split&crop drawing into multiple plots

[nafets]

Dear QCAD-Users,


may you can help me as I wasn't successful after a self-search regarding "crop plot", "print plot" (and similar):

I have a large drawing for which I need several plots (or prints) with different views (locations, angles; but all same preselected scale). The red spiral is my object to be split and cropped into multiple plots 1,2,3:

cropplot-example.png (171.98 KiB) Viewed 5893 times

"plot 1" for example:

cropplot-example-plot1.png (72.69 KiB) Viewed 5893 times

Of course, I could do this manually (as in the attached description), but I am looking for a solution where later changes would be automatically changed on the plots (print views) as well.

One possible solution could be moving the whole drawing into one new "mega-block" and then insert this mega-block into a virtual frame with moving and turning according to each plot 1...n?

But, of course, I'd like to look for an easier way with e.g. drawing plot views onto the original drawing in order to leave the original drawing as drawing (i.e. without creating a mega-block).

Attached, you'll also find the description as *.dxf.

Thank you very much in advance,

[J-J]

Hello Stefan,
Not sure why you'd want a rotated view, but the multi page print option is a way to print a large drawing on smaller sheets.

multipage-print.jpg (48.76 KiB) Viewed 5883 times

[nafets]

Hi J-J,


imagine, you'd like to draw a road infrastructure, for example, with a fixed scale and therefore multiple plots (page in the example) with different location (X1-X2,Y1-Y2) and orientation/angle but same scale; this can't be solved with "multi page" setting up a "table" of print pages directly next to each other and same orientation/angle (if it could be solved that way).

To make it more clear, have a look at my second example:

cropplot-example2.png (170.99 KiB) Viewed 5822 times

Thank you very much in advance,

[Husky]

Hello Stefan - welcome to the forum!

... imagine, you'd like to draw a road infrastructure, for example, with a fixed scale and therefore multiple plots (page in the example) with different location (X1-X2,Y1-Y2) and orientation/angle but same scale; this can't be solved with "multi page" setting up a "table" of print pages directly next to each other and same orientation/angle (if it could be solved that way).

May I ask you? Is that common practice in your industry or is that something what you like to accomplish for a hobby etc? Honestly I never heard about a drawing compound which needs to be printed with different angles and I'm pretty sure J-J will join me on that page. But that doesn't means that isn't common practice in your tread ...

However: Speaking for myself: If I got a drawing set which is printed with different angles I would be more than confused. You need some kind of orientation to see the "Big picture" and I'm sure not everybody would be able to read those drawings correctly.
On the other hand - if you just isolate a section of the drawing and provides a single page printed with a different angle for just ONE single task then yes - but I would still consider this practice as exceptional.

... may you can help me as I wasn't successful after a self-search regarding "crop plot", "print plot" (and similar):

Maybe there is a reason why you haven't found anything ...

One possible solution could be moving the whole drawing into one new "mega-block" and then insert this mega-block into a virtual frame with moving and turning according to each plot 1...n?

That would just shift the problem to a different location. If you work on a whole drawing as a block then you have not one print option more. The only way what I can think of to work with blocks would be if you split the drawing into single tiles and create for each tile a block. This tiles (blocks) could be placed as a pattern on your main drawing under different angles for printing. Then it could be printed as J-J already suggested. But consider that changes on the drawing have to be done on each single block - you have to take care of the block boundaries and you can't see the "whole drawing" in this process.
That sounds not practical to me ...

[nafets]

Hi Husky and J-J,

thank you very much for both your efforts trying to answer and analyse my "split and crop for plot question".

My question is indeed a very common and basic issue of transport infrastructure planning; three examples of published projects from Germany (not mine) with such a useful CAD function:

(note: see overview map within title block at the right side of each plot with selected plot filled in red or gray colour)

Example 1: road infrastructure planning project nearby Frankfurt(Main), Germany
(table of project contents)
exemplary site plan as pdf

Example 2: railway infrastructure planning project nearby Frankfurt(Main), Germany
(table of project contents)
exemplary site plan as pdf

Example 3: railway infrastructure planning project within Hamburg, Germany
(table of project contents)
exemplary site plan as pdf

(note for later readers: some projects may be withdrawn from public internet access after some time)

[Husky]

... My question is indeed a very common and basic issue of transport infrastructure planning;

Interesting - I learned something - again!

With the current version of QCAD I can't think of a practical solution - maybe somebody else has an idea.
You could also file a feature request for this task - you'll find the website to file bugs or feature requests below this URL:
http://www.ribbonsoft.com/bugtracker

[nafets]

Could such a feature be understood as "plotport" or "printport"?

(searching for understandable name; had this once in another CAD software in a different language some years ago)

[andrew]

Viewports might provide a similar feature (not sure about the rotation though). A feature request for viewports exists at:
http://www.qcad.org/bugtracker/index.ph ... ask_id=264