have enough information to arrive at the best end results.

Manual drawings often require more than one attempt because

• sheet sizes are inappropriate for the selected drawing scale
• drawings are not properly centered on the sheet
• 
errors are made in scaling

These routine problems are a constant annoyance when you make drawings on a manual drafting board.

• 
but when you make drawings using AutoCAD you do not have to worry as much about these details all of the time.

You always use full scale dimensions in your CAD model when you draw in AutoCAD.

• if a part feature is only .050 inches large you would draw it precisely .050 drawing units in the CAD model.
• or if a wall in a floor plan is 120 inches (10 feet) long you would create it 120 drawing units long in the CAD model.

You set up page layouts in AutoCAD so your model is output at the desired drawing scale when you plot.

• the drawing scale you are familiar with in manual drawings usually corresponds to a plot scale in AutoCAD.

Your monitor can display selected areas of your model at any magnification on-screen without changing the actual model size.

• you must learn display commands to manage the display of your model on-screen before you can use AutoCAD effectively.