AutoCAD Platform Customization. Ambrosius Lee

nonsystem printer configuration you want to edit. The Plotter Configuration Editor (see Figure 1.4) is displayed.

      3. Optionally, in the Plotter Configuration Editor on the General tab, enter a description for the plotter configuration in the Description text box.

      4. Click the Ports tab and change the current port, plot to file, or AutoSpool utility settings.

      5. Click the Device And Document Settings tab and change device settings as needed. Click OK.

      After a system printer is installed or a plotter configuration is created, you can use it to output the objects in model space or on a named layout. The following steps explain how to assign a plot configuration to a layout or page setup and how to use it with the plot command:

      • For a layout or page setup, click the Application button ➢ Print ➢ Page Setup (Windows) or click File ➢ Page Setup Manager (Mac OS). In the Page Setup Manager, select the layout or page setup you want to change, and then click Modify on Windows or click the Action menu (gear icon) ➢ Edit on Mac OS to display the Page Setup dialog box. In the Page Setup dialog box, in the Printer/Plotter area, choose a device from the Name (Windows) or Printer (Mac OS) drop-down list. Click OK. Click Close to exit the Page Setup Manager.

      • For plotting or printing with the plot command, click the Application button ➢ Print (Windows) or click File ➢ Print (Mac OS). In the Plot dialog box (Windows) or Print dialog box (Mac OS) in the Printer/Plotter area, choose a device from the Name (Windows) or Printer (Mac OS) drop-down list. Click OK (Windows) or Print (Mac OS) to output the drawing.

      Using and Creating Plot Styles

      Plot styles are used to control the way drawing objects appear onscreen and when they are output to hardcopy (a physical sheet of paper) or an electronic representation of a hardcopy. AutoCAD supports two types of plot styles: color dependent and named.

      Color-dependent plot styles, stored in CTB files, are the most common of the two styles that AutoCAD supports. They are the way object properties were applied during plotting in AutoCAD prior to the introduction of named plot styles in AutoCAD 2000. With color-dependent plot styles, as the name reflects, the color assigned to an object in a drawing controls the object properties that are assigned during plotting. Even though your drawings can use true colors, plot styles are based on the AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) system of 255 colors, and true color values are therefore mapped to their nearest ACI value when plotting.

      Named plot styles, stored in STB files, are the newest way to control object properties when plotting. First introduced in AutoCAD 2000, this style uses a name-based system instead of being dependent on the color of an object. Although this might sound ideal, there are a few places where color can be assigned only to objects in a drawing or style. For example, you can only set the color of the grid lines in a table or the dimension line of a dimension style.

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      You can convert a drawing from the color-dependent plot style to the named plot style, and vice versa, by using the convertpstyles command.

      Both types of plot styles have their advantages. Color dependent is based on the legacy system and is thus compatible with decades of drawings, making it the clear choice for most companies. It is also the style that provides the most control over complex objects and many styles. Switching to named plot styles requires a bit of planning and time, which at the end of the day keeps it from being an option for many companies. Here are a few of the issues you need to consider if you plan on adopting named styles:

      • Existing block libraries need to be updated to ensure they display correctly using named plot styles.

      • Dimension and table styles might need to be updated to ensure they use a single color and that they use lineweights and linetypes to control the way they output.

      • Color-dependent drawings need to be updated to use named plot styles with the convertpstyles command. Having a mix of plot styles in the same project does not give your drawings a consistent look when they are plotted.

      You can create a plot style on Windows by doing the following:

      1. Click the Application button ➢ Print ➢ Manage Plot Styles.

      2. In the Plot Styles window, double-click Add-A-Plot Style Table Wizard.

      3. In the Add Plot Style Table wizard, click Next on the Introduction page.

      4. On the Begin page, select one of these four options to create a plot style:

      • Start From Scratch: Use this option when you want to create a new color-dependent (CTB) or named (STB) plot style file.

      • Use An Existing Plot Style Table: This option creates a copy of an existing CTB or STB file, and then allows you to edit the copied file.

      • Use My R14 Plotter Configuration (CFG): If upgrading from AutoCAD Release 14, you can import your settings to create a new plot style file.

      • Use A PCP Or PC2 File: If you have a PCP or PC2 file that was exported from an earlier release, you can import the pen table properties and create a new plot style file.

      Then click Next.

      5. If the Table Type page is displayed, click Color-Dependent Plot Style Table or Named Plot Style Table. Click Next.

      If the Browse File Name page is displayed, browse to and select the type of file that is expected and any additional information that is needed for the type of file you selected. Click Next.

      6. On the File Name page, enter a name in the File Name text box for the new plot style file. Click Next.

7. On the Finish page, click Plot Style Table Editor to make changes to the new plot style table in the Plot Style Table Editor (see Figure 1.5). Click Finish.

Figure 1.5 Editing a plot style file. The Windows version of the dialog box appears on the top and the Mac OS version on the bottom.

      If you are using AutoCAD on Mac OS, use the following steps to create a new plot style file:

      1. Click File ➢ Plot Styles.

      2. In the Plot Styles window, double-click one of the plot styles list. The Plot Style Table Editor (see Figure 1.5) is displayed.

      3. From the AutoCAD Plot Style Editor menu bar, click File ➢ New Color-Based Plot Style Table (CTB) or New Named Plot Style Table (STB).

      4. In the Plot Style Table Editor, click Save As.

      5. In the Save dialog box, enter a name for the new file in the Save As text box and specify a location to save the file to. Click Save.

      6. In the Plot Style Table Editor, make the changes to the plot styles properties and click Save & Close.

      If you want to make changes to an existing plot style file, do the following:

      1. Click the Application button ➢ Print ➢ Manage Plot Styles (Windows) or click File menu ➢ Plot Styles (Mac OS).

      2. In the Plot Styles window, double-click the plot style you want to edit. The Plot Style Table Editor (see Figure 1.5) is displayed.

      3. In the Plot Style Table Editor, edit the properties of the plot style as needed. If you are working with a named plot style, create any new named styles that you need. In Windows, click the Form View tab; it is the easiest way to work with the plot styles in the file.

      4. Click Save & Close to save the changes you made.

      After a plot style has been created, you can use it control how the objects of your drawing appear when output. The following steps explain how to assign a plot style to a layout or page setup, and how to use it with the plot command:

      • For a layout or page setup, click the Application button ➢ Print ➢ Page Setup (Windows) or click File ➢ Page Setup Manager (Mac OS).