How do you work with text in different scales?

[Anonymous]

I want to use both 1:100 and 1:200 for my plan drawings and I wonder how you guys do with the text? Do you have two instances of every text but with different text height on different layers or do you have another solution?
:)Mats

[Aussie John]

I use a text layer for items i want to see on the 1:100, a text layer for things to see on 1;200 and a layer that shows at both scales.
for instance
labels.1
labels.2
labels.mul

I leave the text at the same size but make sure your anchor point in selected correctly so when you up the scale the text doesnt jump across the room.

in fact i use that layer theory for 90% my layers

[__archiben]

define layers for specific annotation types, e.g. location text, room names, GA notes, building control notes, scale specific notes, etc.. based on your layer standards(!) and then mix and match them with the building elements you have created in your layer combinations.

if you define a set of layer combinations by layout type you can easily decide what needs to be shown for that layout: general arrangement drawings would, for example, include location text, room names and GA notes (from the quick list above), or 1:50 core drawings could include room names and 1:50 scale annotation, etc.

as john said, leave the text at the same size, but its important that you understand how the text changes when you change scale so that you can place it with the correct 'anchor point' and get the right size (2mm high text is 2mm high at output on a 1:100 and a 1:50 drawing . . .)

it's also worth knowing that you can move dimension text (by selecting the dot at the beginning of the text not the dimension line) and it remembers its position from scale to scale.

the best thing is probably to experiment and see what suits the way you work. . .

HTH
~/archiben

[Anonymous]

I use one annotation layer for each drawing type: Architectural, RCP & Enlarged Plan; Site/Civil; Electrical, Structural; etc...

These layers are only necessary for drawings that have to share the plan view. Since the sections and details are one drawing per window I just put all their annotations on the general purpose architectural (+A-ARCH) layer.

With the advent of the detail tool the only accommodation I have to make to differing scales is the enlarged plan (+A-ENLG) layer. I am considering using the detail tool for enlarged plans so that I can get rid of this one too, but I haven't had the chance to try it yet.

[Anonymous]

I found out what this really meant today. We were working on a site plan with 6 lots and realized it wouldn't fit on our layout. When we changed our scale all our text and it's placement was screwed up! I got frusterated until I found out you can change scale in PM! Duh! I learn something new about this program everyday. I don't know if this method is a good habit or method to use but it saved me today!

[Anonymous]

Flamer wrote:
I found out what this really meant today. We were working on a site plan with 6 lots and realized it wouldn't fit on our layout. When we changed our scale all our text and it's placement was screwed up! I got frusterated until I found out you can change scale in PM! Duh! I learn something new about this program everyday. I don't know if this method is a good habit or method to use but it saved me today!

Changing scale in PlotMaker is handy in a pinch (as you discovered) but it is not good as a general practice. Many library parts are scale sensitive and so need to have the correct scale in ArchiCAD to appear properly (once in PM they are just lines, fills, and text).

As a rule, you should layout your drawing sheets (layout book) early on (before you start annotating) to avoid last minute surprises when you are trying to meat a deadline.

[Link]

.....meat a deadline.....

(I like that one Matthew! )

When I create tailor made templates for my clients, I insert a non-plottable sheet boundary for each paper size and scale that permanently resides in their project. This is in the form of a scale sensitive library part that I can place in any window to check the extents of the sheet. This way the scale can be determined early on and if need be, all existing views can simply be redefined with a new scale, and will automatically update on the sheets on which they already reside.

Cheers,
Link.

[Anonymous]

Link,

I have a couple of similar library parts. One is just a frame for seeing the output (paper) dimensions at the current scale. It is also not for printing, like yours, and can be handy for printing from ArchiCAD by providing something to snap the marquee to. The other one is designed to print and includes the drawing title along with an (optional) mask to frame the area of the drawing.

I like the first for preliminary and early schematic phases and switch to the second when the drawings start to become more elaborate.