Plotting Options in Autocad for exported VW drawings.

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Permalink Reply by Sean Frey on February 10, 2011 at 9:02pm

Hi John,

Plot style tables are still a part of AutoCAD, but using color exclusively for determining line weight is out dated. In my experience, many architects who learned autocad in the eighties and nineties do not realize that since AutoCAD 2000, they can set a line weight to a layer or to an object, and set the plot style table to defaults to the object / layer settings, rather than relying on the color and a color based plot style table. Plot style tables can be handy for adding specific colors to a printed drawing - different colors to differentiate types of dimensions for instance. This is not done easily using Vectorworks - one of my very few complaints.

So - usually if the AutoCAD user chooses a generic plot style like "monochrome.ctb", the line weights will plot as you intended.

If you want to make the architect more comfortable with you, you could request the plot style table (*.ctb file) they want to use, and set up your drawings accordingly.

You should be able to read the color to line weight settings using DraftSight - a free DWG based Cad program. You can get to the PrintStyle Table Editor by going to Print --> Additional Print Options --> Print Style Table & edit.

Then, using the Vectorworks Color Palette Manager,  you can set the color table to the vectorworks provided "DWG compatible colors".

Then you can set up your class colors so that your objects will plot with the correct line weight when the architects color based plot style table is used to plot the exported DWG.

 

If you are doing collaborative work with the architect - in other words you are exporting a file for the architect to work on, then re-importing it and exporting it again, you MAY find you get unexpected things happening with your color table. In my experience, a few years ago now, the RGB values of the imported AutoCAD numbered colors don't seem to be exact, and will change with each import/export. This RGB value change, means that when the file is re-exported the AutoCAD color number will change. So, for instance, a color that was originally an AutoCAD #010, will import to vectorworks with an approximate RGB value. This color value will then be exported back to the DWG as, say, AutoCAD color #011. With the next cycle it may become #012.

It may be that this problem has been resolved since I went through this trouble a few years ago. I hope so, since I ended up going back to AutoCAD to do the job I was hired to do for an architect who used color based plot style tables.

 

I hope this helps,

Sean

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Permalink Reply by John Keating on February 24, 2011 at 3:10am

Thanks for the feedback, Sean. I will investigate your suggestions ...... apart from the AutoCAD option!

John

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Permalink Reply by Charles Link on February 11, 2011 at 10:42am

John,

To Sean's information I would like to add that if you have your drawing strictly organized by class, you could assign colors and line weights to those classes and when you export, choose export "classes as layers'. If the architect doesn't like the color or line weight, he could change them relatively easily.

 

Charles

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Permalink Reply by John Keating on February 24, 2011 at 3:11am

Thanks for the suggestion, Charles - I'll give that a try!

 

John

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