Set the scale

Every length and area depends on the page scale, so set it before you take off. Most sets take one Auto Scale pass and a quick fix for the odd sheets.

Steps

1. Open a page. Pages without a scale show a ⚠ in the Project Tree and a ⚠ Set scale chip on the canvas tool strip.
2. Try Auto Scale first. Press Shift+K, or Scale ▾ → Auto Scale…. DimSum reads the sheet's scale notes, like 1/4" = 1'-0", and lists what it found with how sure it is. Each one is marked on the page where it was found.
3. Pick the right one. Auto Scale never applies a scale on its own. You choose, every time.
4. Choose which pages get it. At the bottom of the Scale box, Apply to reads This page, Chosen pages or All pages. It starts on This page every time, so you never rescale a whole set by accident. Then click Apply this scale.
5. Or calibrate. Press K (or Scale ▾ → Page scale…). Click both ends of a long dimension you trust, such as an overall 36'-0". Type the real length (36' or 36' 4 1/2") and set the scale.
6. Verify it. Measure a second known dimension with Verify. If it reads right, you're good. This catches half-size prints.
7. Or pick a preset. On the Preset tab choose Architectural, Engineering or Metric, then the scale. Set Sheet was drawn for to the paper size the drawing was made for, and a reduced print is corrected for you.
8. Fix a drawing at another scale. For a sheet with, say, three elevations at 1/8" and one at 1/4", choose Scale ▾ → Region scale (or right-click the canvas). Drag a box around the odd drawing and set its scale the same three ways. The box shows as a dashed outline with its scale on it.
9. Change it later if you need to. Run the scale again, or change it in Page Properties. Every quantity on the page updates at once.

TIP

Calibrate on the longest dimension you can find, then Verify on a second one. A long dimension makes a small clicking error matter less.

Good to know

• Changing a scale never moves anything you drew. It just recalculates the numbers.
• A shape uses the scale of the region its first point is in, or the page scale outside every region. A shape that crosses a region's edge is still measured, and gets a warning in Needs attention.
• Regions can sit inside each other or side by side, but not partly overlap. Click a region's outline to resize it with its handles, double-click to change its scale, or press Delete.
• A blank page opens the Scale box on Preset, since there's nothing printed on it to read.
• Auto Scale on scanned sheets and a separate X / Y scale for stretched scans are Coming. For now, calibrate scans by hand.

Next

Next: Your first takeoff

Read more

• Page tools: Scale and scale regions
• Project Tree