Topic: plotstyle.ctb "problem"

[ronjonp]

When you reinstalled the printer, did you remove the driver associated with it before reinstalling  (Printers and Faxes>>File>>Server Properties>>Drivers tab)?

[Notsober]

it only works to his liking when I plot thru someone else's computer over the network, which I think is stupid.

If I can't get this *fixed* by the end of the day, he wants me to have IT re-install AutoCAD on my machine... evidently he knows more about it than I do (i doubt this will *fix* the "problem".


problem (n.) From Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma) "anything thrown forward, hindrance, obstacle, anything projecting, a headland, promontory", from προβάλλω (probállō) "to throw or lay something in front of someone, to put forward", from prefix προ- (pro-) "in front of" + βάλλω (bállo) "to throw, to cast, to hurl".

In other words "problem" = picky engineer 

[Notsober]

When you reinstalled the printer, did you remove the driver associated with it before reinstalling  (Printers and Faxes>>File>>Server Properties>>Drivers tab)?

yes, several times.

[M-dub]

...
we use what we call C_S_A.ctb, copied from the server directly to each HD to C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Plot Styles
...

Out of curiosity why copy this file to the local drive? Why not just point all the users to the same file?
Also if another file of the same name exists in the path ahead of this one than they maybe looking at something different than you think. Order of pathing...

cuz we have a not-so-know-it-all for IT. Engineer also wants things done HIS way, yet knows little to nothing about CAD, nor why certain things are easier. He prefers everything to be done the hard way. Like, for example - he despises my using paperspace and viewports. So he tells me we never have time for him to learn it... sheesh.

but that's why i'm a peon.

Did you look into either of Arizona's suggestions?

[Notsober]

...
we use what we call C_S_A.ctb, copied from the server directly to each HD to C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Plot Styles
...

Out of curiosity why copy this file to the local drive? Why not just point all the users to the same file?
Also if another file of the same name exists in the path ahead of this one than they maybe looking at something different than you think. Order of pathing...

cuz we have a not-so-know-it-all for IT. Engineer also wants things done HIS way, yet knows little to nothing about CAD, nor why certain things are easier. He prefers everything to be done the hard way. Like, for example - he despises my using paperspace and viewports. So he tells me we never have time for him to learn it... sheesh.

but that's why i'm a peon.

Did you look into either of Arizona's suggestions?

i acknowledged the suggestion, but that's as far as I can go. They want the file to be on local disk. No, there's no other file named C_S_A.ctb and the path IS the same on all 4 machines. However, I now don't think it has anything to do with the .ctb file. I believe it's a different issue.

[Notsober]

having all 4 machines point to the same file on the server is not possible (according to IT) for that the drive letter on each machine is different.

for example: on machine 1 - [Z:\Current Projects Folder\]

but on machine 2 - the drive letter could be a Y instead...

don't know why this would make a difference. But like I mentioned earlier, we do have a "not-so-know-it-all" for IT.

[ronjonp]

You could use the \\servername\folder\ path? That is constant.

[Guest]

having all 4 machines point to the same file on the server is not possible (according to IT) for that the drive letter on each machine is different.

for example: on machine 1 - [Z:\Current Projects Folder\]

but on machine 2 - the drive letter could be a Y instead...

don't know why this would make a difference. But like I mentioned earlier, we do have a "not-so-know-it-all" for IT.

That's like, IT 101 right there!  Sounds like IT is about as sharp as a box of marbles!!

So each user gets his/her own letter of the alphabet for a network drive?  What if you have 27 people working?  Someone's gonna be SOL!!   

[Josh Nieman]

lol the drive letter is not the same?!!?  hahahahahah I'm an IT know-nothing and even I see that as being dumb.

[M-dub]

It IS asking for trouble, in my opinion.  I don't know about Dumb, but I think it's smarter to make sure everyone has the same drive mappings.

[Notsober]

i think the point being here is that IT is one thing, CAD Manager is another. And she's neither. We don't have an official CAD Manager, so I'm on my own here.

besides, how the hell do I point Acad to pick up the .ctb file from the server? As that according to the list shown in the screenshot, those files are found on my local disk.

[ronjonp]

You have to change the Plot Styles path under Options>>Files>Printer Support Files Path>>Plot Style Table Search Path

[Guest]

i think the point being here is that IT is one thing, CAD Manager is another. And she's neither. We don't have an official CAD Manager, so I'm on my own here.

besides, how the hell do I point Acad to pick up the .ctb file from the server? As that according to the list shown in the screenshot, those files are found on my local disk.

I don't remember exactly for your version of Acad, but in 2008....

[M-dub]

besides, how the hell do I point Acad to pick up the .ctb file from the server? As that according to the list shown in the screenshot, those files are found on my local disk.

I BELIEVE that if those files were NOT found on your local disk, Acad would refer to your search paths and if everyone had a network drive mapped such as L:\CADSupport\PlotStyles or some such thing, it would find them there and you'd be good to go.  One copy of each .ctb file instead of four individual files.

[CaddmannQ]

...we use what we call C_S_A.ctb, copied from the server directly to each HD to C:\Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Plot Styles...

Sorry if this was already mentioned. I don't have time to read the other 4 pages of the thread right now.

You may all have the same CTB available in C:\Documents and settings\User\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2004\R16.0\enu\Plot Styles, but are you all pointing to that same path to look for the CTB under the File Options? If one machine has a different search path (or the paths in a different order) then a faulty CTB file may be being called up.