I can't believe that such a question is being asked at RCU. This question is more appropriately asked at one of the internet CAD forums. There are several already set up for such questions, beginning with www.Autodesk.com and WWW.cadalog.com, and Yahoo has several groups to which can be joined.

The real situation being is that from what I assume, no classroom training has taken place. The question being asked is of the same character as if there is any internet chat rooms on how to operate an automobile. There are certain things which just cannot be teached via the internet.

The use of LTSCALE was the incorrect answer. The use of this command relates directly to appearances of the drawing on a plotter, most often in relation to Paper Space, not model space. It is a shortcut way to accomplish something which affects the entire drawing. The correct way would have been to select the proper Line Type from the huge list that accompanies the Autocad program. To alter a single line using the LTSCALE command such that it can be "seen" and then needing to recompensate for it in the plotter set up, is incorrect. The safest system is to ask your instructor in the classroom how to laod and uses the various linetypes. By choosing such a small numerical line scale factor, it reminds me that perhaps you are trying to draw up something using real dimensions, and then adjusting it all to fit the sheet of paper.

Setting linetypes is about a basic as the third meeting of the class. Afterwhich learning how to select or change a linetype, the instructor ought to let you know the relationship between colors and linewidths, as this is all controlled at the plotter set up menu. Then once you learn the processing of these items, have the instructor explain some of the more common Autocad commands like: CHANGE, INSERT, PURGE, HATCH, SOLID, XREF, DXFIN, WBLOCK. These being about as basic as the simple line modification commands like: ROTATE, OFFSET, SCALE, MIRROR, MOVE, PEDIT. There are about a dozen commands which you will use over and over again, and an equal dozen that will be used about once per day. Overall, it is much simplier to go night school to learn the proper uses of the commands. As about 5-6 years ago, I sat next to a young gal who plopped down $2300 to learn Autocad at one of the tech schools shown on television. She did not complete the night school course either.

Reads to me that you have so many more things to learn in ol' 2D before going to 3D.


Wm.