Scaling objects

The Scale Objects command rescales the X and/or Y dimension of any selected solid, object, multiple objects, or group, or rescales the selected items uniformly in the X,Y, and Z dimensions. The selected item is rescaled using its center point. The object can be rescaled by indicating a segment in the drawing or by specifying a new distance for the segment. If no objects are selected, the entire drawing can be scaled.

Unless you are scaling the entire drawing, the Scale Objects command does not scale symbols directly, although it can scale symbols in object editing mode. Use the Object Info palette or the Selection tool to scale a symbol instance directly in the drawing, as described in Scaling symbols from the Object Info palette.

If no objects are selected, all objects on all layers of the drawing are scaled.

Parameter	Description
Symmetric	Scales uniformly along X, Y, and Z axes
X, Y, Z Factor	Enter the scaling factor (for example, enter 2 to double or 0.5 to halve the scale)
Symmetric By Distance	Scales symmetrically using the ratio of the current and new distance values as a scale factor
Current Distance	Enter the current distance to be scaled, or click the button to use a temporary tool to indicate the distance in the drawing
New Distance	Enter the new value for the distance, or click the button to use a temporary tool to indicate the distance in the drawing
Asymmetric	Scales along only the specified X and Y axes; when asymmetrically scaling a solid, the current view must be aligned with the solid’s matrix for scaling to occur
X/Y Scaling Factor	Enter the scaling factor (for example, enter 2 to double or 0.5 to halve the scale)
Scale text	Scales selected text to the new scaling factor
Entire drawing	Scales all objects on all layers, including symbols and hatches

3. If specifying the scale factor interactively with the Symmetric by Distance option, click the button next to Current Distance to switch temporarily to the drawing. Click to indicate the start of the segment, move the cursor, and click to indicate the end of the segment. You are returned to the Scale Objects dialog box, and the Current Distance value has been specified.

4. Click the button next to New Distance and repeat Step 3 to interactively set the new distance based on an existing object in the drawing.

Alternatively, enter numeric values to specify the Current Distance and New Distance.

Scaling solids asymmetrically

Solids can be scaled asymmetrically, through both the Scale Objects command (see Scaling objects) and the Object Info palette. The internal components of the solid do not change, and the solid can still be edited after the scaling operation. Spheres, hemispheres, and cones cannot be scaled asymmetrically.

In the Object Info palette, enter a scale factor in the X Scale, Y Scale, or Z Scale field to scale the selected solid along the specified axis.

A selected solid can also be scaled asymmetrically by selecting the Modify > Scale Objects command and entering an Asymmetric scale factor. However, the current view must be aligned with the solid’s matrix for scaling to occur.

Scaling symbols from the Object Info palette

Symbol instances placed in the drawing can be scaled from the Object Info palette; this is an advantage because different sizes of the same symbol do not require a new symbol for each size.

Symbols can also be scaled interactively with the interactive scaling mode of the Selection tool. See The Selection tool.

1. Click the Selection tool, and then click Single Object Interactive Scaling mode.

4. For Symmetric scaling, enter the scale Factor. For Asymmetric scaling, enter the scaling factor along the specified axis.

5. The symbol is resized. The Object Info palette displays Scaled at the top of the Shape pane for symbols that have been scaled. Other instances of the same symbol in the drawing remain unscaled.