Unit 1: PlottingDT2510: Advanced CAD Methods

Identifying the user interface:• Application menu• Quick Access toolbar• InfoCenter• Ribbon• Drawing window• ViewCube• Navigation bar• Command line• Application status bar

Unit 1: Plotting

Printing and plotting in AutoCAD is much more complicated than in most other applications. This is due to the amount of control that AutoCAD gives you over your printed output.

If you’re in a hurry and you don’t care about the scale of your output, you can plot your drawing from the Model view by choosing Plot from the Quick Access toolbar. You see the Plot dialog box.

Unit 1: Plotting

Some additional options are available by clicking the More Options button.

If you want to change the orientation of your print from landscape to portrait, you’ll find the setting in the lower right corner of this expanded view.

Unit 1: Plotting

Once in the Plot dialog box, choose the printer you want to use in the Name drop down list...

then select the area you want to plot from the What to plot drop down list.

Click the Preview button in the lower-left corner of the dialog box to see a preview of your plot.

From the preview, right-click and choose Plot.

Mastering AutoCAD

Unit 1: Plotting

Your drawing is sent to the printer. You can check the status of your plot by clicking the Plot/Publish Details Report tool in the status bar. This opens the Plot and Publish Details dialog box.

Unit 1: Plotting

The Plot and Publish Details dialog box can help you troubleshoot plots.

Unit 1: Plotting

Typically, for more accurate scale output, you will plot from a layout view. The layout views let you arrange your output exactly the way you want. You can also include text labels and title blocks.

Unit 1: Plotting

To open a Layout view, click the Quick View Layouts tool in the status bar. This opens a set of preview panels. Click the preview panel for the layout view you want to work with.

Quick View Layouts tool

Unit 1: Plotting

When you select a layout view, you’ll see your drawing as it will be printed. The default sheet size is shown in white. The printer margin is shown with a dashed line. The viewport, which is your view into your drawing in model space, appears as a rectangular border around your drawing.

Unit 1: Plotting

To set up your layout sheet size, you can use the Page Setup Manager and the Plot Setup dialog box. Choose Print > Page Setup from the Application menu to open the Page Setup Manager dialog box. Select the layout name from the list and then click the Modify button to open the Plot Setup dialog box.

Mastering AutoCAD

Unit 1: Plotting

The Page Setup dialog box is nearly identical to the expanded version of the Plot dialog box. Select the printer and page size then click OK. Click Close in the Page Setup Manager dialog box. Your layout will change to reflect your new page size.

Unit 1: Plotting

You can set the scale of your of your viewport view by doing the following: Click the viewport, and then click the Viewport Scale tool in the status bar. A list of common drawing scales appears.

You can have multiple viewports in the Layout view with each viewport set to a different scale. This way you can have different scale views on the same printout.

Unit 1: Plotting

In addition to the settings you see in the Plot and Print Setup dialog boxes, you can “fine tune” your printer settings through the Properties button. Click this button and the Plotter Configuration Editor dialog box opens for the selected printer.

Unit 1: Plotting

The Plotter Configuration Editor lets you control other features of your plotter such as custom paper sizes, plotter calibration, and media type.

This dialog box also lets you control how bitmap images are treated and the color depth used for images.

Unit 1: Plotting

Once you’ve set options in the Plotter Configuration Editor dialog box and click OK, you are given the option to save these settings under a new plotter name.

If you choose to save it under a new name, you will see the new name listed in the Printer/Plotter Name list. This way you can save different printer settings and call them up whenever you need them.

Unit 1: Plotting

Plot styles are a feature that gives you control over the line weights on your printer output. With plot styles, you can also control whether corners of think lines are rounded, beveled or square. You can also control the color and screening of area fills.

Mastering AutoCAD

Unit 1: Plotting

AutoCAD offers two types of plot styles: Color and Named. Color plot styles let you assign lineweights, corner conditions and area fill screening to AutoCAD drawing colors. For example, you can create a plot style that sets the AutoCAD color red to be a line weight of .10 mm and to be screened to 30 percent of black.

Unit 1: Plotting

Named plot styles let you create a plot style and give it a name instead of assigning it to a color. So instead of setting the color red to have a line weight of .10 mm and a screen of 30 percent, you could create a plot style called 10mm30 and give it the .10 mm line weight and 30 percent screen. By creating a named plot style, you can assign it to an object or layer instead of relying on the object color to determine the objects plot style.

Unit 1: Plotting

You determine the type of plot style for your drawing when you first create the drawing. By default, new AutoCAD files use color plot styles unless you select a template that uses a named plot style. You can also set the default plot style for new files in the Plot and Publish tab of the Options dialog box.

Unit 1: Plotting

If you need to, you can change an existing drawing to use a different plot style by using the Convertctb and Convertpstyles commands.

Unit 1: Plotting

Plot styles are stored in files called plot style tables. Color plot style tables use the CTB file name extension while named plot style tables use the STB file name extension.

Unit 1: Plotting

To create a plot style table, use the Add-A-Plot Style wizard found in the Plot Styles folder. To quickly open the Plot Styles folder, choose Print > Manage Plot Styles in the Application menu. Double click on the Add-A-Plot Style wizard, then follow the wizard’s instructions.

Unit 1: Plotting

Once you’ve created a plot style, you can edit through the Plot or Page Setup dialog box. Select your plot style from the Plot style table list of the Plot or Page Setup dialog box, then click the Edit button.

Unit 1: Plotting

The Plot Style Table Editor dialog box appears. This image shows how a color plot style table would look using the Form View tab. A Named plot style table will look the same with the exception of the list to the left.

For named plot styles, you would only see a list of plot styles that have been created in place of the color list. The Add Style and Delete Style buttons are not grayed out for named plot style tables allowing you to create and delete plot styles.

Unit 1: Plotting

The options to the left of the Plot Style Table Editor let you set various options for the plot style selected in the list to the left. You can set screening, line end, join and fill styles, to name a few.

Unit 1: Plotting

After you’ve created your plot style table, you can begin to use it by selecting it from the Plot style table list of the Plot or Page Setup dialog box.

Unit 1: Plotting

To preview the effects of your plot style, you need to make a few setting changes in AutoCAD. You need to turn on the Display Lineweight option in the Lineweight Settings dialog box. Choose Lineweight Settings from the Lineweight drop-down list in the Home tab’s Properties panel to open this dialog box. You can also type Lw .

Turn on the Display Lineweight option and click OK.

Unit 1: Plotting

You also need to turn on the Display plot styles option in the Plot or Page Setup dialog box.

Unit 1: Plotting

Once you’ve turned on these settings, you’ll see the effect of your plot style in the layout. This image shows a monochrome plot style with a heavy line weight and screen applied to the wall color.

Unit 1: Plotting