Merging drawing border with existing drawing

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luggw1
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Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:32 am

As discussed under another topic, I downloaded the set of ANSI drawing borders with block attributes offered under the topic https://qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?t=2498. I have an existing drawing in a separate file I'd like to add insert into the ANSI A portrait border. Being somewhat new to QCAD, I'm not sure of the correct approach to make this happen. Should I simply copy the entities from the part file into the border file?

At a more general level for future drawings, should I be constructing them in a file containing the desired border from the outset?

Thanks for helping me out with this.
Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Thu Nov 22, 2018 8:22 am

luggw1 wrote:
Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:32 am
I have an existing drawing in a separate file I'd like to add insert into the ANSI A portrait border. Being somewhat new to QCAD, I'm not sure of the correct approach to make this happen. Should I simply copy the entities from the part file into the border file?
Yep - that would be already a proper working approach but I would suggest to copy the border into your part drawing.
Step by step:
Open both drawings in QCAD,
Make the ANSI A drawing active (click on tab),
make sure that the "9.1 Drawing sheet" Layer is unlocked,
select everything in that drawing,
copy it into the clipboard with Copy (CD) or Copy with Reference (RC),
switch to your part drawing, click on tab to make it active,
Insert the Clipboard content into the part drawing with Paste (PS),
Note: When you launch the Paste tool an option bar pops up. If you already know the Print scale then you can use the insert scale to scale the clipboard content opposed. e.g. your Print scale would be 1:10 then you have to scale the clipboard content with 10 (=10:1). If you don't know it - no problem. You can still scale the ANSI boarder to a later point.

Husky-2018.11.21-06.png
Husky-2018.11.21-06.png (6.93 KiB) Viewed 8260 times
Done! :wink:

luggw1 wrote:
Thu Nov 22, 2018 6:32 am
At a more general level for future drawings, should I be constructing them in a file containing the desired border from the outset?
Questions:
What is your QCAD Version? Pro or community?
Do you need most of the time a boarder for your drawings?
Is your Printing scale mostly 1:1 or more common scaled down/up to 1:10, 1:1000, 500:1 etc. etc.?
Do you print only on an ANSI A format? Landscape, Portrait or both orientation?
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luggw1
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Thu Nov 22, 2018 3:59 pm

Sorry I didn't include this info earlier.

I'm using QCAD Pro V3.21.3 on a Linux Mint Silvia box. Typically, my drawings are ANSI A size, either landscape or portrait because I only have a standard laser printer that prints letter and legal size paper in-house. If I want to print larger format drawings, which I recently attempted, I tried at Office Depot. When I asked if they could print engineering drawings, they looked at me like I was from another planet...but that's another story.

So, back to your questions, the drawing I produce are typically scaled.

FWIW, I'm retired and am a model railroader and restore Jeeps. Both hobbies require more than occasional drawings of parts that need to be fabricated by myself out in the shop or at the modelling table. In a few cases, I've done modelling for 3D printing for a friend and wanted to illustrate the dimensional characteristics of the model in a drawing. In any event I like the structure a border and title block provide on a drawing so I'm not scratching my head later trying to figure out what I was doing. I guess it's from years of training as a draftsman.

Thanks for the help.
Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Thu Nov 22, 2018 11:54 pm

Great! Thanks for the info.

I would like to give you a basic setup what already comes pretty close to your daily work task. To make it then perfect to your situation is then up to you. :wink:

What is the plan?
We create a "Default Template" drawing which starts always with QCAD. It will also be used for every NEW drawing.
This "Default Template" contains already all basic layer settings and an ANSI A landscape/portrait boarder.

You are on board with that?

If yes then prepare a drawing with your generally used layers like Object, Hidden, Center, Dim, Text, Hatch blablabla - you get the idea.
Now create in the same drawing an ANSI A Border in your Model_Space (Main drawing canvas at QCAD) for portrait and landscape as you need it. Everything has to be in 1:1 and it will later be printed in 1:1 too. Save this template.

Something like this:

Husky-2018.11.22-03.png
Husky-2018.11.22-03.png (73.63 KiB) Viewed 8232 times

The next step: We'll create Layout Blocks but first I've to take care of a turkey. :D :D :shock:
That would then be this topic: https://qcad.org/en/tutorial-working-wi ... -viewports

Give me a honk when you are ready, ok?
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luggw1
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Fri Nov 23, 2018 11:26 pm

I updated my seed file as you suggested. I've included a snapshot of its current state.
QCADSnapshot1.jpg
QCADSnapshot1.jpg (141.5 KiB) Viewed 8196 times
To place both borders in the same file I had to rename to blocks or things behaved strangely.

At any rate, I believe I'm ready to move forward.

Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Sat Nov 24, 2018 1:16 am

Great!

Next steps ....
Create two new Layout Blocks (Paper_Space) below Menu / Block / Add Layout Block.
use "talking" names like ANSI-A L and ANSI-A P, ignore the Order field. (L stands for Landscape / P stands for Portrait).
Now select everything in your drawing what belongs to the Landscape border,
launch the clipboard tool "Cut with Reference",
chose the Reference point with the mouse pointer which is then the lower left corner of the selection,
make the Layout Block "ANSI-A L" active with a double click on that layer in the Block List (= Edit Mode),
insert (Paste) the clipboard content to Absolute 0,0 (red cross),
Go back to the Main drawing with double click on the Model_Space Block in the Layer List.

Now do the same procedure for the Portrait border, save the drawing and give me a hong when you are ready for the final steps. e_surprised
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Sat Nov 24, 2018 4:00 am

Info which I need for the next steps: What is your Drawing Unit?
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luggw1
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:22 am

OK, I did as you described. All went off without a problem. I'm using inches for my drawing units. One question - can I delete the two unused layout blocks (Layout1 and Layout2) that come in the file by default?

Thanks for all the help.
Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:20 am

luggw1 wrote:
Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:22 am
One question - can I delete the two unused layout blocks (Layout1 and Layout2) that come in the file by default?
Yes.



Ok, time to double check a few thinks.
Have a look at the Drawing Preferences and check Dimension, Page size blablabla settings. Those settings are used for every new drawing and they will NOT be overwritten by Application Preferences. However - those settings are not written in stone. If you need to change them later it is still possible.

Double check also the Layout Blocks Landscape and Portrait. Look for Paper size, orientation, Border is centered on Paper blablabla
Note: The print scale (Option bar) has to be 1:1!

If everything looks good to you - save the drawing.


Time to jump e_surprised

Please download this QCAD example flange and copy it 1:1 into the Model_Space of your new template:
Test flange.dxf
(111.96 KiB) Downloaded 417 times
This is an inch drawing and doesn't fits on an ANSI A sheet. We'll now create a Viewport, scale it 1/2 and place it for printing into the Landscape Layout Block.
To do so:
Make the Layer Viewport active,
launch the Viewport tool below Menu / Draw / Viewport / Add Viewport
an option bar pops up - chose on the left the scale 1/2
now create in Model_Space the Viewport (drag a box around the flange with the mouse pointer),
a box pops up where you can chose the Layout Block - in this case the ANSI A L is the right one,
QCAD jumps now to the chosen Layout Block and you can place the Viewport as you like it.
Now your part is scaled 1/2, in an already fitting boarder and after filling out the Title Block information ready to print in 1:1

Husky-2018.11.25-01.png
Husky-2018.11.25-01.png (97.51 KiB) Viewed 8141 times

Note: Read the name Viewport to the letter! It's a "Window" to your actual drawing in the Model_Space. Every change which is done in the Main drawing and is covered by a Viewport will also be changed in the Layout Block.
Play around with the possibility to understand the philosophy behind it. Don't save the Template together with this flange example - we need an "empty" Template.

Unfortunately I'm running out of time - how to save the template and make it to the default start drawing comes with the next post .... :oops:
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luggw1
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:55 pm

Done! I did have an issue with it presenting the portrait layout even though I selected the landscape layout, but I manually select the correct one and all was well. I thought I'd done something wrong in the create process so I repeated it, but the problem occurred again so it wasn't me, but it's a minor annoyance at best.

Through some experimentation I discovered I don't see a way to resize a viewport should modifications to the model wander outside the viewport space. I see handles at the four corners of the viewport in the layout, but clicking or dragging them want to move it instead of resizing it. is there a way to resize one?

Also, I discovered in the Application Settings how I can specify my seed file to be used as the default template for new drawings.

Thank you for all the help you've given me with this. It has been most instructive. Get back to me when you can, there is certainly no rush.

Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:34 pm

luggw1 wrote:
Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:55 pm
Done! I did have an issue with it presenting the portrait layout even though I selected the landscape layout, but I manually select the correct one and all was well. I thought I'd done something wrong in the create process so I repeated it, but the problem occurred again so it wasn't me, but it's a minor annoyance at best.
Oups - my bad! I forgot that the current QCAD Version has an issue with that feature but I've seen that it should be fixed for the next release. Your workaround is the right way to do it!
luggw1 wrote:
Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:55 pm
Through some experimentation I discovered I don't see a way to resize a viewport should modifications to the model wander outside the viewport space. I see handles at the four corners of the viewport in the layout, but clicking or dragging them want to move it instead of resizing it. is there a way to resize one?
Yes, in the Layout Block (Paper_Space) you can manipulate the size, position and focus with help of the 6 blue reference points. If you need to change the scale you can do that within the Property Editor.

Husky-2018.11.25-01.png
Husky-2018.11.25-01.png (141.68 KiB) Viewed 8115 times


Ok, now your Default Template needs a permanent home 8)

Save the Default Template at a convenient location on your system. It should be a common directory with all rights to read/ write etc. a file. Don't save it below the QCAD Installation tree for QCAD update reason.

Now open the QCAD Application Preferences and tell QCAD where to find this template.
Menu / Application Preferences / File / Templates

It should look similar to this entry's:

Husky-2018.11.25-02.png
Husky-2018.11.25-02.png (41.67 KiB) Viewed 8115 times
After confirming the dialog with OK restart QCAD. If you did everything right QCAD will start with this Default Template which is ONLY a copy of your template and has the typical name "Untitled 1". This is now a prepared but empty self-contained drawing. What ever you change in this drawing it will not be reflected in the Default Template. Save it as usual with a new file name. If you start a "New" drawing in your session = same story. :wink:

If you need to change the Default Template open it directly - change it and save it back at the same location.


I think you are now ready to rock. You're? :D
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luggw1
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by luggw1 » Mon Nov 26, 2018 12:21 am

Yes, I was able to resize the viewport, fiddle with the scale and have made my seed file my default template.

I now understand what's going on with these useful tools and how to use them properly.

Again thanks for the help.

Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Merging drawing border with existing drawing

Post by Husky » Mon Nov 26, 2018 1:57 am

You're Quite Welcome! :wink:
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