Part 4
Module 18: Layouts – Part 1
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this module, you will be able to:
- Describe Model space and Paper space and explain how they are used in AutoCAD.
- Describe a Layout and explain how they are used in an AutoCAD drawing.
- Apply the MSPACE and PSPACE commands to change the working space.
- Describe a viewport and explain how to create, edit, lock, and set the viewport scale.
- Apply the MVIEW command to create viewports on layout drawings.
Model and Paper Space
Up to this point in the book, you have been drawing Model space. In this module, Paper space and layouts will be introduced. The ideal way to work in AutoCAD is to draw all real objects in Model space and draw all objects that not real, in Paper space.
Model space is a limitless three-dimensional space where the real objects of the model are drawn. For example, if you are drawing a house, everything that is part of the house such as the walls, windows, doors, etc. are drawn in Model space. All parts of the house would be drawn at full scale or full size, exactly as they exist in real life.
Objects drawn in Paper space are things like the titleblock, border, dimensions, notes, labels, and bills of material. Paper space is also drawn at full size but the units are the same units as the paper, such as inches or millimeters. The Model space units and the Paper space units do not have to be the same in a drawing.
Layouts
A layout represents a sheet of paper on which one or more scaled views of the model is created complete with such thing as dimensions, notes, border, and titleblock. Layouts are drawn in Paper space. They are an important and essential AutoCAD feature and should be used to plot all AutoCAD drawings.
As many layouts as required can be created in a drawing. The AutoCAD 2D book supplies pre- drawn layouts in two template files named ‘ 2D Layout English.dwt ‘ and ‘ 2D Layout Metric.dwt ‘. You can create your own layouts and save them in a drawing or template file. Creating your own templates is taught in the AutoCAD 2D Advanced book.
Model and Layout Tabs
The Model and Layout tabs are located along the bottom of the Graphic window as shown in Figure 18-1 and 18-2. There is only one Model tab in each drawing but there can be an unlimited number of Layout tabs. You can create your own layouts tabs. This taught in the AutoCAD 2D Advanced book.
When the Model tab is enabled, all drawing objects drawn by you will be Model space objects and exist in Model space. When one of the Layout tabs is enabled, as shown in Figure 18-2, the layout drawing will be displayed. In a Layout tab, you can work in either Paper space or Model space.
The Working Space
The current space, which is either Model or Paper, is called the working space. When the MODEL icon is enabled, the working space is Model and when the PAPER icon is enabled, the working space is Paper.
When a Layout tab is enabled, the working space can be changed back and forth between Model or Pap