Hi,  I am both new to the Forum and new to CAD as I think my question will quickly give away! I am just making the transition from drawing board design to using CAD and have been getting on reasonably well with DraftSight.  There is one problem I can't solve.  If I have created my plan in model view in actual size in cm, how do I change the scale on a Sheet to print out from the model at scale of 1:50? I have tried selecting 1:50 on the Sheet view but my plan then shows up in the viewport exceptionally small.  As the actual length of the plan in model is only around 1100cm, it should be coming up at 22cm on the Sheet and print copy but isn't whatever I seem to select.   There is either a function I am not using or I have missed a basic concept.  Can anyone help?  Its driving me to distraction! JMS

When you print from a layout using metric units you do so at a scale of 1 unit = 1mm.  What scale did you assign to your viewport that shows the objects you created back in model space?

Hi John,  Thanks for responding as I still can't work it out. Basically, I set my 'Unit system' at the start to centimetres.  I thought this meant that whatever I drew in the model space would be drawn in centimetre units.  When finished in model, I created a Viewport on a sheet and set it to 1:50 which made my drawing absolutely tiny.  I thought it would scale my drawing in centimetres at 1:50 which should bring it out to roughyly fill half a sheet of A3.  The most reasonable (although not accurate) size I can get is by setting the viewport to 1:1. All this makes me believe I haven't actually drawn in model space in centimetres at all.  Is this not possible?  Have I misunderstood the set up?  Its very frustrating and I can't work out how to put it right or, at the very least, what to do to get it right if I start again. JMS

What drawing template did you use?Are you sure you are not referring to setting Block Insertion Units to centimeters?

Uh-oh!Yes, thinking about it I think that's exactly what I have done.Is it possible to set the units in model space to cm or will they default to 1 millimetres per unit or another measurement? I realise I need to draw actual size in model but what unit would I be drawing in at the moment? I am using decimal.If I can work out what I actually have in model, I can scale it up so that it actually is real size and then I guess the 1:50 in viewport will work?Thanks for your help and sorry this is a bit like trying to help a child who has only just started holding a pen!JMS

You did not answer my question about the template you used.  If Draftsight does it the way AutoCAD does the "Standard" template is for users of imperial units while the "Standardiso" template would be for users of metric units.  Your drawing may actually be in decimal inches.

Thanks. Yes, I did use the standard template rather than 'Standardiso'.  This seems likely to be the problem and would explain why the model drawing is behaving in strange ways when I try and do anything with scale. Anything I can do retrospectively or easier to start again with template for metric units?  I assume that when I use the metric units template I am automatically working in mm?

I think once you deliberately select the Standardiso template that will become the new default.You would be working in whatever metric scale you want based upon your input for distances.  Isn't that supposed to be the beauty of metric units?  Just move the decimal point?