A layout viewport represents the sheet of paper that will be sent to a printer or a file such as PDF. Layouts can include various views of the model and annotations like title blocks and notes.

Toolbar	Menu
Drafting Layout Viewport Layout	View and Layout Title Layout > New Layout

Two types of viewports provide different functions: model viewports and layout viewports.

In model viewports, create your surface or solid model using the appropriate units and precision.

In layout viewports, place one or more details of your model and add information that annotates the printed sheet, such as manufacturing notes, bill of materials, general notes, title blocks, seals, and scale bars.

These viewports are accessible on the tabs at the bottom of the modeling area. The ViewportTabs command turns the tabs on and off.

Detail viewports

Name

The layout viewport name.

See: Naming conventions in Rhino

Select Printer

Printer

Select the target printer from the list of configured printers.

Size

Select a supported paper size from the list.

Portrait / Landscape

Sets the orientation.

Width / Height

Sets the size of the paper as well as the width (x length) and height (y length) of the layout. If the paper size is not supported by the selected printer, the Printer setting will be disabled.

<inches / millimeters / centimeters>

Units for the paper size. If the selected unit is different from Document Layout Unit, the selected unit will be converted.

Initial Detail Count

Steps

In the New Layout dialog box, specify options.
Draw a border or insert a title block onto the layout.
Add text that does not relate to the model such as the project name, sheet number, sheet content, and the like.
Add annotation objects such as text and title blocks.
Create details and arrange them on the layout.
In each detail set up view of the model, orientation, and scale.
In the layout viewport, add text and dimensions.
Set the visibility of the detail edge on the printed page.
Use Properties to access the Print Width No Print property.
Print.

Make layout details of any shape

You can make details of any shape using a solid white hatch in the layout.

Steps

Set up a layout with one or more details.
Scale the details as you wish.
In the layout, draw a rectangle from the corners of the page.
In the layout, draw your detail shape.
Use any planar curve: Circle, Curve, InterpCrv, RevCloud, Rectangle, etc.
For accuracy, you can draw the curve in model space and then use the ChangeSpace command to move it to the layout.
Create a solid hatch using the rectangle at the drawing edge and the detail shapes.
Make the color of the hatch white.
Add anything else you want in the layout such as detail names.
Print.

Note

Try turning History on, then make a hatch. If you stretch the boundaries, the hatch will update.
Use Draw Order to keep your text, title blocks, dimensions on top. It can be frustrating if the text or dims that you are looking for has gone behind the hatch.
You cannot trim a hatch. To add another detail to the page, delete the hatch and remake it with all the boundaries.
You cannot bring a detail above the hatch. Hatch has draw order priority to be on top.

Dimensioning distance in Layouts

In Layout viewports, objects in detail views are annotated with the model space distance.

In this example, the blue circle is in the layout viewport. Its radius is annotated as 10 units (the layout space distance). The red circle is in a detail viewport. Its radius is annotated as 100 units (the model space distance) whether the radius dimension is created in the detail viewport or the layout viewport.

Related commands

The ChangeSpace command moves or copies objects between layout and detail viewports. This command only works in layout viewports that at least have a detail view.

The ImportLayout command imports one or more layouts from a Rhino file into the current Rhino model.

This allows defining standard title block pages in a single file and importing those pages into other Rhino files.

Option-click a layout thumbnail and a plus symbol should appear on the cursor as you drag. This will make a copy of the layout, much like you would copy a file in Finder, or an object in Rhino.

Toolbar	Menu
Drafting Layout	Not on menus.

Command-line option
Copy	Specifies whether or not the objects are copied. The RememberCopyOptions command determines whether the selected option is used as the default.

Toolbar	Menu	Shortcut
Layout	View Layout > Import	Click Add Viewport tab

Toolbar	Menu
Layout	Not on menus.

Toolbar	Menu
Drafting Layout	Not on menus.

Name

The layout viewport name.

See: Naming conventions in Rhino