When you’re ready to lay out your drawing for plotting, you’ll start working with layout tabs. Here are some tips to make this task easier.
Rename a layout tab by double-clicking it, then just type the new name and press Enter. And remember, you should name your layouts something other than Layout1, Layout2, etc.
Move a layout tab by dragging it to a new location. To copy, press Ctrl and drag. Then rename it.
To move through the layouts from left to right, press Ctrl+Page Down. From right to left, Ctrl + Page Up. This doesn’t cycle around, so when you get to the end, you have to go the other way.
Right-click a layout tab to do the following:
- Create a new layout
- Create a layout from a template. The Select File dialog box opens. Choose a DWG, DXF or DWT file and click Open. AutoCAD imports everything on that layout, including viewports, existing text, the titleblock, etc.
- Delete a layout
- Rename a layout
Recent releases let you hide the tabs (one release, I don’t remember which one, even had this as the default). I don’t recommend it because you lose the ability to use some of these tips. If you don’t see tabs, right-click the button next to the MODEL/PAPER button on the taskbar and choose Display Layout and Model Tabs.
What are your favorite tips for working with layout tabs? Leave a comment!
- Combine or subtract 2D shapes to create custom shapes - February 17, 2022
- Working with linetype scales - January 18, 2022
- Rename named objects–blocks, dimension styles, layers, and more - December 21, 2021
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
Hello Ellen,,
Thank you for the useful tips.
I wanted to ask how could I maintain the linetype scale in the layouts?
Thank you.
Yours,
Ahmad Ashkaibi
I think this is an issue that many people have. If you set the scale of the viewport itself and your linetype scale isn’t appropriate, you may want to change the scale for a specific object. Have you tried working with annotative blocks? I haven’t tested them with linetype scales, but they do automatically change the scale depending on the viewport scale.
hi
i always rename my tabs because I have a field in my titleblock which uses the tab info as the title of the sheet. see the ‘ctab’ field which is in the other/system variable boxes. set to title case and you dont even need to capitalize you tabs.
cheers
mart
If the linetype scale (LTSCALE) looks correct in model space but doesn’t look correct when viewed in a viewport on a layout tab:
1) Activate the viewport by double clicking inside of it.
2) PSLTSCALE to change the “Paper Space Linetype Scale”
3) 0 enter zero to turn off the PSLTSCALE
4) RE to regenerate the drawing
~enjoy
Hi, am using autocad 2011 and i have automatic publish set up to print to pdf when closing a dwg. i used to use autocad 2010 and when it published the pdf it used to pick up the name of the tab and put it at the end of the pdf name. it no longer does this, is there a way of enabling this?
I am an electrical controls guy, our company uses multiple layout tabbed drawings for our schematic wiring diagrams.
We have multiple dwg files with multiple layout tabs for a schematic wiring diagram.
I am looking for an easier way to “jump” to a layout tab than ctrl-pg dn/up or the dreadful navigation arrows.
I know from using MS Excel that I can put my cursor on the lower left “tab navigation arrows” and ctrl/right-clicking will give me a list of all tabs on the spreadsheet then I can click on the tabname that i want to make current.
Any such feature in AutoCad 2011?
p.s.
Sally, is your plotstamp on?
you can verify at command line:
-plotstamp
Kurt
I would suggest setting up a sheet set with the sheet set manager to combine the numerous ACAD files with multiple layouts in each file into one sheet set.
The sheet set will give you a thumbnail preview of each layout making navigation of the layouts much easier. You’ll also find that it makes publishing your layouts much easier as well.
Kurt, in line with Mark’s suggestion (thanks, Mark!), I have a blog post on it at https://allaboutcad.com/autocad-tutorial-create-a-simple-sheet-set/.
Thanks for the tips Ellen, I just upgraded to 2015 recently and am still coming to grips with the peculiarities of some of the changes. Today’s is that I thought I used to be able to drag a layout tab all the way from one end to the other. Now I can only drag it within what is currently displayed. Also the tabs seem to have acquired the ability to jump around more easily.Is there a way to quickly lock and unlock the tabs so they cannot be moved?
Thanks!
Mark Beaulieu,
I ran into the same issue with my recent update to 2015. There is a Hotfix on the Autodesk website. (Layout_Tab_Order_Shifting_Hotfix_AutoCAD_2015_SP2_64bit.zip) I downloaded this and replaced the associated .dll file. Thankfully everything with copying/moving tabs is back to normal – no more scattered/shifting order!
-Stacy
Mark Beaulieu, this may be the solution for your issue. It is an Autodesk Hotfix for what appears to be your problem I see that S. Tyler has the same solution; here is the website address:
http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/downloads/caas/downloads/content/autodesk-C2-AE-autocad-C2-AE-2015-layout-tab-order-shifting-hotfix.html?v=2015