Topic: (Microstation) default pen table

[kindra]

OK all you MicroStation experts!

I would like to find out where the default pen table is stored - is this in the project file? In the UCF? I would like the peace of mind of knowing that the proper pen table will automatically load for the appropriate drawing. When 'other people' are plotting my structural drawings, they initially freak out because the lineweights look crazy. This is when I calmly indicate that our structural drawings require a different pen table because they utilize a different color table than our other stuff. Up till now, I had nothing to do with the project files other than opening the proper file for the proper project, not creating them. Our CAD manager left us a few months ago and there's now no one in the office who knows the first thing about project files. If someone out there could help me better understand what is stored in the project file, I could begin to try and fix the ones we have without screwing up something major.

[pmvliet]

Hmmm.... yeah... pen tables...

The deal is, there is a configuration variable MS_pentable. Depending on how your site/installation is configured/setup, this may be a user setting or a site setting. ie: the user may or may not be able to modify this variable.

That is the theory behind that variable. In actuality, once a user does a browse to select another  pen table, Microstation will now look at that new location. Therefore, it ignores what's in the configuration variables. This was one of my biggest headaches with Microstation. You can program it to look someplace, but it doesn't ALWAYS look there...

I don't believe that it's stored with a project file. My installation shows it under

Code: [Select]

Bentley\Workspace\Standards\tablesAgain, it all depends on the installation at your company.

I'm not an Microstation Administrator... I only have 1 installation. Where I worked previously, this was a headache for me...

Pieter

[32599]

PMVliet is correct. It's really determined by the way your company/site is configured to look for different resources. If your pen table changes file by file it's going to be very hard to set it to find the correct table for each instance.

What we try to do is create different pen tables for the different client needs and then set the config variable in the project configuration file to pull the correct pen table when you select that project through the Microstation manager dialog box.

By default, MicroStation uses the most recently used settings in the print dialog. If that's not what you want to do, you can set your pen table through the configuration variable MS_PLOTDLG_DEF_PENTABLE and then use anotheR variable, MS_PLT_USE_MRU_DEFAULTS=1, so that MicroStation won't use the most recently used settings but instead use what you've defined in the configuration variables. 

[kindra]

Thanks guys - we do have different project files configured for different proects/clients, but I've never tried to tweak these settings before. Wish me luck!

[M-dub]

I've only had enough time to play with it enough to get our prints to come out legible on 11 x 17.  When we go to make the final plots, it's gonna take some figurin'.  I don't know how much help I'd be to you anyway, Kindra... '95 is probably nothing like your nice new version. 

[kindra]

We don't have a file path setting in our pcf file that directs MS where to look for the pen table, but it searches for the correct color table, cell library and everything else, which leads me to believe that I can change this in the pcf, but I don't know how. Could you walk me through this, please, Scooter?

[kindra]

Okay, I've made it halfway. When I open up my file in the proper project configuration, it defaults to the pentable I told it to look at. But the problem is, when I change the plotter, it goes back to the default! Aaaaargh! Any ideas?

[kindra]

It only took me ALL DAY, but I finally figured it out. All I had to do was erase the line in the plt file that was telling MicroStation where to look for the pentable, now its path is governed by the project configuration instead of the plotter selected. Thanks, guys, you made a hero out of me!  :love:

[32599]

That's exactly what you needed to do.
You're a GENIUS!!!

Also, if you go into the <Workspace><Configurations> within MicroStation, there is a whole section on plotting variables. It probably wouldn't hurt if you browsed through there to see what else you can set to make your life easier.

Good Luck!