Introduction to CAD Drawing: Practical Examples of Defining Viewports in CAD Software

Thread Content

Some beginners who are just starting to learn CAD drawing* do not know how to use the viewport function in HaoChen CAD for architectural drawings when working with domestic CAD software. So, how does one define viewports in CAD software? In the upcoming introductory tutorial on CAD drawing, let’s take a look together at some examples related to defining viewports in the domestic CAD software – HaoChen CAD for architectural purposes! CAD Viewport Definition – Practical Example 1: The printing scale of custom objects in the layout viewport changes automatically in accordance with the viewport’s scale. The command displays wall fill effects and curtain wall styles within the viewport range based on that scale. With this feature, there is no need to take snapshots in model space; detailed drawings can be updated automatically as the objects change, **simplifying the process of creating detailed drawings. The example is shown in the figure below: on the left is a plan with a model space scale of 1:100, within which a detail scale of 1:30 is defined. At this point, the viewport scale of 1:30 applies to the wall objects in the viewport. According to the rules specified under the [Graphic Settings] command – thick filling > detail mode is enabled when the drawing scale of walls or columns exceeds 1:100 – the patterns are displayed in the viewport using the detail mode of the brick wall plan. Engineering example 2 of defining viewports in CAD software: Taking the creation of construction details as an example, the source graphics are drawn in model space at different scales of 1:10, 1:20, and 1:50, in order to prepare materials for multi-scale layout. At this stage, the positions of the graphics are arranged rather arbitrarily, as long as there is no overlap around them. The image shows the effect of inserting into the paper space (layout) using the [Define Viewports] command; at this point, the arrangement of the various viewports is taken into consideration, and after insertion the viewports can be rearranged with adequate space left below for annotations. Engineering example 3 of defining viewports in CAD software: Taking the drawing of stair construction details as an example, in model space, stairwell 1 is an external reference with a corner, so it is not possible to directly select objects to determine the corner. Viewport 1 needs to have its corner defined by two points A and B; thereafter, the ranges of viewports 1 and 2, which are layout viewports, are defined using P1-P2 and P3-P4 respectively, with a scale of 1:50. The following figure is an illustration of the viewport definition in model space. The image shows the effect of inserting into paper space (layout) using the [Define Viewport] command; in the layout, all viewports are automatically arranged in a proper orientation. The above are the examples shown by the editor regarding how to define viewports in the domestic CAD software – HaoChen CAD for architectural work. Those who are just starting out in CAD drawing and don’t know how to define viewports in CAD software can take a look at this tutorial!