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BarnyB
BarnyB
Participant
March 3, 2017
Answered

Scale

  • March 3, 2017
  • 3 replies
  • 1913 views

Im thinking of swapping from Autodesk Graphic to Illustrator for drawing floor plans as it allow me to export in CAD, the only problem is that i can seem to set a scale up, ie 1:20 for the page setup - Is this possible?

Thanks

    Correct answer Doug A Roberts

    no, there aren't user-defined scales in illustrator. any scaling you do would have to be ad hoc.

    other users might know of plugins though...?

    3 replies

    John Mensinger
    Community Expert
    John MensingerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 3, 2017

    As Doug indicated, you'd have to use a plugin to get true "drawing scale" functionality in Illustrator, and CADTools is the go-to for that.

    But, I'd advise you to reconsider the switch. Drafting floor plans is CAD work for good reason, and Illustrator is not a drafting package. Yes, you can export to CAD formats, but the resulting .dxf or .dwg file will be devoid of the associative data that is compiled by CAD apps as you draft. Of course I don't know all the nuances of your workflow and its objectives, but I suspect that associative data likely plays in instrumental role in the forward-usefuless and editable life cycle of your finished product. Without it, you'll only be producing "dead" pictures of no use in Engineering/Construction endeavors.

    BarnyB
    BarnyBAuthor
    Participant
    March 3, 2017

    Thank you all for your replys, i thought as much. I dont do a huge deal of drawing work, so was looking into an alternative without the expense of autodeskCAD or the like. Graphic is fine for me bar not being able to export CAD files.

    If anyone can suggest an alternative it would be appreciated.

    watermelon111
    watermelon111
    Participating Frequently
    March 17, 2017

    If you are still looking try this:

    EXDXF-Pro - Convert ai to DXF | Baby Universe Inc.

    Doug A Roberts
    Community Expert
    Doug A RobertsCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 3, 2017

    one i have heard of, but have not used, is CADtools.

    Doug A Roberts
    Community Expert
    Doug A RobertsCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    March 3, 2017

    no, there aren't user-defined scales in illustrator. any scaling you do would have to be ad hoc.

    other users might know of plugins though...?

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