Las Vegas, Nevada, December 3–6, 2002

Speaker Name: J.C. Malitzke

Course Title: Plotting from Start to Finish with AutoCAD 2002 Course ID: GD11-2L Course Outline: How much do you really know about AutoCAD® 2002 plotting? This lab offers long time AutoCAD veterans a chance to test their skills on the plotting features of Autodesk's latest release of AutoCAD. Short timed exercises and challenges using various discipline-specific drawings will be used. Walk through practical examples of configuring a plotter, PC3 file creation, Plotting from Model Space, Layout design and creation, Page set concepts, non-rectangular viewport creation, creating color dependent and names plot styles. DWF creation and Publish to the Web will be covered as time permits.

Plotting from Start to Finish in AutoCAD

2002 This hands-on lab will cover the following topics as time permits. Topics include: (as time permits) • Introductions • Objectives • Preparing to Plot • Add-a-Plotter-Wizard • Installing a Plotter using Heidi and Optimized plotter drivers • How do you Plot now? Tips and techniques • Plotting from Model space • Creating Layouts Model Space and Paper Space Plot Device tab Plot Settings tab

Page setups Non rectangular viewports Using DesignCenter with Layouts Creating custom paper sizes Filtering of papers and devices True color Plotting Layouts • Color Dependent Plot Styles

Setup and organization Editing Color Plot style tables Plotting with Color Dependent Plot style Tables

• Names Plot Styles Setup and organization Editing Color Plot style tables Plotting with Color Dependent Plot style Tables

• Converting Drawings Converting a CTB table to an STB table Converting a drawing from color Dependant plot style to named plot style Converting a drawing from named plot style to color dependent plot style

• Electronic Plotting • Publish to the Web

Questions and Answers • Evaluations

This hands-on class will explore the new plotting features for AutoCAD 2002. Question: “Is this a class on plotting or a class on Plotting CAD Management?” If you are an experienced AutoCAD user of a new user to AutoCAD but has plotted many drawings, then this is a class on Plotting CAD Management! As time permits we sill investigate the following six modules. Module 1: Introduction to Plotting & Device Driver Configuration Preparing to Plot Module 2: Plotting from Model Space Module 3: Working with Layouts Module 4: Color Dependent Style Tables Module 5: Named Plot Style Tables Module 6: e-Plotting and Publish to the Web II Module 1: Introduction to Plotting & Device Driver Configuration - Preparing to Plot The first operation we need to do is to setup the proper drivers.

• Windows System Drivers for devices such as laser printers. • Optimized Windows System Drivers for HP DesignJet Plotters. • Heidi Plotter Drivers for Xerox, OCE, KIPS and other plotters.

Example 1: When configuring a driver for a laser printer to do check plots of to plot to a B size printer, use the Windows driver that comes with the operating systems CD or use the manufacturers driver disk. It is strongly recommended that you go to the Internet and download the latest driver for the printer you are using. Example 2: If you have a Hewlett Packard plotter, use the WINDOWS SYSTEM PRINTER DRIVERS from the AutoCAD 2002 installation CD or download the latest Optimized Windows System Drivers for the HP DesignJet web site. Exercise 1. Go to Windows Start\Settings\Printers and ADD PRINTER. Select My Computer, LPT1 and the HP LaserJet 8100 Series PCL printer. Name the printer, AU2002-HP 8100 PCL. Set as the default printer. DO NOT Share the printer and DO NOT print a test page. Click on Finish.

You have created a Windows System Printer configuring the HP LaserJet 8100 PCL as the default printer. Exercise 2. Go to Windows Start\Settings\Printers and ADD PRINTER. Select My Computer, LPT2 and Select the HAVE DISK button. Browse to C:\ WINDOWS SYSTEM PRINTER DRIVERS\HP\ENU\NT_WIN2000\OEMSETUP and select the HP DesignJet 1055CM by HP plotter. Name the printer, AU2002-HP 1055CM. DO NOT set as the default printer. DO NOT Share the printer and DO NOT print a test page. Click on Finish. You have created an Optimized Windows System Printer configuring the HP DesignJet 1055CM plotter as a second Windows System Printer. However, this driver is the Optimized Windows System Driver! The next step is to create the PC3 files that AutoCAD will use when plotting. We will create three different PC3 files. One for the HP 8100 PCL, one for the HP 1055CM and one for a XES 8830. Using the one of the following methods to create these new PC3 files.

• AutoCAD File Menu\Plotter Manager • AutoCAD Tools Menu\Wizards\Add Plotter • Type In PLOTTERMANAGER at Command Line • Windows Control Panel\ Autodesk Plotter Manager

PC3 files that use the Windows System Driver or Optimized Windows System Driver have HDI technology wrapped around it. PC3 files for the Xerox, OCE, Kips and other plotters use the HDI plotter configuration file containing plot settings such as the device driver and model, the output port to which the device is connected, and various device-specific settings. This method of creating a plotter driver is similar to the way we setup our plotters in AutoCAD Release 14.

Exercise 3. In AutoCAD 2002, go to File\Plotter Manager and double click on Add-A-Plotter Wizard. Select System Printer. Select the AU2002-HP 8100 PCL printer. Name the PC3 file MY AU2002-HP 8100 PCL. Click on Finish. You have created a new PC3 file using the Windows System Driver. Exercise 4. In AutoCAD 2002, go to File\Plotter Manager and double click on Add-A-Plotter Wizard. Select System Printer. Select the AU2002-HP 1055CM printer. Name the PC3 file MY AU2002-HP 1055CM. Click on Finish. You have created a new PC3 file using the Optimized Windows System Driver. Exercise 5. In AutoCAD 2002, go to File\Plotter Manager and double click on Add-A-Plotter Wizard. Select My Computer. Select the XESystems Inc. and the XES Synergix 8830. Select LPT3 as the port. Name the PC3 file MY AU2002-XES 8830. Click on Finish. You have created a new PC3 file using a HDI driver. Module 2: Plotting from Model Space Plotting in Model space with AutoCAD 2002 is very similar in the plotting sequence in AutoCAD Release 14 EXCEPT, it is easier. The Plot dialog box has been streamlined for you. Select the Plot Device tab. Make the appropriate settings.

Select the Plot Setting tab. Make the appropriate settings.

Once all appropriate settings are met, click on Full Preview. If the plot preview is correct, right click and select exit. Click on the Add button and create a page setup. Name the page setup as Model Space-AU2002 plot. A page setup is the saved plotting parameters for the layout. These plotting parameters can also be saved for the Model tab! “One touch plotting”. Once you have saved the page setup, the next time you need to plot the same layout, you just click on OK!

Exercise 6. Open MY APARTMENT.DWG. Select the Model tab. Go to File\Plot and select the Device tab. Configure as shown below.

Select the Plot Settings Tab and configure as shown. Click on the Full Preview button. If your plot looks correct, select the Add button and create a page setup. Name the page setup, MODEL SPACE B SIZE PLOT.

Module 3: Working with Layouts

A Layout provides a Paper space environment in which you configure viewports and specify page settings for plotting. OR “what you see on the paper” or “how the drawing looks” or “a layout represents a plotted page!” The Model/Layouts tabs are configured for each sheet of paper you want to plot. We can setup as many different layouts with different page setups that are saved in our drawing. When we do a Full Preview you get WYSIWYG Layout plots. Shortcut menus are used to help us create layouts. See the short cut menu for the various methods to create and edit layouts.

Non-rectangular viewports. You can create non-rectangular viewports in a layout. The creation methods are singular, multiple, polygonal, convert an existing closed object, and clip an existing viewport. Always use the Viewport toolbar! Exercise 7. Open MY APARTMENT.DWG. (it should be open from the previous exercises.) Create a layout from template and use the ANSI B Color Dependent Plot Table template. Name the layout ANSI B CHECK PLOT. Set the proper view scale by using the Viewport toolbar.

Exercise 8. Using the same drawing. Create another template using an ANSI E Color Dependent Plot Table template. Create one rectangular viewport and four non-rectangular viewports as shown. Scale each viewport.

Exercise 9. Create a page setup using the AU2002-HP 8100 PCL for the ANSI B CHECK PLOT layout. Create a page setup using the AU2002-HP 1055CM for the ANSI E Title Block layout. Do a Full Preview of each layout. Have your neighbor check your work. Save the drawing. Module 4: Color Dependent Style Tables All the previous releases of AutoCAD plotted by-color. AutoCAD 2000 series of releases plot by-color also. However, we now can use a color table. A CTB file can be attached to the drawing through a page setup. Color plot style tables can contain one or more plot style definitions, are device independent and are external files. CTB files store the objects color defines plot output, properties within the table specify the lineweight, linetype, fill patterns, etc…255 plot styles for true color in ACAD 2002. The CTB files can also be shared.

Use one of the following methods to create these new CTB files.

• AutoCAD File Menu\Plotter Style Manager • AutoCAD Tools Menu\Wizards\Add Plot Style Table • Type In STYLESMANAGER at Command Line • Windows Control Panel\ Autodesk Plotter Style Manager

Exercise 10. Create a color plot style table using the following parameters. Red-Use objects color Yellow-black Green-black, 50% screen, .60mm lineweight, end style=round All other colors –black, .35mm lineweight Save the CTB file as AU2002 COLOR PLOT STYLE TABLE.CTB. Attach the CTB table to each layout and save the page setups with the CTB attached. Plot each layout using the Full Preview button. Have your neighbor check your work. Module 5: Named Plot Style Tables Named plot style tables (STB files) do not use color as a basis to plot. The best analogy for a named plot style table is “the way you work”. What this means is the ability to plot a drawing on the methods of your projects or methodologies based on

your specific job. An example of this would be a civil engineer working on a piping project with pipes above ground and pipes below ground. There may be 20 layers that relate to the above ground piping and 20 layers that relate to the below ground piping. When it comes time to plot, you could create a table with two styles (records). One being above ground and one being below ground. You would then assign the table to the drawing and assign these to styles (records) to the appropriate layers. You can assign the style to a layer, object or attribute on a block. STB tables specifies lineweights, linetypes, fill Patterns, etc…and objects do not rely on color for plotting, their assigned plot style (record) controls plot output. STB files allow more control over layers with the same color that can be plotted using different styles and removes color dependency when plotting. The Way You Work! These styles would be appropriate for our current drawing. Existing….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Proposed…(Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Demolition…(Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Furniture….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Fireplace….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Walls….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Text….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Revision….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types New….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Appliances….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Bathroom ….. (Unique Named Plot Style) Multiple Object Types Note: the Normal style is WYSIWYG and cannot be changed. Exercise 11. OPEN MY TOWNHOME.DWG. Create a new STB file with the above styles. Name the file MYTOWNHOME.STB. Edit the table and change the style settings to what you believe would be appropriate for this drawing. Have your neighbor check your work.

Apply the styles (records) to the appropriate layers. Plot the drawing using the FULL PREVIEW button. What do you see? (Remember, you can apply a style to an OBJECT!) Module 6: e-Plotting and Publish to the Web There are many different methods for electronic plotting or for plotting to the Web. Some key terms:

• Drawing Web Format (DWF) an open, compressed vector-based file format for viewing drawings over the Internet.

• VoloView and VoloView Express (free) • ePlot electronic Plotting of DWF Files. Configured various *.PC3 files provided • JPEG-Joint Photographics Expert Group • PNG- Portable Network Graphic

eView and eplot are two PC3 files that are standard file formats that are installed with AutoCAD 2002. eView is used for plotting to the web using 256 colors and eplot is viewing and plotting using 16.7 million colors. VoloView or Volo View Express is used to view/plot these DWF files. Publish to the Web can be used to create you own web page. This can be accomplished by programming the information or by using AutoCAD’s Publish to the Web function. To publish to the web one must create/plot to one of the following file formats, DWF, JPG or PNG.

When creating the plotted images, file size is important. Examples of image sizes for JPEG creation are:

• Thumbnail 132 x 88 • Small 132 x 88 • Medium 1087 x 725 • Large 1402 x 935 • Xlarge 1697 x 1131

A new and improved feature to AutoCAD 2002 is I-drop technology. This technology gives the user the ability to simply drag and drop AutoCAD drawings from a web page into an AutoCAD drawing session.

Exercise 12. OPEN CAMPUS.dwg. Create a DWF file using DWF eplot.pc3. Edit the PC3 file if necessary. Plot the file to C:\AU 2002. Name the DWF file CAMPUS-MODEL.DWF. Launch VoloView Express and view your DWF file. Use the SKETCH tool to create a revision cloud. Use the text tool to add text to the DWF file.

Exercise 13. OPEN CAMPUS.DWG

Click on the Publish to the Web icon. Create a new web page. As shown below, name the Web page, AU 2002 and save to C:\AU 2002. The description is MY FIRST WEB PAGE.

Set JPEG to medium. Select a template and a theme of your own choice. Enable I-drop. Configure the Select Drawings dialog box as shown below.

Generate all images and post, then save and OK. Exercise 14. Create a NEW drawing using the acad.dwt template. Launch Internet Explorer and open the file, C:\AU 2002\acwebpublish.htm Divide your screen into two windows. One window for AutoCAD 2002 and one for Internet Explorer. Using the I-dropper, drag and drop the drawings from your web page into the AutoCAD drawing session.

Hope you had a great time!