What is a ʼModel Space Viewportʼ in BricsCAD?

Short Answer

A Model Space Viewport in BricsCAD is a tiled viewing area inside model space that lets you look at the same drawing from different directions or zoom levels at once, usually created with VPORTS. The most common professional method is using named or preset viewport layouts. Limitation: it does not create plotted paper-space viewports.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Model Space Viewports are often confused with Layout viewports, but they are not the same and will not control plotting on a sheet. A common failure is setting up multiple model-space views and then expecting them to appear separately in plotted layouts.

How to Create a Model Space Viewport in BricsCAD

• Command: VPORTS

• Shortcut: VP

• Quick Steps:

  1. In Model space, type VPORTS or use the menu/ribbon viewport tools if available.
  2. In the Viewports dialog, choose a standard configuration such as Two: Vertical or Four: Equal.
  3. Enable the desired setup options, apply it, then click inside each viewport to set the needed view direction or zoom.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Viewport configuration

• Expert Setting: Choosing a preset like 2-vertical, 3-right, or 4-equal controls how Model space is split on screen. This affects only your working display, not sheet output, and is the main practical setting professionals use for multi-view editing.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): The model may appear missing in one viewport because that viewport is zoomed far away, set to a different UCS/view direction, or clipped by display scale.

• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): If key geometry is on frozen or off layers, one or more viewports may look empty even though the model still exists.

• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often run MVIEW, which is for layout viewports, instead of VPORTS, which manages tiled Model Space Viewports.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: Run VPORTS again and reset to Single, then recreate the viewport arrangement and use ZOOM > Extents inside each pane.

• Manager’s Verdict: Use Model Space Viewports for drafting, coordination, and checking multiple views while editing. Avoid relying on them for documentation, because plotted sheet control should be done with Layout viewports instead.

FAQ

Can a Model Space Viewport be plotted separately?

No, use Layout viewports for plotting control.

What command creates multiple tiled views in Model space?

Use VPORTS.

Is a Model Space Viewport the same as a paper space viewport?

No, Model Space Viewports are for on-screen editing, while paper space viewports are for layouts and plotting.

.