AEC Guide For DraftSight 2018 PDF

CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7
1 OPENING A DWG FILE 2 DRAWING LINES 3 OPERATING THE LAYERS 4 EDITING A DWG FILE 5 CREATING & INSERTING 6 REFERENCING 7 PRINTING
A comprehensive guide with lessons, videos, tips

and tricks for using DraftSight in the architecture,
GETTING STARTED GUIDE
engineering, and construction industry.

FOR AEC USERS
1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
WELCOME TO DRAFTSIGHT
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A valuable 2D drafting tool for any AEC professional

DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
DraftSight® is a professional-grade, world-class 2D CAD product. With its layering functionality and the ability to specify
units as architectural units, both metric and imperial, DraftSight is a great way to provide world-class architectural
drawings and is a valuable 2D drafting tool for any discerning AEC professional.
Using this guide, AEC professionals will learn how perform the following workflows and processes, necessary to ‘drive’
DraftSight effectively and productively:
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• Activating DraftSight to open a native DWG drawing file and to use that file to work with DraftSight’s basic
OPERATING THE LAYERS
CHAPTER 3
operations, such as zooming in and zooming out, and investigating the properties of the objects in the DWG file.
• Drawing lines and circles using DraftSight. There are various ways to draw lines, and in this guide, the user will learn
how to use coordinates to draw lines and how to utilize Entity Snap (ESNAP).
• Using a special DraftSight feature called Image Layer Functionality.
• Operating commands such as Copy, Trim and Extend to edit DraftSight DWG drawings.
• Adding text and dimensions to annotate drawings.
• Referencing other drawings within a drawing.
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• Printing drawings from DraftSight.

EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Before getting started, please download the sample DWG files that accompany this guide.
DraftSight Professional includes productivity tools and an API to help you complete your AEC
projects even faster. Plus, it is available for purchase online and offers flexible subscription
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and non-subscription purchasing options starting at just $149 for 12 months.

CREATING & INSERTING
CHAPTER 5
LEARN MORE & BUY NOW

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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7
1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Click For Fast Navigation
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Chapter 1
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
Opening a DWG file to check its contents...............................................................................................................................................2
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2
Drawing lines in a DWG file.....................................................................................................................................................................13
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................23
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Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3
Operating the layers in DraftSight..........................................................................................................................................................24
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................32
Chapter 4
Editing a DWG file in DraftSight..............................................................................................................................................................33
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................45
Chapter 5
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Creating and inserting blocks in a DWG file.........................................................................................................................................46
EDITING A DWG FILE

CHAPTER 4
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 6
Referencing other drawings in to an existing drawing in DraftSight................................................................................................57
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................65
Chapter 7
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Printing out your DraftSight drawing......................................................................................................................................................66
Video Tutorial..............................................................................................................................................................................................76

CHAPTER 5
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7
1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
Q U I C K S TA R T
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
Before starting with the AEC Guide, REMEMBER to download the

NOTE sample DWG files that accompany the guide! CLICK HERE >>
Fig.1 shows you the location of the interface dropdown menu (top left of the screen), highlighting the Drafting and
Annotation interface. As you can see, the Classic interface is still available, but the Drafting and Annotation is the
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interface used throughout this guide.

CHAPTER 3
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EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
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Fig.1 – The DraftSight interface dropdown menu with the Drafting and Annotation interface highlighted
CHAPTER 5
Fig.1 shows you the location of the interface dropdown menu (top left of the screen), highlighting the Drafting and
Annotation interface. As you can see, the Classic interface is still available, but the Drafting and Annotation is the
interface used throughout this guide.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7
Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 2

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
In this chapter, you will open the DraftSight application, open a DWG file, and use some of the basic DraftSight
commands, such as Zoom Window and Zoom Previous.
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1. Activating the DraftSight application
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.2 – The DraftSight desktop icon on the Windows desktop (x64 indicates the 64-bit version)
Fig.2 above shows the DraftSight 2018 (64-bit version) desktop icon in the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system.
Simply double click on it to activate the DraftSight application.
2. You can also click on the Windows icon at the bottom left corner of the Windows 10 desktop and scroll down to D for
Dassault Systèmes. You will find the same icon with the description DraftSight 2018 x64.
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3. DraftSight will open with a new, blank drawing (DWG) file called NONAME_x.dwg for you to use. This drawing is
EDITING A DWG FILE

CHAPTER 4
empty of objects, and has nothing drawn in it. The ‘x’ represents the sequential number of blank drawings, so for
example, you might open a new, blank drawing and it would be called NONAME_1.dwg, followed by the next new,
blank drawing you open called NONAME_2.dwg. This is the naming philosophy that DraftSight follows when opening
new drawings, before they are saved with an appropriate filename.
4. Fig.3 over the page shows DraftSight open with a NONAME drawing open.
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CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7
3 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.3 – DraftSight in operation with a NONAME drawing open (note the new ribbon user interface)
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5. You now need to open one of the exercise files provided. You should have downloaded it already. It is called Plan_1F.
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
dwg. Go to the DraftSight logo top left of your DraftSight screen and click on it. The main menu will open, and you will
see the Open command, as shown in
Fig.4 below
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CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.4 – DraftSight main menu with the Open command indicated

(note that you can also find files in the Recent documents list)
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
6. 6. You can also use the Open command from the Quick Access Toolbar at the top left of the DraftSight screen. Fig.5
shows this below.
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.5 – DraftSight menu at the top of the DraftSight screen with the Open command
7. Locate your downloaded exercise file, Plan_1F.dwg, and open it as you would any other file when working in Windows.
Select it in the Open dialog box and click on the Open button, as shown in Fig.6.
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EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
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Fig.6 – DraftSight Open dialog box with the Plan_1F.dwg highlighted

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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
8. With the Plan_1F.dwg file now open, you are going to use some of the DraftSight Zoom commands to navigate in your
open drawing file.
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
9. Go to the View tab on the DraftSight ribbon interface (make sure you are in the Drafting and Annotation interface – top
left of the DraftSight screen).
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10. In the Navigate panel, click on the flyout menu that says Zoom Window.
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
11. You will see the flyout menu appear, offering you numerous Zoom commands, as shown in Fig.7.
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CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.7 – The View tab on the ribbon, showing the Zoom flyout menu activated from the Navigate panel
12. Select Zoom Window from the flyout menu by clicking on it.
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13. In the drawing area, click the lower LEFT point of the window (a rectangle) that you want to surround the area of the
drawing you want to enlarge.
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14. Then, click the upper RIGHT point of this window (as you do this, DraftSight will display the boundary of the window until
the second click). Fig.8 overleaf shows the two points selected for the Zoom Window command.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
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DRAWING LINES
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EDITING A DWG FILE
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Fig.8 – The Plan_1F.dwg file, showing the points selected and the direction for the Zoom Window command
15. After the second click, DraftSight will zoom you in to the extents of the window you specified with the two points
selected, giving you a view like the one shown in Fig.9.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.9 – The view in the drawing area in DraftSight, after performing the Zoom Window command
16. You will now see a magnified view of the open drawing in the workspace, because of the Zoom Window command.
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
17. To get back to the previous view, you need to use the Zoom Previous command. This is (again) in the Navigate panel on
the View tab on the ribbon. You can see this in Fig.10
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
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Fig.10 – The View tab on the ribbon, showing the Zoom flyout menu activated from the Navigate panel with Zoom Previous indicated
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
18. Upon clicking on Zoom Previous, you will be returned to the previously zoomed view (the original view upon opening
the file in this case). You can also use the Undo command on the Quick Access Toolbar at the top left of the DraftSight
screen, but be aware that if you have completed another command since the last zoom command, it will undo that
command, NOT the zoom command.
19. The mouse wheel can also be used to zoom in and out of the DraftSight drawing view. If you roll UP on the mouse wheel,
you will zoom IN to the drawing view. If you roll DOWN on the mouse wheel, you will zoom OUT of the drawing view.
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If you have one of those cool mice that has a ratchet (notched) mouse wheel, you can zoom in and out in measured
CHAPTER 5
increments.
20. Position your crosshairs/cursor over a chosen point in your drawing. Then, roll up and down on the mouse wheel. You
will see that when you do this, the point in the drawing where the crosshairs/cursor is located becomes the center point
of the zoom. A neat trick to make those mouse zooms MUCH more accurate!
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
21. Most mouse wheels can also be used as a third button on the mouse. You can use this functionality to move dynamically
in your DraftSight drawing. This is known as ‘panning’ in the drawing and uses the Pan command.
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22. Move your crosshairs/cursor to a chosen point in your drawing. Click and hold down the mouse wheel as a third button,
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
and keeping it held down, move the mouse. You will see that you can move around dynamically in the drawing view.
Fig.11 shows you a point to select and the directions you can move when panning (any direction).
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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.11 – The DraftSight drawing, showing a suitable point to use and then utilize the ‘panning’ provided by the mouse wheel being used as a button
23. When you release the mouse wheel as a button, the dynamic pan stops. That is when you might use the wheel to zoom
in or out, thus providing a quick, effective and accurate method to fully navigate your DraftSight drawing.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
24. Experiment with the mouse wheel and see how you can use it as your quick ‘go-to’ navigation tool. This tends to be the
preferred method of navigating drawings so try to use it as much as possible.
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25. When you are using the mouse wheel to navigate a complicated drawing, you can sometimes get lost in the detail.
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
There is a great command to get you back to the overall view of the drawing. It is called Zoom Fit.
26. You can access Zoom Fit by going back to the View tab on the ribbon and using the zoom flyout menu on the Navigate
panel. This is shown in Fig.12.
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CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.12 – The View tab on the ribbon, showing the Zoom flyout menu activated from the Navigate panel with Zoom Fit indicated
27. If you click on Zoom Fit in the flyout menu, DraftSight zooms to the extents of the visible drawn objects in the drawing
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view. A great way of getting back to that overall view in your drawing. Another quick shortcut to the Zoom Fit command
CHAPTER 5
is to double click on the mouse wheel as a button. Try it and see!
28. You can close the current DraftSight drawing in several ways. Click on the DraftSight logo icon top left of the DraftSight
screen. You will see the main menu. You will see the Close and Close All commands. Close closes the current drawing,
and Close All closes ALL drawings you have open in the current DraftSight session.
29. You can also click on Exit to close DraftSight fully. Fig.13 shows these commands.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
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Fig.13 – The main menu, with the Close, Close All and Exit commands indicated
EDITING A DWG FILE

CHAPTER 4
30. With the new ribbon interface, you can also utilize the file tabs just under the ribbon to close individual DraftSight
drawing files. You can have any number of drawings open in DraftSight and each will have a file tab. Fig.14 shows the
file tab for the drawing Plan_1F.dwg.
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CHAPTER 5
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.14 – The file tab for the drawing Plan_1F.dwg

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PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
31. You will notice that the file tab has an ‘X’ on it. You can click on it to close the drawing. You will also notice an asterisk ‘*’
on the file tab. This indicates that there are unsaved changes in the drawing.
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32. Click on the ‘X’ to close the drawing Plan_1F.dwg. As there are unsaved changes, you will be prompted to save the
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
changes. Select No in the dialog that appears, and the drawing will close. If it was the only active drawing in the
DraftSight session, you will be left with a grey screen but with the DraftSight session still active. If not, other drawings
will remain open in the session.
CHAPTER 1
3
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL

CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
DRAWING LINES IN A DWG FILE
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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In this chapter, you will draw lines and circles using DraftSight. There are various ways of drawing lines, but for practicality,

CHAPTER 3
this chapter will focus on TWO methods; one using coordinates and the other using DraftSight’s Entity Snaps (ESNAP).
1. You already know how to open a DraftSight drawing (DWG) file from the previous chapter. Go to your downloaded DWG
files and open the DWG called 02.dwg.
2. You will see that it is a blank drawing with no drawn objects in it.
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EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
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CHAPTER 5
Fig.15 – The 02.dwg file open in DraftSight
3. For you to draw a new line in the 02.dwg file, you need to select the Line command. You will find the command icon on
the Home tab on the ribbon in the Draw panel. It is on the top left flyout menu in that panel. Click on the small down
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arrow next to the top left icon in the Draw panel for the flyout menu. Fig.16 overleaf shows you where to find it.
REFERENCING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
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DRAWING LINES
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.16 – The Line command on the flyout menu on the Draw panel of the
Home tab on the ribbon
HELPFUL HINT
DraftSight uses a coordinate system defined by the X and Y directions, where X and Y respectively represent
the horizontal and vertical directions in the DraftSight drawing area. Each coordinate value is specified by X
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or Y. There are TWO ways of specifying the coordinates to execute a Line command. You can use either the
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
ABSOLUTE coordinate method or the RELATIVE coordinate method. When you use the absolute coordinate
method, the coordinates used are based on the point of origin, where the X and Y axes intersect, which is
where the XY pointer is displayed on the DraftSight screen, and is fixed in the drawing space as 0,0 (X=0,
Y=0). When you use the relative coordinate method, the last point selected becomes the point of origin (a
temporary 0,0) and you would put the ‘@’ symbol in front of the coordinate values to distinguish it from an
absolute coordinate. For example, @175, 150 is a relative coordinate from the last selected point, whereas
175, 150 is X=175 and Y=150 from the origin (0,0) where the X and Y axes intersect.
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CHAPTER 5
4. Upon clicking on the Line command in the flyout menu shown in Fig.16, DraftSight will prompt you for a start point of your
new line in your drawing.
5. Enter 1000,0 as ABSOLUTE coordinates and press Enter. You have now specified that the first point of your line starts at
X=1000 and Y=0 from the origin 0,0.
6. At the next input prompt, you will now enter a relative coordinate, using the ‘@’ symbol for the first time. You can change
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the default settings in the DraftSight Options, so you don’t need to do this, but it is a good CAD practice to get in to whilst
working in DraftSight, just in case the default settings ARE different at any point.
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
7. Then type in @0,1000 as the next point and press Enter again. This is a RELATIVE coordinate from the start point at
absolute coordinate 1000,0.
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8. You should now have a vertical line segment in your drawing, as shown in Fig.17.
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.17 – The new line in place from coordinates 1000,0 to the relative coordinate @0,1000, with the origin shown
With DraftSight Professional, Quick Input Methods enable you to input data directly in the
PRO TIP drawing area. LEARN MORE >>
9. At the prompt for the next coordinate, type in another relative coordinate @1000,0 as the next point and press Enter.
6
This will draw a line 1000 in the X direction and 1000 in the Y direction RELATIVE from the previous relative coordinate
@0,1000 in Fig.17. The actual absolute coordinate value of the new point is 2000,1000.
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
10. Overleaf, Fig.18 shows you this. As you can see the NEW relative coordinate of @1000,0 is, in fact, at an absolute
coordinate value of 2000,1000 from the origin at 0,0, as shown. You could have drawn the lines using just absolute
coordinates, but then you would have had to calculate the coordinate positions from the origin at 0,0. It is easier to use
the ‘@’ symbol and use relative coordinate values instead.
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OPENING A DWG FILE
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DRAWING LINES
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.18 – This shows the new relative coordinate @1000,0 to the right of the first relative coordinate @0,1000
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11. At the prompt for the next line coordinate, type in @0,-1000 and press Enter. A negative value for an X or Y coordinate
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
purely defines the opposite direction, so the line will now go DOWNWARDS in the Y direction this time. The ‘@’ symbol
ensures that the coordinate you input was relative and not absolute, just in case. Fig.19 shows you where you are now.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.19 – The drawing so far showing where the relative coordinate of @0,-1000 takes the line segment to
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
12. Last, but not least, you will enter a relative POLAR coordinate. At the input prompt, type @1000<180 and press Enter. A
line will be drawn of length 1000 at an angle of 180°. This will bring you back to the start point and you have now drawn a
2
square formed of four separate line segments, all drawn using varying coordinate input methods. Press Enter a second
time to close the Line command. Fig.20 shows you the finished square.
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.20 – The finished square made up of four separate line segments, showing the relative polar coordinate finish position
13. You are now going to draw some DraftSight objects using the Entity Snap (ESNAP) method.
14. Select the Line command again from the flyout menu on the Draw panel on the Home tab on the ribbon.
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15. Check that Entity Snap (ESNAP) is active by checking that the ESNAP icon is highlighted a pale blue in the status bar at

CHAPTER 5
the bottom of the DraftSight screen. See Fig.21.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.21 – The DraftSight status bar with the ESNAP icon indicated (and highlighted in blue, therefore ON)
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
16. 16. Hover the crosshairs/cursor over the bottom left corner of the previously drawn square. You will see that they
‘stick’ to that corner of the square, a bit like a magnet does. You will also then see the tooltip that says End point. This is
2
DraftSight telling you that if you click now you will snap to the EXACT endpoint of the line (the entity), hence the name
Entity Snaps. See Fig.22.
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.22 – The End point ESNAP highlighted on the bottom left corner of the square
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EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
17. Click on the End point ESNAP. You will see that your line now starts there. Click on the opposite top right End point of the
square and you will see you have drawn a diagonal line using ESNAP only. Press Enter to close the Line command.
HELPFUL HINT
5
Entity Snap (ESNAP) will enable you to specify the end points and intersections of any DraftSight objects
quickly and accurately. DO NOT try to draw in DraftSight ‘by eye’. It will be impossible to be accurate. Use
CHAPTER 5
coordinates or, better still, ESNAP to draft accurately and productively.
18. You don’t just have to draw lines either. You can draw other DraftSight objects, such as circles. Click on the Circle
command on the flyout menu bottom left of the Draw panel on the Home tab on the DraftSight ribbon. Fig.23 overleaf
shows you where.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.23 – The Circle command on the flyout menu on the Draw panel on the Home tab on the ribbon
Easily find the midpoint and insert a centerline with the Insert Centerline feature in
PRO TIP DraftSight Professional. LEARN MORE >>
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
19. For the center of the circle use the Midpoint ESNAP of the diagonal line you have just drawn, and drag the edge
(circumference) of the circle towards the LEFT side of the square.
20. You will see the Midpoint ESNAP of the line that forms the left side of the square appear. Click on it and you have then
specified the radius of the new circle, purely by using ESNAP. Fig.24 shows you the Midpoint ESNAP on the left hand line
ready to be clicked on.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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Fig.24 – The Midpoint ESNAP on the left side of the square highlighting ready to be clicked on
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
21. When you click on the second Midpoint snap for the edge of the circle (on the left hand line), you will notice that you
do not have to press Enter to close the Circle command. If you have done so, don’t worry. All you have done is asked
2
DraftSight to repeat the last command (Circle). You can just hit the Esc (Escape) key a couple of times to cancel the
command. Fig.25 shows you the finished result.
DRAWING LINES
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EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.25 – The finished line and circle drawn using Entity Snaps (ESNAP)
22. If you wish to change which ESNAPs you use at any time, you can simply right click on the ESNAP icon on the status bar
at the bottom of the DraftSight screen, and select Settings… on the small menu that appears.
5
23. The Options dialog box will automatically appear, with the Drafting Options already open at the Entity Snaps section.
CHAPTER 5
24. You will notice that you can set any number of ESNAPs in the dialog box. Try not to switch them all on at once, as this
can affect your drawing productivity. Just switch on the ones you need.
25. Once, you have the ESNAPs that you require switched on, click on OK to close the Options dialog box.
26. You will have noticed that there are numerous settings in the Options dialog box for you to explore further. You can do
this later if you wish. Fig.26 shows the Options dialog box, with the Entity Snaps section highlighted.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.26 – The Options dialog box, with Drafting Options highlighted, showing you the Entity Snaps that are switched on
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27. You can also override the ESNAPs that are currently switch on by using Esnap Overrides. These can be enabled mid-
command by right clicking on the mouse and selecting Esnap Overrides on the menu.
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CHAPTER 4
28. Start a line by selecting the Line command. Pick any ESNAP on the existing geometry you have already drawn for the
first point of the line, so that DraftSight prompts you for the next (second) point of the line. Then, right click on the mouse.
Fig.27 shows you the right click menu.
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Fig.27 – The right click menu (mid-command) showing Esnap Overrides

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OPENING A DWG FILE
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29. If you select Esnap Overrides on the right click menu, you will be shown your ESNAPs menu where you can override the
existing (switched on) ESNAPs with. This is shown in Fig.28.
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DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
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CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
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Fig.28 – The expanded Esnap Overrides menu from the right click menu
30. As you can see on the expanded menu, you can select any ESNAP to override any existing ESNAPs that are switched
on (even using an ESNAP that is already switched on). This is extremely useful as the selected override ESNAP will be
the only type of ESNAP displayed on the drawing while the override is in operation. Once you have selected the override
ESNAP though, normal existing ESNAPs will come back in to operation.
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REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7
1 OPENING A DWG FILE 2 DRAWING LINES 3 OPERATING THE LAYERS 4 EDITING A DWG FILE 5 CREATING & INSERTING 6 REFERENCING 7 PRINTING
Visit DraftSight.com
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL
Learn more about DraftSight Professional

CHAPTER 2
23
1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 3
O P E R AT I N G T H E L AY E R S I N D R A F T S I G H T
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2

3
In this chapter, you will use one of the special features in DraftSight called Layering functionality.
CHAPTER 3
Layering is a function within DraftSight that sorts the different objects, areas and types of information, such as ‘walls’ or
‘text’ coherently, using different layer colors, linetypes and lineweights. This then allows you to distinguish those elements
easily on complex DraftSight drawings. Layers can be easily switched on and off in a drawing using show or hide mode,
which makes a DraftSight drawing easier to work on, as you show the layers you want to see and work on, and hide
the rest.
The same applies when you want to print out a DraftSight drawing. You can show and hide the layers accordingly to print
only what you want to see in the completed print.
4
As you work through this chapter, you will see how the drawing will be displayed when specific layers are switched to
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
show or hide mode, and when changing the objects placed on specific layers.
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CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
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CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
1. Like you have done so in previous chapters, activate DraftSight and open the exercise drawing Plan_1F.dwg. You will
remember this drawing from previous chapters.
2
2. Make sure to perform a Zoom Fit. The quick way to do this is to double click on the wheel of your mouse. That way you
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can see the whole drawing like in Fig.29.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.29 – The drawing Plan_1F.dwg after it has been opened and a Zoom Fit has been performed
3. The Layers Manager is brought up on screen by clicking on the Layer Manager icon on the Layers panel on the Home
tab on the ribbon. Fig.30 shows you where it is on the Layers panel.
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.30 – The Layers panel on the Home tab on the ribbon, with the Layer Manager icon highlighted
4. Click on it to bring the Layers Manager palette up on the screen. The Layers Manager is your command center when
it comes to layering functionality in DraftSight. You control everything about your layers in there. The show and hide
6
modes are in there, as well as layer names, colors, linetypes and lineweights.
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Predefined Layer Support in DraftSight Professional allows you to set up and map entity types to
PRO TIP layers, so when you switch tools/entity types, the layers change automatically. LEARN MORE >>
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
5. You can drag on the edges of the Layers Manager to make it bigger and smaller on screen. Do this until you have it the
size you need it to be. Fig.31 shows you the Layers Manager set to fit a normal sized monitor screen.
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.31 – The Layers Manager sized to fit a normal monitor screen whilst running DraftSight
6. You will see a layer called Center in the Layers Manager. In the Show column, click on the green circle, turning it grey.
4
7. Close the Layers Manager by clicking on OK. You will see that, in the drawing, everything on the Center layer is now NOT
displayed as the Center layer is now in Hide mode. Fig.32 shows this.
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.32 – The drawing with the Center layer in Hide mode

7
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8. You can set the Center layer to Show mode again, but in a different way.
9. Go to the Layers panel on the Home tab on the ribbon. There is a layer dropdown menu. You can see this highlighted in
2
Fig.33.
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3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.33 – The Layers panel on the Home tab, with the Layers dropdown menu highlighted
10. If you click on the layer dropdown menu, you will see all the layers in the current drawing listed. Look for the Center
layer. You will see it with a GREY circle to the left of the layer name, indicating it is in Hide mode. Fig.34 shows this.
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.34 – The layer dropdown menu with the Center layer highlighted in Hide mode
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PRINTING
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CHAPTER 1
11. All you need to do is click on the GREY circle to the left of the layer name Center. It will go GREEN, setting the Center
layer back to Show mode, thus displaying the Center layer on the drawing again, as shown in Fig.35.
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.35 – The current drawing with the Center layer set back to Show mode via the layer dropdown menu
12. You are now going to hide the car existing in one of the layers in the drawing. Make sure you have double clicked the
5
wheel on the mouse to perform a Zoom Fit.

CHAPTER 5
13. Click on the car block bottom left of the drawing. You will see it highlighted now that it is selected. You will also notice a
horizontal shortcut menu with various icons on it appear, like in Fig.36.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.36 – The car block selected showing the horizontal shortcut menu
7
PRINTING
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1
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CHAPTER 1
14. Ignore the shortcut menu for the moment. Check the layer dropdown menu in the Layers panel on the Home tab (but
don’t click on it to open it). It will tell you what layer the car is on in the drawing. It is on the Exterior layer.
2
15. You will notice in Fig.36 that the Layer Manager icon is there in the shortcut menu (arrowed). Click on the car block again
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CHAPTER 2
to bring up the shortcut menu again and click on the Layer Manager icon on the shortcut menu and it opens the Layers
Manager.
16. Click on the green circle in the Show column next to the Exterior layer in the Layers Manager to make it grey. Click on
OK.
17. You will notice that everything on the Exterior layer (including the car) is now in Hide mode in the drawing, as shown in
3
Fig.37.

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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.37 – The current drawing with the Exterior layer in Hide mode
18. 18. Now it may be that the Exterior layer is not the only layer in Hide mode (just assume this). You can use the Show All
Layers command to show ALL hidden layers in a drawing.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
19. You will find the Show All Layers icon in the flyout menu top left of the Layers panel in the Home tab on the ribbon, as
shown in Fig.38.
2
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CHAPTER 2
Fig.38 – The Layers panel on the Home tab on the ribbon, with the Show All Layers icon (on a flyout menu) highlighted
3
CHAPTER 3
20. Click on the flyout arrow and select Show All Layers.
21. You will see all objects on the Exterior layer show in the drawing again.
HELPFUL HINT
In addition to the Show/Hide mode for layers in DraftSight, there are also the Freeze and Lock modes. Any
4
objects on a layer that is FROZEN will not appear until the Freeze mode is released (thawed). While the
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Freeze mode is active, these layers will also be frozen in the drawing database, thus improving performance
on larger, more complex drawings as the layers will not be considered when the drawing is regenerated
when it is re-opened at any time. Show/Hide purely turns layers on and off and layers are STILL considered
in the drawing database, even when in Hide mode. The Lock mode for layers allows you to LOCK down a
layer, thus preventing any editing to objects on that layer until the layer is unlocked again in the Layers
Manager or the layer dropdown menu.
5
CHAPTER 5
22. You can also change the layer that objects are on, by putting it on to an alternative existing layer, or creating a new layer
that the objects can go on.
23. Using the mouse wheel, zoom and pan to the dining area in the drawing, so that you can see the dining table and chairs
clearly on the screen.
24. Click on any chair or on the table and you will see from the layer dropdown in the Layers panel that they are all on the
Equipment layer. They need to be on the Furniture layer. Use the Esc key a couple of times to deselect the table and/or
chairs.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
The Paste to Active Layer feature in DraftSight Professional lets you easily paste entities to
PRO TIP the active layer regardless of their original properties. LEARN MORE >>
7
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
25. Select the table. Use the layer dropdown menu and select the Furniture layer to put the table on to that layer. Press Esc
a couple of times to close the layer dropdown and deselect the table. You will see that the table is now a grey color, as
2
shown in Fig.39.
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4
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CHAPTER 4
Fig.39 – The dining room table with its layer set to Furniture
5
26. You can now use a superb little tool in DraftSight that allows you to take properties from one object (source entity) and

CHAPTER 5
apply them to another object (destination entity). It is called the Properties Painter.
27. You will find the Properties Painter on the Properties panel on the Home tab on the ribbon. It looks like a long artists
paintbrush. Fig.40 shows you exactly where.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.40 – The Properties Painter in the Properties Panel on the Home tab on the ribbon
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PRINTING
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1
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28. Click on the Properties Painter icon and you will be prompted for the source entity on the command line. Select the
dining room table.
2
29. You will then be prompted for the destination entities. Click on each chair and then press Enter to end the command.
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30. You will see now that the chairs are now on the Furniture layer too. You can click on one and refer to the layer dropdown
menu to check this.
HELPFUL HINT
3
CHAPTER 3
DraftSight drawings that contain well-managed layers are easy to handle and view. If the data in the
drawing is NOT sorted properly in to layers, objects in the drawing may go unnoticed, serving no purpose.
As a result, the drawing may be inaccurate or unreliable, thus rendering it useless for communicating
design intent. It is, therefore, VERY important to enter and manage the drawing objects in to the drawing
on their appropriate layers, whether that be new or existing layers, to make sure the drawing data remains
clean and tidy.
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 3
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 4
EDITING A DWG FILE IN DRAFTSIGHT
2
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3
In this chapter, you will start to master commands such as Copy, Trim and Extend. They are often used to edit DraftSight

CHAPTER 3
drawings. You will also enter text and dimensions on to a DraftSight drawing.
The scenario for this chapter is that you will be adding a new level to the porch located on the left side of the front gate in
drawing Plan_1F.dwg.
The key points to note in this chapter are the execution of the commands with an image of the result of that execution
in mind, and to align the commands used with the already predefined layer settings and annotations such as text and
dimensions.
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
1. As in previous chapters, make sure you have activated DraftSight and open drawing Plan_1F.dwg. You may already have
this drawing open from the previous chapter. If you haven’t, just use the Open command to open it in the usual way, or if
2
you have it open, just perform a Zoom Fit by double clicking on the mouse wheel as before.
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2. Using zoom and pan by way of the mouse, zoom and pan to the Entrance in the drawing. Fig.41 shows this.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.41 – The Entrance area in drawing Plan_1F.dwg
Hatch layer- set a layer for hatches and gradient fields in the corresponding dialog box. .
PRO TIP LEARN MORE >>
3. The area you will be working in is to the LEFT of the hatched area where the pale blue door opening is. You will be
5
extending the lines that represent the porch level and then annotating them with text and dimensions.
CHAPTER 5
4. Once you are zoomed in, go to the Modify panel on the Home tab, and select the Offset command. Fig.42 shows you
where it is.
6
Fig.42 – The Modify panel on the Home tab, with the Offset command highlighted
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
5. Upon clicking on Offset, you will be prompted for the offset distance, which will show as a highlighted input box next to
the crosshairs/cursor. Type in 900 and press Enter.
2
6. You will then be prompted for the entity that needs to be offset by being asked to Specify the source entity. This will be
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the grey line on the outer face of the wall ABOVE the door opening. Click on it.
7. You will then be prompted to Specify the side for destination. Click to the left of the original wall line. Press Enter to close
the Offset command.
8. The outer wall line is then copied by way of being offset 900mm to the left, as shown in Fig.43.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.43 – This shows the outer wall line and the new offset line, offset by 900mm to the left
Dimension Snap Offset Distances in DraftSight Professional allows you to place and
PRO TIP locate dimensions with precision by providing “snaps,” keeping uniform distance between
your dimensions. LEARN MORE >>
5
CHAPTER 5
9. The new offset line now needs to be extended downwards to meet the existing porch line. Use the Extend command on
the flyout on the Modify panel on the Home tab on the ribbon. Fig.44 will show you where to find it.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.44 – The Extend command on the Modify panel on the Home tab on the ribbon
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10. Upon clicking on Extend, you will be prompted for a boundary edge. Select the grey porch line as shown in Fig.45 and
press Enter.
2
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5
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Fig.45 – In the Extend command, select the boundary edge shown with the pick box
11. Once you have pressed Enter, select the lower end of the grey line that was offset previously. You will see it extend
down to the boundary edge selected.
6
12. You will then need to press Enter once more to close out the Extend command. Fig.46 overleaf shows the extended line.
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
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CHAPTER 2
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EDITING A DWG FILE
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Fig.46 – This shows the line fully extended to the selected boundary edge after the Extend command has been closed
13. Looking now to the top of the offset line that you extended, it needs to be trimmed. Using the same flyout menu you used
for Extend, you will find the Trim command.
14. Click on the Trim command and you will be prompted for a cutting edge. Select the lower of the two grey horizontal lines
above the front door in the porch area and press Enter. Fig.47 overleaf shows you this.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Power Trim in DraftSight Professional allows you to simply trim and extend entities by
PRO TIP dragging the cursor over the objects to be modified. LEARN MORE >>
7
PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.47 – This shows the lower of the two grey horizontal grey lines selected as a Trim cutting edge
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
15. You will now be prompted to trim the part of the line you do not wish to keep. This will be the shorter part of the original
offset line ABOVE the selected cutting edge. Click on it and it will be erased, leaving the segment of the line below the
cutting edge behind, as shown in Fig.48.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.48 – The finished trimmed line is shown, providing the porch level boundary line in the drawing
7
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
16. Now that the original offset line has been trimmed and extended to where it needs to be, you will now offset that line
300mm to the left.
2
17. Select the Offset command from the Modify panel on the Home tab on the ribbon.
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18. Type in an offset distance of 300 and press Enter.
19. 19. Using the pickbox, click on the vertical line and then click in space to the left of the line and you will see the new
offset line appear.
20. Press Enter to close the Offset command. Fig.49 shows you how the drawing now looks with the second offset line for
3
the porch level boundary.

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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
Fig.49 – The new 300mm offset line is shown in relation to the porch in the drawing
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
21. Make sure to select the two new lines and change their layer to Exterior in the layer dropdown menu.
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1
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CHAPTER 1
22. So that the porch can be recognized on the drawing, you now need to annotate the drawing by adding some text. In this
case, the text will be Porch and you will use the SimpleNote text command.
2
23. You will find the SimpleNote text command on the text flyout menu on the Annotations panel on the Home tab on the
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ribbon. You can also find it on the Text panel on the Annotate tab on the ribbon. Figs.50 and 51 show you where you can
find it.
3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.50 – The SimpleNote command on the text flyout on the Annotations panel on the Home tab
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.51 – The SimpleNote command on the text flyout on the Text panel on the Annotate tab
24. Using either method to execute the SimpleNote command, you will then be prompted for a start position of the
SimpleNote text. Pick a point above the door swing to the right of the two new lines you have drawn. Don’t worry about
6
being exact. The text position can be refined later.

REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
25. After picking a location for the text, you will be prompted for a text height. Bear in mind, that in the Model space of any
drawing, everything is drawn full size, so you will type in a text height of 150 (mm) and press Enter.
2
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HELPFUL HINT
The height of the text in DraftSight’s Model space (the Model tab) is set by considering how the text will
appear when the drawing is printed out. If you are placing text in the Model space and we want it to appear
3mm tall when printed at 1:50 scale, the calculation would be 3mm x 1:50 = 3 x 50 = 150mm in the Model space.
3
CHAPTER 3
26. Accept the default text angle of 0 (zero – horizontal) and press Enter.
27. You will now see a text cursor appear and start flashing at the point you picked.
28. Type in the text Porch and press Enter. DraftSight will give you another text cursor below the new text. Just press Enter
a second time to close out the SimpleNote command.
29. Note that each line of SimpleNote text is an individual object in a DraftSight drawing, hence the cursor repeats after
4
pressing Enter the first time. Fig.52 shows you how your text will look in the drawing.
EDITING A DWG FILE

CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.52 – The new SimpleNote ‘Porch’ text in place in the drawing
30. If you click on the text, it will highlight and become a part of the selection set. It will also display its default EGrip (which
is Left in this case). If you click on the EGrip and drag, you can reposition your text accordingly.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
31. Try this and reposition the text to your preferred position above the door in the porch area. Make sure to hit the Esc key
a couple of times to cancel any command and deselect the text once you are done.
2
32. The last piece of annotation to be added to the drawing is going to be some simple dimensions. You will use the
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DraftSight annotation tools to place the dimensions that represent the width and elevated level of the porch – the two
new lines you added recently.
33. To add dimensions in DraftSight, you will be using the Linear dimension type. Make sure your ESNAPs are on so that you
dimension accurately and zoom in or out appropriately so that you are in close to see what you are dimensioning!
34. You can access the Linear dimension command in two places; on the dimension flyout menu on the Annotations panel
3
on the Home tab or on the dimension flyout menu on the Dimensions panel on the Annotate tab. You can use either of
CHAPTER 3
these methods to place the Linear dimensions. Figs.53 and 54 show you where to find them (Fig.54 overleaf).
Manage dimensions even easier with DraftSight Professional - click anywhere on a

PRO TIP dimension to reposition it, and place dimensions with widgets for automatic alignment
and spacing. LEARN MORE >>
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.53 – The Linear dimension command on the Annotations panel on the Home tab
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3
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4
Fig.54 – The Linear dimension command on the Dimensions panel on the Annotate tab
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CHAPTER 4
35. In the Home tab in the Layers panel, click on the layer dropdown menu and select the Dim layer (green) as the current
drafting layer to make sure your dimensions go on the correct layer first time. This is a good practice to get in to when
placing ANY new entities in to a DraftSight drawing.
36. Select the Linear dimension command using either method and select the two endpoints that form the right-hand part of
the porch (points 1 and 2 in Fig.55) and then drag upwards to place the dimension line and the dimension text by clicking
for a third time (point 3 in Fig.55). You will see the 900 linear dimension appear.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.55 – Points 1, 2 and 3 shown for accurate positioning of the 900 (mm) dimension
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37. Now go to the Annotate tab on the ribbon. You will need the Dimensions panel for the next step.
38. You will find the Continue command on the flyout menu on the Dimensions panel on the Annotate tab. Fig.56 shows you
2
where.
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3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.56 – The Continue command on the Dimensions panel on the Annotate tab
39. The Continue command automatically starts another dimension from the last dimension placed (in this case, the 900
dimension) and is very useful for placing strings of linear dimensions on complex drawings.
4
40. Click on the upper Endpoint ESNAP of the second line you created to form the porch boundary (that was originally offset
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
by 300). You will see that a 300 linear dimension is placed EXACTLY in line with the 900 linear dimension.
41. You will see that the Continue command is still open after placing the 300 linear dimension. It is waiting for you to select
another dimension to continue. You don’t need to, so just press Enter to close the Continue command. The finished 300
linear dimension is shown in Fig.57.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.57 – The finished 300 linear dimension

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CHAPTER 1
Summary
This chapter has focused on introducing you to several of the more frequently used commands, like Trim, Extend and Offset.
2
DraftSight has, quite literally, hundreds of other commands that are all useful.
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By knowing these commands and being able to use them effectively and productively in all situations, you will be able to
improve the efficiency of your work in your DraftSight drawings considerably.
Always make a point to yourself to use ALL the resources available; this guide, the internet and any other information out
there to gain a good knowledge of all of the available commands in DraftSight.
3
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 5
C R E AT I N G & I N S E R T I N G B L O C K S I N A D W G F I L E
2
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3
In this chapter, you will start to create and insert blocks in to your DraftSight drawing. Blocks are a great way of reusing
CHAPTER 3
design components that are already in place and in the drawing database in the DWG file.
A block is created as an object made up of several entities, like furniture or equipment, by collectively defining the lines and
circles and all other elements. These collected entities then constitute the component as one block. For example, you may
draw a sofa using lines, arcs and circles. These entities can then all be made in to one sofa block, that can then be used
repeatedly in the drawing, making design reuse much quicker and easier.
Any modifications and changes necessary for these graphical entities belonging to the same block can also be made
quickly and easily in-place, updating the block information ‘on-the-fly’ as well.
4
As you work through the chapter, you will look at the workflows and processes used for creating, inserting and editing
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
blocks, as well as the distinctive features of the block.

5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
1. As has been the case in previous chapters, you need to activate DraftSight (if you haven’t done so already), and open
the drawing Plan_1F.dwg. You may already have this drawing open from the previous chapter.
2
2. In the drawing, zoom and pan using the mouse, to the area around the dining table.
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3. You are going to group the dining table and chairs in to one block, called Dining Set.
4. To do this, you need to use the Define Block… command and you will find it on the Block Definition panel on the Insert
tab on the ribbon. Fig.58 shows you where. You can also type MAKEBLOCK and press Enter.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.58 – The Define Block… command on the Block Definition panel on the Insert tab
5. As soon as you click on Define Block…, you will see the Block Definition dialog box.
6. Enter the following information in to the dialog box: -
Name: Dining Set

Description: Standard metric dining set block
5
Apply uniform scale: TICKED

CHAPTER 5
Allow block to explode: TICKED
(Fig.59 overleaf shows you how the dialog box should look at this point).
7. You now need to select the Entities that make up the block (bottom right). Click on the icon to the left of where it says,
Select in graphics area. Leave Convert to block selected.
8. 8. You will be taken in to the graphics area, where you need to select the table and the four chairs, then press Enter to
go back to the dialog box.
6
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Fig.59 – The Block Definition dialog box with the settings indicated
9. When you go back to the dialog box, you will now see the thumbnail in the top right corner displaying the dining set.
10. You now need to set a Base point (bottom left). Click on the icon to the left of Select in graphics area. You will be taken
back in to the graphics area.
5
11. Using your ESNAPs, use the Endpoint ESNAP on the bottom left corner of the dining table as your block base point.
CHAPTER 5
12. Upon clicking on the Endpoint ESNAP, you will be returned to the dialog box, which should now look as it does in Fig.60
overleaf.
With DraftSight Professional, you can simply redefine the base point of a block with
PRO TIP the right mouse button. LEARN MORE >>
6
REFERENCING
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Fig.60 – The Block Definition dialog box with all of the settings complete
13. Note all the settings in Fig.60. You will see and X and Y coordinate value in the Base point settings and that FIVE entities
have been specified for the Dining Set block. Also note the thumbnail image to check that your block looks the same.
14. Click on OK. Your Dining Set block has now been created and added to the drawing database in the DWG file.
5
15. As Convert to block was selected when you defined the block, the Dining Set is now a block in the current DWG file.

CHAPTER 5
16. Select it in the drawing, and you will see it highlight, with a single EGrip representing the base point of the block, as
shown in Fig.61 overleaf.
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CHAPTER 3
Fig.61 – The finished Dining Set block, shown selected with the base point
4
17. To deselect the Dining Set block, hit Esc twice. Once to deselect and once to cancel any command you may have
current.
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
18. Zoom out and pan from the drawing content so that you have some space to the right of the floor plan.
19. You will now insert a new Dining Set block in the space. You can select the Insert Block command from the Block panel
on the Insert tab on the ribbon or you can type INSERTBLOCK and press Enter. Fig.62 shows you where to find Insert
Block on the ribbon.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.62 – The Insert Block command on the Block panel on the Insert tab
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PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
20. Click on the Insert Block icon. You will see the Insert Block dialog box appear as shown in Fig.63.
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
4
Fig.63 – The Insert Block dialog box with important elements and settings highlighted
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21. Make sure you have the Dining Set block selected in the dropdown menu and the Position Specify later box ticked.
Then, click on OK.
22. You will see the Dining Set block floating around on your crosshairs/cursor as the base point, replicating the base
point you set up when creating the block. You can specify any insertion point because of selecting Specify later for the
Position setting in the Insert Block dialog box. Fig.64 shows you how this looks in the DraftSight graphics area.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
Fig.64 – The newly inserted Dining Set block waiting on an insertion point
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
23. Pick a point in the space to the right of the floor plan in the drawing and you will see that the block is placed where you
click. You have just placed your first piece or reused design. You can now place that Dining Set block anywhere in your
2
drawing!
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24. Go back to the Insert Block command and click on it. When the Insert Block dialog box appears, click on the dropdown
down menu and you will see that your drawing contains not just the Dining Set block you created but many other blocks
too. Fig.65 shows you the dropdown menu in place.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.65 – The Insert Block dialog box with the dropdown menu in place
25. Experiment with other blocks and insert them in to the drawing. Just make sure for the Position setting, you tick the
Specify later box, so that you can drop blocks in using the crosshairs/cursor, otherwise DraftSight will insert all the
blocks at the default 0,0,0 coordinates in the dialog box.
5
26. You are now going to learn how to edit a block in-place. This is a great way of editing an existing without having to
explode it using the Explode command and then having to create the block definition all over again.
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27. Zoom in to the Dining Set block you placed to the right of the floor plan. Double click on it. The Edit Component dialog
box will appear, showing you your Dining Set block but also the four blocks that exist inside the Dining Set block; Chair
A. When you created the Dining Set block, the table was made up from a rectangular polyline, but the chairs were
already blocks in the drawing. Blocks within blocks are known as nested blocks.
28. Making sure that your Dining Set block is selected, click on OK, as shown in Fig.66 overleaf.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.66 – The Edit Component dialog box, showing the Dining Set and Chair A blocks
29. The screen then goes a grey colour, indicating that you are now editing the block in-place. Note that all other entities
4
have also faded in colour, with only the Dining Set block retaining its original color.
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30. You can now edit the Dining Set block.
31. Got to the Fillet command on the Modify panel on the Home tab. Fig.67 shows you where it is.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.67 – The Fillet command on the Modify panel on the Home tab
7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
32. Click on Fillet and then move in to the graphics area. Right click on the mouse to bring up the menu and select Radius.
Type in a radius value of 150 (mm) and press Enter.
2
33. Right click again and select Polyline. You can now select the rectangular polyline that forms the table in the Dining Set
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block.
34. You will see that the Fillet command has added a radius of 150 (mm) to each corner of the table in the block. Fig.68 shows
how your table should look.
3
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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.68 – The Dining Set block with the table now having 150mm radius corners
5
35. After completing the Fillet command on the table polyline, you need to right click and select Close Component on the
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menu. You will then be prompted with the small dialog box shown in Fig.69.
6
Fig.69 – The Component dialog box after the right click and Close Component
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
36. Make sure to click on Save to save your changes back to the Dining Set block.
37. The graphics area will return to its black background and you will see the updated Dining Set block.
2
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38. Zoom in to the original Dining Set block in the floor plan. You will see this has updated also, as shown in Fig.70.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.70 – The original Dining Set block, also with the updated radius corners
5
39. The reason the original Dining Set block has updated is because if an in-place edit is done on any block in the drawing,

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it updates ALL other blocks with that block reference name. You can also bring in a new drawing as a block by using
the Browse button in the Insert Block dialog box. If the drawing has the same name as a block reference in the existing
drawing, it will update all blocks with that block reference name too.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
Summary
This chapter has focused on introducing you to blocks and how to create blocks, insert blocks and edit blocks in-place in a
2
DraftSight drawing file.

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CHAPTER 2
Design reuse is probably one of the most important workflow processes you will need to know when working with
DraftSight. It enhances productivity and saves times, but more importantly, it allows you to set standards for your drawings.
By setting up a block library in a DraftSight drawing, you can share standardized blocks for use on a project, knowing that
all project staff are using the same blocks and not re-inventing the wheel!
Blocks are useful and effective. They save having to repeat often monotonous drafting work and minimize editing work too.
3
The entities grouped in to a block can be entities such as lines, arcs and circles, but remember you can also have blocks
CHAPTER 3
within blocks (nested blocks). You may also import a group of proprietary blocks from a third party, such as office furniture.
You may then use a desk, chair and desk lamp to form a single office workstation block to save time on furniture placement
in an office layout drawing.
The Design Library in DraftSight Professional allows you to navigate to files and insert them
PRO TIP into your design as a block, as well as text, line, and dimension styles. LEARN MORE >>
4
CHAPTER 5
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL

5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 6
R E F E R E N C I N G O T H E R D R AW I N G S I N T O A N
2
E X I S T I N G D R AW I N G I N D R A F T S I G H T
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3
CHAPTER 3
In this chapter, you will learn how to reference in other drawings in to your existing DraftSight drawing. This is a great way
of developing drawing projects as it allows other DraftSight users to work on other reference drawings which can then be
brought in to the existing drawing (the host drawing).
Being equipped with this functionality to reference other DWG files and image files, DraftSight allows you to view the
reference files within the host drawing, and also view the latest version of the reference files just by reloading them,
specifically, if other users have been working on the reference drawings, updating them. The advantage of using the
reference drawings (or images) is that, unlike the block, it will not be stored in the host DWG file, therefore, preventing the
host DWG file from becoming too big.
4
However, you must not forget to include all the reference data (drawings and/or images) in the deliverable package of
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drawings when sending out the finished existing drawing.
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
1. Make sure you have DraftSight up and running (if you haven’t already) and open the file Plan_1F.dwg. You may already
have this file open from the previous chapter but if you haven’t, please open it now for this chapter.
2
2. You are now going to remove all entities on the layer called Site and delete the layer from the drawing as an active layer
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as well.
3. To do this, you can use the Layer Delete command, on the flyout menu on the Layers panel on the Home tab. It can also
be activated by typing DELETELAYER and pressing Enter. Fig.71 shows you where to find Layer Delete on the ribbon.
3
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4
Fig.71 – The Layer Delete command on the flyout menu on the Layers panel on the Home tab
EDITING A DWG FILE
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4. Upon clicking on Layer Delete, you need to select an entity on the Site layer. The long vertical line to the left of the
floorplan (in a cyan/pale blue color) is on the Site layer. Select that line as shown in Fig.72.
5
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6
Fig.72 – A screenshot showing the line to be selected with the pickbox for Layer Delete
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PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
5. Upon clicking and picking the line, you will be prompted, “Do you want to delete layer “Site” and all referenced entities?
Specify Yes or No”.
2
6. Type Y for Yes and press enter. All entities on that layer will be deleted, as well as the Site layer itself. Make sure that the
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Site layer is not the current layer or the Layer Delete won’t work!
7. If you want to check all of that, perform an Undo (Quick Access Toolbar – top left of the screen) after doing the Layer
Delete, and check that the Site layer exists in the layer dropdown menu. Then, do the Layer Delete again, using the
workflow above, and you will see that it does, in fact, remove all entities and the Site layer. Fig.73 shows you the drawing
with the Site layer deleted.
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CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.73 – The Plan_1F.dwg with the Site layer deleted
8. You are now going to attach another DWG file (the reference drawing) to your current drawing (the host drawing).
9. Click on Attach Drawing in the Attach panel on the Insert tab on the ribbon. You can also type ATTACHDRAWING and
press Enter. Fig.74 overleaf shows you where to find it on the ribbon.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
DraftSight Professional provides support for attaching, importing and exporting PDF, XLS,
PRO TIP and DGN files. LEARN MORE >>
7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
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Fig.74 – The Attach Drawing command in the Attach panel on the Insert tab
3
10. Upon clicking on the Attach Drawing command, you will be prompted to select a DWG file. You need to locate your
CHAPTER 3
drawings that you downloaded to use with the guide and open the drawing Site.dwg.
11. Once you have found the Site.dwg and clicked on Open in the Select File dialog box, the Attach Reference: Drawing
dialog box appears, as shown in Fig.75.
4
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5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.75 – The Attach Reference: Drawing dialog box with settings indicated
6
12. To make sure your reference drawing is attached correctly, make sure all your settings are the same as Fig.75. You need
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
to be attaching the Site.dwg file, that it is a Full reference path, and that Position, Scale and Rotation are set as shown.
Then, click on OK.
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13. Upon clicking on OK, you will see the reference file data appear in your host drawing (Plan_1F.dwg). Fig.76 shows you
what the host drawing now looks like.
2
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3
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CHAPTER 4
Fig.76 – The Plan_1F.dwg file (host) with the Site.dwg (reference) file attached
14. You can now see the cyan/pale blue site lines again, plus the north point symbol (bottom right) and these new magenta/
5
purple diagonal dimensions.

CHAPTER 5
15. You can edit a reference drawing and reload it in to the host drawing at any time. This is why reference drawings are so
useful. Other members of your team can be working on a reference drawing, save the changes and it can then just be
reloaded and the new information shows in the host drawing straightaway.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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CHAPTER 1
16. Reference drawing layers are displayed differently in the layer tools in DraftSight. They have the naming philosophy
Filename|Layer, so any layers relating to the reference file Site.dwg, will show as Site|Layer. Fig.77 shows this in the
2
layer dropdown menu on the Layers panel.

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3
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5
Fig.77 – The reference file layers as shown in the layer dropdown menu
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17. As mentioned previously, you can open a reference DWG file, edit it and reload it in to your host DWG file.
18. Open the reference file Site.dwg in DraftSight as well, so that you have both the host and reference drawing files open.
You will see their file names in the file tabs just below the ribbon. Click on the Site.dwg file tab once the file is opened.
19. You will see the cyan/pale blue site lines and the magenta/purple dimensions in the Site.dwg reference file.
20. Select ALL of the magenta/purple dimensions and text in the drawing.
6
REFERENCING
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CHAPTER 1
21. Delete ALL of the dimensions and text selected. Yes, delete them!
22. Then use the Save command (click on the disk icon on the Quick Access Toolbar – top left of the screen) to save the
2
Site.dwg file.
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23. Click on the Plan_1F.dwg file tab to go back to your host drawing.
24. You will notice that the magenta/purple dimensions and text are still there as part of the reference drawing. The
reference drawing needs to be reloaded for the changes to become apparent.
25. Select any part of the reference file whilst in the host drawing by clicking on it. It will highlight once selected.
3
26. Then, right click on the mouse and select References Manager (it’s right at the bottom of the menu).

CHAPTER 3
27. The References palette will appear, and you will see the Site.dwg file in the list, as shown in Fig.78. If the References
palette does not display properly, you may need to turn Auto-hide off by clicking on the little pin icon at the top of the
titlebar in the palette.
4
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CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.78 – The References palette with the Site drawing shown
6
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CHAPTER 1
28. Now, right click on the Site drawing in the list in the References palette. A small menu will appear as shown in Fig.79.
2
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CHAPTER 2
3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.79 – The References palette showing the Site DWG reference file and the right click menu
4
29. Select Reload from the menu to reload the Site.dwg reference file in to the host drawing (Plan_1F.dwg).
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
30. You will see the magenta/purple dimensions and text disappear as the revised reference file is reloaded.
31. You’ve done it! You have successfully added a reference file to a host drawing, edited the reference file and then
reloaded it in to the host drawing.
HELPFUL HINT
5
CHAPTER 5
When using reference files, if the path type in the Attach Reference: Drawing dialog box is set to Full,
DraftSight will use the FULL drive path to find the reference file. When the path type is set to Relative,
DraftSight will use the same location as the host drawing (the same folder). It is often good practice to use
the Relative path type as this then ensures that both the reference file and the host file are in the same folder
location for transmission of drawing data to a third party.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
Summary
This chapter has focused on introducing you to reference drawings and how to attach reference drawings to your host
2
drawing file. You have also learnt how to edit a reference drawing and reload the revised reference drawing back in to your
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host drawing file.
The functionality in DraftSight to reference other drawings in to your host drawing is very useful because it will not make
your DWG file larger and yet will enable you to display the latest up-to-date data. For example, when you select a 2D
detailed drawing as the reference file, you will be able to view this detail in the reference drawing by switching the Show
or Hide mode of the layer upon which the reference drawing is on, but keep the host drawing in plain view with its layers
3
still in Show mode. When there is a need to edit the reference drawing, you will only need to edit the reference drawing,
because whatever edits are made, they will be reflected in the host drawing when the reference drawing is reloaded.

CHAPTER 3
Often, another DraftSight user will be editing the reference drawing(s) referenced in to your host drawing; different
disciplines, third parties, engineers etc. You will just reload the reference drawings to get the most up-to-date data on those
reference drawings to work on your host drawing, which will significantly improve your efficiency.
CHAPTER 6
4
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL
EDITING A DWG FILE

CHAPTER 4
5
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6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
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PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 7
P R I N T I N G O U T Y O U R D R A F T S I G H T D R AW I N G
2
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3
In this chapter, you will learn how to print out your DraftSight drawings. Two types of tabs are used to display data in a
CHAPTER 3
DraftSight drawing; the Model tab or Sheet tabs. You can only have the one Model tab, but numerous Sheet tabs. You can
set up to print from either the Model tab or Sheet tabs in your drawing.
When printing a drawing using DraftSight, you use the Model tab for printing drawing data directly from the full-size space
where you create your designs, or you print from the Sheet tabs for setting up and viewing your design using standardized
titleblocks and scaled views in a print layout.
To print from Sheet tabs, you must create a scaled view on the Sheet tab that displays the drawing entered in the Model tab
(full size). The user can create multiple sheets of print views with different print settings respectively.
4
In this chapter, you will work on a scenario requiring you to output a ISO A3 sheet with a black-andwhite drawing to a
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
metric scale of 1:50 as a PDF file. This is instead of printing it out on paper. To meet the requirements of this scenario, you
will need to set the scale of the scaled view created on the Sheet tab to 1:50, and output the sheet as 1:1.
5
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6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
1. As per previous chapters, make sure you have activated DraftSight, and you have opened the exercise file, Plan_1F.dwg
from the downloaded exercise files.
2
2. To configure the sheet for printing, you will need to specify the printer and paper size using the printing configuration
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functionality of DraftSight.
3. Click on the Sheet tab called 1/50 located bottom left below the graphics area.
4. You will see the screen change to a Sheet layout where you can see a white sheet with dashed lines, as shown in Fig.80.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.80 – The 1/50 Sheet tab shown current in drawing Plan_1F.dwg
5
5. You will see in Fig.80 that the 1/50 Sheet tab is indicated. When in DraftSight, you can have as many Sheet tabs as you

CHAPTER 5
like (within reason!) but you can only ever have ONE Model tab.
6. Right click over the 1/50 Sheet tab. Select Print Configuration Manager…
7. The Print Configuration Manager dialog box appears. It is here that you will set up any number of print configurations
that suit your DraftSight project. Fig.81 overleaf shows you the Print Configuration Manager dialog box. 6
Batch Printing in DraftSight Professional enables you to print files or folders of files without
PRO TIP having to open them. LEARN MORE >>
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.81 – The Print Configuration Manager dialog box
8. You will notice that there are already two printer configurations in the manager. The Default configuration is always
there in DraftSight, and the A1-Landscape-PDF configuration is associated with this drawing.
5
9. You are going to create a new configuration using the Default configuration as a template. Click on New and the New
CHAPTER 5
Print Configuration dialog box will appear. Select Default as your template and then click on OK, as shown in Fig.82.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.82 – The New Print Configuration dialog box

7
PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
10. You will be prompted to save the print configuration in the default DraftSight file location. Give the new configuration the
name A3-PDF.cfg and click on Save.
2
11. You will now be taken to the Print Configuration – A3-PDF dialog box where you will set all your settings for this
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particular configuration.
12. Make sure you have all the setting shown in Fig.83 below, THEN click on the Properties button. DO NOT click on Save
just yet.
3
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4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
Fig.83 – The Print Configuration – A3-PDF dialog box with required settings highlighted

CHAPTER 5
13. When you click on Properties, you will be setting some custom settings, even though you have already selected a PDF
printer and specified your sheet size.
14. In the PDF: Custom Paper Size dialog box, scroll down to the appropriate ISO A3 sheet size and set all the margins to
6mm, as shown in Fig.84 overleaf. Then click on OK to go back to the main dialog box. 6
REFERENCING
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7
PRINTING
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OPENING A DWG FILE
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3
CHAPTER 3
4
Fig.84 – The PDF: Custom Paper Size dialog box with the required settings
EDITING A DWG FILE
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15. Make sure all your settings from Fig.83 are still as they should be, then click on Save.
16. You will be taken back to the Printer Configuration Manager dialog box. Select your new A3- PDF configuration from the
list and click on Activate, as shown in Fig.85 below.
5
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6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
Fig.85 – The Printer Configuration Manager ready to activate the A3-PDF configuration
7
PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
17. Click on Close and you will go back to the 1/50 Sheet tab. You will see the margins (the dashed lines) update to the 6mm
margin you set up in the print configuration.
2
18. Your new print configuration is now saved and will always be available for any future print configurations or printing you
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need to do.
19. There is already a default ViewTile on the sheet (the rectangle with a continuous line). Just delete it as you will be
setting up a new one.
20. Go to your Layers panel on the Home tab. Go to the Layers Manager and in the palette, click on New. Give your new
layer the name ViewTiles. Give it the Blue color and in the Print column, click in the printer for the new layer so that the
3
printer icon has a red line through it. Then, the edges of your ViewTiles won’t print. Click on OK to exit the palette.

CHAPTER 3
21. Make ViewTiles your current drafting layer on the layer dropdown menu.
22. Go to the View tab on the ribbon.
23. In the ViewTiles panel, click on the flyout menu and select Single Tile as shown in Fig.86.
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.86 – The ViewTiles flyout menu on the ViewTiles panel on the View tab
24. You are taken back to the Sheet tab, with a prompt for the first point of the ViewTile. You draw the ViewTile in the same
way as a rectangle, but keep it inside of the dashed margins of the printer configuration.
6
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7
PRINTING
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1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
25. As soon as you pick the second point of the ViewTile, it will appear on the Sheet, with a scaled view of the details from
the Model tab, which is zoomed to fit the ViewTile, as shown in Fig.87.
2
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3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.87 – The new ViewTile in the Sheet tab, with a view from the Model tab, zoomed to fit the ViewTile
26. You now need to set the correct scale for the new ViewTile, as it needs to be at a metric scale of 1:50.
27. Ensure that you are out of the ViewTiles command by pressing the Esc key a couple of times and then select the
ViewTile by clicking on the edge of it (in this case, the blue continuous line).
5
28. It will highlight with blue EGrips on each corner.

CHAPTER 5
29. Look down at the bottom of the screen and you will see the Annotation flyout menu. Click on it and you will see all the
standard scales appear in a list. Select 1:50. You have now scaled your Model view in the new ViewTile to exactly 1/50 of
its actual size in the Model tab (so, 1mm on the Sheet tab represents 50mm in the Model tab).
30. Press Esc to deselect the ViewTile and, at this point, it might be a good idea to click on Save to save your drawing.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
31. You now need to think about printing your drawing (yes, you ARE ready!).
32. Right click on the 1/50 Sheet tab like before and on the menu, select Print.
2
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33. You will be presented with the Print – 1/50 dialog box, as shown in Fig.88.
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
Fig.88 – The Print-1/50 dialog box, showing all the required settings
34. Do a quick sanity check to make sure you have all the same settings as shown in Fig.88, then click on Additional
Options…
35. In the Additional Options dialog box, you will notice that you can select a PrintStyle table. In the dropdown menu, make
sure you select MONO.stb as shown in Fig.89 overleaf.
36. You will also note that you can create your PrintStyles as well by clicking on the New button. If you do decide to create
6
a new PrintStyle, that will be written in to your A3-PDF.cfg file that you saved earlier, and you can overwrite the printer
configuration file and save the new PrintStyle settings that way.
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

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OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
3
CHAPTER 3
Fig.89 – The Additional Print Options dialog box, with MONO.stb shown
37. Click on OK, once you have selected MONO.stb, to go back to the Print dialog box.
4
38. You will notice that the preview thumbnail in the Print dialog box has gone black and white. This is now previewing the
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
MONO.stb PrintStyle table.
39. Click on the Print Preview… button.
40. A small preview window appears in the screen that you can maximize if you wish. This is the Print Preview window.
In here you can zoom in and out and navigate the print before it is printed to ensure the quality of the print before you
commit to printing it. Not so much an issue with printing electronically (in a PDF, as you are), but a great way to save
paper on incorrect prints if you are printing to hardcopy.
5
41. As you can see, it is a black and white print, due to the MONO.stb PrintStyle, and you will also notice that your ViewTiles
CHAPTER 5
layer is not showing as you set it not to print in the Layers Manager.
42. If you look at Fig.90 overleaf, the Print Preview window has a small toolbar with all your navigation controls built in, but
it also has a Print icon (top left). If you are happy with your print, click on the Print icon and save your printed PDF in a
known location as A3_1-50.pdf.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
3
CHAPTER 3
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Fig.90 – The Print Preview window, showing the toolbar and the Print icon
43. Your intended PDF print file has now been created. Well done!
44. If you have a PDF viewer on your computer, open the PDF print and check its quality, as shown in Fig.91 overleaf.
5
CHAPTER 5
HELPFUL HINT
This manual provides a very simplified method of printing your DraftSight drawing. Defining the print
configuration in DraftSight is a slightly complicated process and it may be useful for you to remember that for
Sheet definition, you set the printing configuration, and then if you need to define line widths, pen styles and
colors, create a NEW PrintStyle. You can, of course, stick with the pre-loaded PrintStyles until you are ready to
6
create your own!

REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
Summary
This chapter has focused on introducing you to printing your DraftSight drawings.
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
The functionality in DraftSight to print your drawings is fundamental to communicating your design intent. Without printing,
there is no way to circulate your design to the parties working on your project. You have learnt how to not only set up your
Sheet tab with the correctly scaled ViewTile, but how to set up a print configuration for that Sheet that will be saved and
can be used repeatedly on your current project and any other future projects. You have also learnt how to execute the
Print command, whilst reviewing your print in the Print Preview window, a valuable quality check tool before you commit to
printing your DraftSight drawing.
3
As this summary now brings the guide to a close, you now have all the necessary skills to get started with DraftSight and
CHAPTER 3
start to develop your own AEC drawings, that you can work with, edit, manipulate and print at your leisure.
CHAPTER 7
VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
5
CHAPTER 5
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

1
OPENING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 1
Complete your AEC projects quicker and easier with DraftSight Professional. Take another look at
PRO TIP the features mentioned in this guide that can boost your productivity and save you design time:
2
DRAWING LINES
CHAPTER 2
Quick Input Methods Input data directly in the drawing area instead of the command line.
Insert Centerline Easily find the midpoint and insert a centerline.
Set up and map entity types to layers, so when you switch tools/entity
Predefined Layer Support
types, the layers change automatically.
3
Paste to Active Layer Paste entities to the active layer regardless of their original properties.

CHAPTER 3
Set a layer for hatches and gradient fields in the corresponding
Hatch Layer
dialog box.
Place and locate dimensions with precision by providing “snaps,”

Dimension Snap Offset Distances
keeping uniform distance between your dimensions.
Simply trim and extend entities by dragging the cursor over the objects
Power Trim
to be modified.
4
EDITING A DWG FILE
CHAPTER 4
Click anywhere on a dimension to reposition it, and place dimensions
Dimensioning Improvements
with widgets for automatic alignment and spacing.
Redefine Base Point Simply redefine the base point of a block with the right mouse button.
Easily navigate to files and insert them into your design as a block, as
Design Library
well as text, line, and dimension styles.
5
Interoperability Support for attaching, importing and exporting PDF, XLS, and DGN files.

CHAPTER 5
Batch Printing Print files or folders of files without having to open them.
Get these and many more productivity tools including an API for as
low as $149 for 12 months. Plus, choose between subscription and
non-subscription purchasing options that meet your needs.
6
REFERENCING
CHAPTER 6
GET DRAFTSIGHT PROFESSIONAL

7
PRINTING
CHAPTER 7

AEC Guide For DraftSight 2018 PDF

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CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7

A comprehensive guide with lessons, videos, tips

engineering, and construction industry.

A valuable 2D drafting tool for any AEC professional

• Printing drawings from DraftSight.

and non-subscription purchasing options starting at just $149 for 12 months.

LEARN MORE & BUY NOW

OPERATING THE LAYERS

EDITING A DWG FILE

CREATING & INSERTING

Before starting with the AEC Guide, REMEMBER to download the

interface used throughout this guide.

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 2

EDITING A DWG FILE

3 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Fig.4 – DraftSight main menu with the Open command indicated

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 4

Fig.6 – DraftSight Open dialog box with the Plan_1F.dwg highlighted

5 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 6

7 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 8

9 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

is to double click on the mouse wheel as a button. Try it and see!

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 10

EDITING A DWG FILE

Fig.14 – The file tab for the drawing Plan_1F.dwg

11 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

VIEW VIDEO TUTORIAL

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 12

OPERATING THE LAYERS

13 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 14

15 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 16

CREATING & INSERTING

17 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

coordinates or, better still, ESNAP to draft accurately and productively.

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 18

19 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 20

EDITING A DWG FILE

Fig.27 – The right click menu (mid-command) showing Esnap Overrides

21 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 22

Learn more about DraftSight Professional

Before starting with the AEC Guide, REMEMBER to download the

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 24

25 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Fig.32 – The drawing with the Center layer in Hide mode

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 26

27 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

wheel on the mouse to perform a Zoom Fit.

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 28

OPERATING THE LAYERS

29 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 30

CREATING & INSERTING

31 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Visit DraftSight.com Learn more about DraftSight Professional 32

OPERATING THE LAYERS

33 Learn more about DraftSight Professional Visit DraftSight.com

Fig.41 – The Entrance area in drawing Plan_1F.dwg