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Symbol Key Scale
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New Member
Posts:5 New Member

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2025-04-23 02:23

    Hi,

    I'm having trouble changing the scale of my symbol key to match the scale of my plan on the plot. For the plan there is an input box to set the scale which in my case is almost always 1:25 but no matching input box for the symbol key. I have discovered changing the text size affects the symbol size but to get to 1:25 the text has to be ~38 point. Great for reading the symbol key text from across the room but I'm clearly approaching this from the wrong direction. If anyone could let me know how to do this in the correct way would be much appreciated.

    2025-04-23 14:38

    In version 2025, you can adjust the scaling and orientation of plot symbol keys. In previous versions, users could manually adjust the scale of each symbol for a preferred appearance, but unfortunately any adjustments would be lost upon scaling the plot view.

    New Member
    Posts:5 New Member

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    2025-04-24 02:58

    If version 2025 fixes that, I shall call it problem solved. Thank you very much

    New Member
    Posts:5 New Member

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    2025-05-07 01:17

    Hi,

    I have updated to Capture 2025 and I'm still having the same problem. I set the view scale to 1:25 but the symbol key sybols are tiny. Edit symbol key now has a scale option for each symbol but I have 2 problems with this. 1) the input put will only accept a percentage, not 1:25 so I have to guess what percentage would match the scale of my view. 2) it will not accept a value above 100% but as the sybols are too small I cannot make them match the scale of the view.

    What am I doing wrong?

    Having played around some more I have found scaling the symbol key is only incorrect when you include custom symbols. Which I personally use on every plan. So I'm a little frustrated

    Staff Member
    Posts:2104 Staff Member

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    2025-05-07 22:15

    The reason you are struggling is that the size of symbols in plot views isn't really meant to match the size of symbols in a symbol key.

    Symbols are drawn to physical size and the scale of a plot view will affect how large a symbol appears. You could have multiple plot views in a plot, all using different scales. You can also override the scale of a symbol per fixture. In effect the same symbol could appear in many different sizes on the same plot.

    Symbols keys on the other hand merely list symbols. They have no relation to other physical objects in your design and are unaware of the scale(s) of any plot view(s) on the plot. In a symbol key it is the text size of the symbol key that controls the overall size of all symbols in the key, not the individual symbol's physical size.

    Technical Director
    Capture Visualisation
    New Member
    Posts:5 New Member

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    2025-05-08 03:18

    I absoilutely disagree with with that. The symbols should match the size of the symbols in the plan. When including viewports of different scales, the differently scaled viewports should have a frame around it and the scale noted somewhere obvious. Often the bottom corner. Symbols for different fixtures can be quite similar, for example the USITT symbols generic 1K and 2K fresnels are identical apart from the size or various profile symbols only having minor differences. When the symbol key is printed at a completely different and much smaller scale you are intrucing an extra step where the crew have to decipher which fixture you actually intend to have rigged and they can easily make an honest mistake. This is entirely avoidable by ensuring your symbol key accurately refects the symbols on your plan.

    Applogies if this seems a little ranty but I consider a clear and easy to read lighting plan as very important. 

    Staff Member
    Posts:2104 Staff Member

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    2025-05-08 08:58

    You can already have the scale of plot views shown in their bottom right corner if you wish. But at the moment there is no provision for specifying a custom symbol scale for a symbol key, or having it automatically linked to the scale of a plot view. While your request has already been noted, I would encourage you to post your request in the feature requests forum, in case other users have additional input on the matter.

    Technical Director
    Capture Visualisation
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