Layouts

In BricsCAD, there is no limited number of layouts that can be created in a single drawing.

Each layout represents a sheet of paper. For each layout you can specify the paper size, print area, print scale, lineweight scale, pen assignments and add viewports, dimensions, a title block and other geometry specific to the layout.

The entities you add to a layout in paper space do not appear in model space.

Each layout requires at least one layout viewport. If the CREATEVIEWPORTS system variable is ON, a viewport is added automatically in a new layout. If this variable is OFF, newly created viewports are empty.

To add new layouts, you can either define them yourself or you can import layouts from another drawing as DWT, DWG or DXF files.

Viewports can display all or part of the model space entities.

The CACHELAYOUT system variable controls whether the content of layouts is cached. Although caching requires additional memory, improvements in entity display memory management reduce the overall memory required to display drawings.

Creating a new layout

To create a new layout, use one of the following methods:

Using the LAYOUT command:

  1. Launch the LAYOUT command and choose New.
  2. Type a unique layout name and press Enter. To accept the default name, for example Layout1, right-click or press Enter.
  3. The new layout tab is created.

Using the context menu:

  1. Right-click the Model tab or any layout tab.
  2. Choose New Layout in the context menu.
  3. The new layout tab is created with a default name.
Note:
  • The name can be up to 255 characters and can contain letters, numbers, dollar signs ($), hyphens (-), underscores (_) or any combination of these characters.
  • Click the add button () after the last layout tab to add a new layout using a default name.

Copying layouts

To copy layouts, use one of the following methods:

Using the LAYOUT command:

  1. Launch the LAYOUT command and click Copy.
  2. Type the name of the layout to copy, or press Enter to copy the current layout.
  3. Type a name for the new layout, or press Enter to accept the default name.
  4. A copy of the layout is created.

Using the context menu:

  1. Right-click the layout tab you want to copy.
  2. Click Copy in the context menu.
  3. A copy of the layout is created.
Note: If a layout name ends with a sequential number in parentheses, the copied layout automatically uses the next available number in the sequence. For example:
  • Copying the layout (4) creates (5).
  • Copying the layout abc(2) creates abc(3).

Arranging the layout tabs

To arrange the layout tabs, do one of the following:

  • Drag the layout tab to the desired position.
  • Right-click the layout tab and choose Move Left or Move Right from the context menu.

Importing layouts

To import layouts, use the following steps:

  1. Right-click the Model tab or one of the layout tabs to open the context menu.
  2. Choose From Template... to open the Select Template From File dialog box.
  3. Select the drawing from which you want to import layouts.
  4. Click Open to open the Insert Layout(s) window.
  5. Select the layouts you want to import and click OK.

Exporting layouts

To export layouts, use the following steps:

  1. Right-click one of the Layout tabs to open the context menu.
  2. Choose Export to open the Export layout to drawing dialog box.
  3. Browse to the location where you want to save the exported layout.
  4. Click Save.
  5. A dialog box prompts you to choose whether to open the exported file. Click Yes to open the file.

Renaming a layout

To rename layouts, use the following steps:

  1. Right-click the layout tab and choose Rename to open the Rename layout dialog box.
  2. Type a new unique name in the Layout name field.
  3. Click Save.
Note: You can also open the Rename layout dialog box by double-clicking the layout tab.

Deleting a layout

To delete layouts, use the following steps:

  1. Right-click the layout tab you want to delete.
  2. Choose Delete in the context menu.
  3. A warning message appears for confirmation. Click OK to delete the layout.

Using the Layout Manager

To use the Layout Manager, launch the LAYOUTMANAGER command.

In the Layout Manager dialog box, you can:

  • Create layouts.
  • Copy layouts.
  • Delete layouts.
  • Change the order of the layout tabs.
  • Publish layouts.

You can also perform these actions from the Manage model and layouts menu. To open the menu, click the button to the left of the Model tab.

See the Layout Manager dialog box and The Status Bar articles for more information.