How to rotate AutoCad drawing thru 90 deg incl dims & text

[GreensandsParticipant @greensands]

I have drawn up a part in AutoCad 2000 complete with dimensions and various text fields and would like to be able to rotate the whole drawing through 90 degrees complete dimensions and the various text fields. Using the Rotate option and selecting the bottom LH corner as the Base Point I can successfully rotate the drawing complete with dims but the text fields remain unaltered. Can somebody please explain where i am going wrong.

[vintage engineerParticipant @vintageengineer]

Can you not click outside the drawing a pull the cursor over the drawing to highlight everything then rotate the drawing?

[Andy StopfordParticipant @andystopford50521]

I don’t think you can do this, the dimension text is orientated relative to the page, not the drawing. I suspect you’ll have to rotate the drawing and then re-do all the relevant dimensions.

edited to add:

Are you trying to rotate this to print it it in, say, portrait instead of landscape? If so, see if you can change the print (or plot, in AutoCAD-speak) settings accordingly, then you won’t have to rotate the drawing.

[Alan DonovanParticipant @alandonovan54394]

Hi.

It is a long time since I last used AutoCad, and the software has moved forward, so this suggestion may be absolute rubbish, and definitely lacking in detail.

Can you go into your dimension settings and alter the parameters there to get what you want.

Also if you have dimensions you wish to keep as the original style, then you can set it up as a different dimension style, and thus have both styles in your drawing.  You will have to pick which dimensions you wish to alter in this case.

Best of luck.  Alan.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I would have thought it is as Andy says which is the same as Alibre. As the text fields or notes are not automatically derived from the part in the same way that dimensions are they will not move with it.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

A guess here based on other software.  Text fields may well have their own setting for rotation (relative to the page).   You’ll likely have to reposition / rotate text fields manually.

[GreensandsParticipant @greensands]

Hi – I have attached copies of the piece part as drawn in the vertical position and another showing the same drawing being selected and then rotated through 90 deg with the bottom LH corner of the border chosen as the base point. As can be seen, the piece part and its dimensions have been successfully rotated but the text fields and the outer border have not.

 

 

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

As there are only three bits of text why not just copy them in turn and paste into a new text box on the rotated drawing then delete the old ones.

Better still just dimension the hols straight off the part, why the need to say anything else?

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

You should do the drawing in model space and then go to paper space, create a viewport for the part then add the dimensions in paper space not in model space. This way the dimensions are sized and oriented to the paper you are going to print on regardless of the orientation or scaling of the model. If you put the viewport outline on the defpoints layer (automatically added the first time a dimension is done) it will not print but will show in paper space.

This is what I found when checking if AutoCad 2000 had these features:

For newcomers to CAD, AutoCAD 2000 is a general-purpose 2D drafting and 3D modelling program. You can mix 2D and 3D objects in the design workspace (Model Space), and can use a separate workspace (Paper Space) for documentation features such as dimensions, annotations and the title-block.

Martin C

I will just add that viewports can be rotated in paper space and the model will remain in the original orientation but be rotated on the layout.

[GreensandsParticipant @greensands]

Martin – Correct me if I am wrong but as i see it, there is no issue with rotating the dimensions, the problem is being able to rotate the annotated notes I have appended alongside the dimensions, and the general text fields including the title and for what it is worth, the outline border.

[Greensands]

On Greensands Said:

Hi – I have attached copies of the piece part as drawn in the vertical position and another showing the same drawing being selected and then rotated through 90 deg with the bottom LH corner of the border chosen as the base point. As can be seen, the piece part and its dimensions have been successfully rotated but the text fields and the outer border have not.

 

 

Looking at Greensand’s two examples, seems to me AutoCAD has rotated the drawing and text correctly in the sense computer graphics understand rotation.

Possibly Greensands is expecting a mix of rotations and moves, that AutoCAD can’t do in one step.  I suspect he wants the graphics to rotate, whilst text is moved as a human would move it to look good.    If so, that’s a mix of two different transforms, move and rotate, and AutoCAD doesn’t know what the result should be.

What should the result look like?   Comparing it to the original would show if the the job can be done simply by rotating the whole drawing, or if the text can be fixed with a second tool, or if the text has to be repositioned manually.

When a 3D-CAD package generates 2D-drawings, it’s usual for the operator to add and position text, balloons, notes and dimensions himself.   Necessary because 2D drawings are read by humans, who benefit greatly from careful presentation.   The CAM equivalent of a 2D-plan, such as an STL file, makes perfect sense to another machine,  but is almost incomprehensible to people.   It’s easier to generate G-code than output excellent 2D-drawings, because humans need more help!   In future, AI may be able to automate 2D, but at the moment the best solution is to have the computer do the projections, after which a human adds the notes he needs.

Dave

 

 

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

This is why you should be using a viewport in paper space on a layout tab. All notes, dimensions and frames (outer border) or details should be done in paper space. You can rotate the viewport and the view of the model will rotate with it. You will find that multi-leader notes will not rotate but will need tweaking to reposition them better. Dimensions will get a bit a confused but can be deleted and replaced with new ones that are correctly positioned on the paper. Drawing everything in model space is what old hands used to drawing boards often did if they had never been shown CAD best practice.

There are plenty of AutoCad video tutorials on creating and using viewports available online.

Simple model in model space.

In paper space on a layout tab, create a viewport and rotate it 90°. Add multi-leader and dimensions.

Return the viewport back to unrotated orientation, dimension needs redoing and the multi-leader notes need repositioning.

Martin C

[GreensandsParticipant @greensands]

Thanks to everyone for their input. I will have a look viewports in due course

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

I have done a 3D model of this and put a number of viewports on a layout. There is only one model with multiple viewports.

I can’t put a DWG file in the forum but if you want a copy of the drawing file in AutoCad 2000 format to play with then message me with an email address.

Martin C

 

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