Understanding layouts

When you create a drawing, you do most of your work on the Model tab. Each drawing that you create can contain numerous layouts that simulate the paper on which you will print a copy of the drawing. Each of these layouts is created on a Layout tab.

You can prepare a separate layout for each way you want to print your drawing. The layout allows you to organize different views to control which portion of your drawing prints and at what scale.

Before you print, you can also include additional entities and layout settings that control how your drawing prints. Additional items only appear on the Layout tab, not on the Model tab. For example, a layout can contain dimensions, title blocks, legends, or keynotes that print with your model, but do not clutter the screen when you work with your model on the Model tab.

Use these general steps to prepare your drawing for printing multiple layouts:

   1   On the Model tab, create your drawing.

   2   Create a new layout. You can use an existing Layout1 or Layout2 tab, or you can create a new Layout tab. For details, see Creating a new layout.

   3   Create at least one layout viewport on the Layout tab. Use each viewport to help control which portion of the drawing prints and at what scale. For details, see Working with layout viewports.

   4   Include any additional items that may be required for the specific layout, such as dimensions, a legend, or a title block.

   5   Specify additional settings for the layout, such as the scale of the drawing, print area, print style tables, and more. For details, see Customizing and reusing print settings.

    6    Print or plot your drawing. For more details, see Printing or plotting your drawing.