I am creating drawings that need to match existing drawings done in AutoCAD as part of a larger team project workflow. I can insert DWG files (title blocks etc) into Layout but the scale is completely off.
Does anyone in the community have any advice/ experience they can share for this process? I have a lot of work ahead of me and want to know if I should just start from scratch in Layout (if its possible to match the fonts and appearance) or submit to the Autodesk zeitgeist (which I would like to avoid)
When importing DWG to LayOut, make sure that you select the right import unit. When importing AutoCad paperspace annotation objects to the LayOut page, metric DWG:s should be imported using Millimeters as the unit and imperial DWG:s using Inches. Otherwise select the unit used in the DWG file.
Fonts can be made to match if they are Truetype fonts. The classic AutoCad single stroke SHX fonts cannot be used in LayOut but Autodesk should have supplied also TrueType versions of those.
It doesn’t seem to give me an import unit option. I have the AutoCAD file and Layout document set to the same units but it comes in at a small scale.
You might try switching your LayOut base unit (File menu>Document setup>Units) to something larger while importing. I don’t remember if that affects import scaling. Or then fiddle the DWG unit settings in AutoCad. What is the scale difference you get? 10, 100 or 25.4 ?
I wonder if you wouldn’t be wise (and time ahead) to simply draw the borders and such for the title blocks in LO rather than trying to import from AutoCAD. And then get a font that is suitable for the text. You can make templates that include the title blocks and other required content and probably use Auto Text to file many of the fields in the title block to save a bunch of work.
So it is either a millimeter vs. centimeter or inch vs. foot glitch (would be 12). What are the units you are using?
Are the titleblocks etc. you are importing in the AutoCad Model or Paper space?
Can you post a DWG you are trying to import (if possible, with confidential info removed)?
Hi davjoin, we import AutoCad info in the following way which is true for SU 2018 as well.
We bring paper space information at 1:1 and if the paper space contains model space information then we bring that information in at the scale of the viewport and place it into a Scaled Drawing in LayOut. Both the paper and the model space information is contained in an overall Group. You can ungroup the data or enter the group by double clicking to enter, you will then be able to select the Scaled Drawing and adjust the scale of that if needed.
In SU 2018 I had imported your example dwg using the 3D tab, it brought in the title block info at correctly and created a 1/32 displayed as 1:34.3272 scaled drawing as well. It can be difficult sometimes when drilling into the group to get to the Scaled Drawing as some Acad geometry will come in stacked on top of each other, but none the less you can get to it and adjust the scale of it as needed.
We do have some issues with text as the some text will come in with the height too large. You can adjust the overall text height by creating some text with the font type, height and say color the way you want. Then use the eyedropper (Style) and then sample the text you made and apply to the overall imported Group.
