
Alternatively, you can drag the outermost splitter controls. Press CTRL while dragging viewport boundaries to display the green splitter bar and create new viewports.Drag the boundaries of viewports to adjust their size.Choose from several viewport configurations by clicking the or control in the top-left corner of a viewport.You can modify the size, shape, and number of model space viewports in a viewport configuration: You can make any viewport the current one by clicking in it.You can start a command in one viewport and finish it in a different viewport.Commands that create or modify an object are started in the current viewport, but the results apply to the model and can be visible in other viewports.Commands that control the view, such as panning and zooming, apply only to the current viewport.The remaining viewports will be displayed grayed out as for not used.įrom Autodesk Help – these points describe the options you have when using model space viewports. When you display multiple viewports, the one that is highlighted with a blue rectangle is called the current viewport – shown as 1 below. You can save and restore viewport configurations by name with the VPORTS command or pulling down the Viewport Configuration from the ribbon as shown. The illustrations below show several model space viewport configurations. You can configure these viewports from the View tab on the Ribbon as shown. In large or complex drawings, displaying different views reduces the time needed to zoom or pan in a single view. Viewports are areas that display different views of your model. In model space, you can split the drawing area into one or more rectangular areas called model space viewports. Layout viewports are objects that you can scale to display the view of your drawing on a layout tab for publishing and production. Viewports are areas that display different views of your drawing and/or model. Model Space viewports and Layout space viewports. Want to learn more about paper space layouts and viewports?Ĭheck out the following Autodesk Knowledge Network articles ….There are two types of viewports in AutoCAD. It shows an active paper space with only two objects: a drawing border block and a single layout viewport, which displays a view of model space. Take a look at the following illustration. With the introduction of paper space, AutoCAD users were given access to a space designed specifically for layouts and scaling. All notes, labels, dimensions, and the drawing border and title block were also created and scaled in model space. Once upon an AutoCAD time, model space was the only game in town. There’s more, but now’s a good time to stop reading-and start watching:īuild Your AutoCAD IQ! Back to Basics: Introduction to Layouts and Viewports in AutoCAD LT Model space and paper space: A small historical detour Each layout viewport is like a picture frame into model space the view displays the model at the scale and orientation you specify. On each 2D layout you’ll create viewports that display different views of what you created in 3D model space. There you can specify the size of your drawing sheet, add a title block, display multiple views of your model, and create dimensions and notes for your drawing. Now, about those paper space layouts and viewports ….Īs noted above, a layout is a 2D environment. You then switch to 2D paper space, with its layouts and viewports, when you’re ready to print or plot. By default, AutoCAD starts you off in model space, which is a limitless 3D drawing area. Here, in our hour-long video introduction to layouts and viewports, we give you the 2D half of the story. Architecture, Engineering and ConstructionĪutoCAD and AutoCAD LT users more or less live inside one of two working environments-model space and paper space-so it behooves you to nail down the fundamentals of each.Architecture, Engineering & Construction.
