Is it possible to insert a scale bar in a Solidworks 2015 drawing? I'm looking for something like this or like this.
Is it possible to insert a scale bar in a Solidworks 2015 drawing? I'm looking for something like this or like this.
How do I make a block that I can re-use? Also, will this block scale with my drawing if I resize my drawing? Ideally, I would have a scale that resizes itself along with my drawing.
Make them using sketch in the drawing, select all of them and convert into block. Then save them in design library.
John Rinehart:
How do I make a block that I can re-use? Also, will this block scale with my drawing if I resize my drawing?
What you mean by re-size here?
The scale is supposed to represent how much a certain distance in the drawing represents in real life. If I rescale my drawing (if I change the scale of my drawing from 1:1 -> 2:1, for example) then will the block scale with by part?
For that case make a scale part and then insert that in the drawing(top/front view). And scale will change with drawing scale
But if you scale the scale also then there is no fun in adding the scale as the purpose is defeated in my opinion. I would never do that.
I could see putting one of these in, but only if you did not have the scale called out in a note or in the titleblock.
and to get it to scale with the sheet scale, you could make a part as Deepak suggest, or insert a empty view, and sketch within that view (do not make a block). you can copy and paste the view to new drawings.
Deepak Gupta, that seems like a good idea. Why are you saying that if I "scale the scale" that the purpose of the scale is defeated? I want the scale to scale with the drawing. That way the size of the scale corresponds the proper distances in my drawing. It seems, actually, to fulfill the purpose, not defeat it.
Jeremy Feist, yeah this scale is to be used in a figure for a journal. I want that scale to look nice and I want to have it in Solidworks so that it scales with my object and represents the right distances. I like the idea about creating a sketch in a different view, but there would be no way to use that scale in other drawings besides copy and pasting the view into another drawing. Is that possible?
if you make it a block, you can insert the block from a library, but it will not AUTOMATICALLY scale with everything (each block has its own scale property). you can still manually adjust the scale of the block.
and yes, you can copy and paste view(s) from one drawing to another (I do it on a regular basis).
Okay, this sounds like a good solution. Thanks, Jeremy. How do I make an empty view?
insert -> drawing view -> empty
Thanks Jeremy Feist. I didn't see it in the "View Layout" panel so I gave up. Sorry for being lazy and thanks for the screenshot. I'm working on it right now.
Here is one you can look at...
you and anyone else who might like to use it.
I like puzzles...
do not scale from drawings
this is how mistakes happen
Ned Hutchinson, why do you not scale from drawings? It seems like a drawing is the place that you would want to have a scale!
The first issue with scaling a drawing or making a drawing so people can put a tape measure and make their own worst guess rather then reading what it really is, why, because there is no printer on the market, an affordable one anyway, that can truly print to scale to begin with. The directional travel within the gearing of the printer and printer head has a lot of play and also the ratio between the feed rate and printer speed isn't 100% accurate. It is fine for what we need it to work, but don't scale drawings. That is a carry over from Hand Done drawings, computer world screwed that one up....
So whoever is telling you not to scale drawings - I'll second it..
Now if you mean scaling views that's a different ballgame.
So, John Stoltzfus, are you saying that you don't include a "global" scale at the bottom of your drawing (e.g. "Scale: 1:1") along with the material and tolerances? However, you do scale projected and auxiliary views relative to the model view?
No I don't include a scale in the title block - yes the section and detail views etc have the scale shown automatically and I leave them in. Here we don't want our manufacturing to try and take a scale ruler and make assumptions of what the dimensions should be. Primarily if there is a dimension missing they need to let us know. Also what is different here is that the manufacturing is right on the other side of the wall and not in some remote place, so it's not difficult to have things taken care of quickly if needed.
Like Chris Saller mentioned "if you work in the civil or arch fields" - yes they would still include scaled drawings, just so you know, whatever works for you that's what you do.
The links did not work for me so I could not see the type of scale you need. I'm assuming though that the drawing is not a simple mechanical part which could be easily dimensioned, but is probably a large building or landscape of some sort.
How accurate does the scaled measurement need to be? (mm, cm, m, km)
Kelvin Lamport, I see that the first link doesn't work. I'm sorry about that. I'll include an image below. I want something like the first (Scale Line 1) or 5th scale (Alternating Scale Bar 1) in the image below. I would have both metric and imperial units, though (the scales would be double-sided).
It actually is a simple mechanical part. I'm just not allowed to dimension features of the part (for NDA reasons). But, I can include a global scale. The size of the part that I'm supplying the scale for is ~10 cm (4 inches) long. I would want the scale to have centimeter divisions.
I have had this discussion on scale before. In mechanical design, there is not a need for scale anymore. If your company uses plotters to plot drawings 'to scale', and needs to scale off of the drawing, then OK.
But, to print to a normal printer, it's not to scale. The only thing that is needed are the dimensions and GD&T.
Unless you are into civil/arch fields, they scale drawings.
There are not ready-made available but you can sketch one and save as block. Keep that in library and use as required.