Topic: Plotting 3D Views

[Rob...]

V 2010. Help! I took on a simple 3D project to help me make the transition from 2D. I've made my model by extruding polylines. I've set up 5 viewports, 3 of which I used 3D Hidden as my visual style. My problem is that I can't get those viewports to plot using the ctb plot style that I've set up. They are plotting in color which I could work around using the printer settings but they are not using the lineweights that I've assigned.

Oops, probably should have erased title block info b4 posting.

[JCTER]

Change the views to "Hidden" in the viewport properties instead of "3D Hidden"

My numerous and fervid annual complaints to Autodesk yielded only "Sorry, that's how it works"

[Rob...]

Hidden is not an option from what I can see. I've got 3D Hidden, 3D Wireframe, 2D Wireframe, Realistic, and Conceptual. 3D Hidden is the current setting.

[Rob...]

Oops, I never saw the plotting forum b4. I won't double post but if a mod wants to move this thread, feel free.

[JCTER]

Hidden is not an option from what I can see. I've got 3D Hidden, 3D Wireframe, 2D Wireframe, Realistic, and Conceptual. 3D Hidden is the current setting.

Select your viewport

Go to properties

There is "Visual Style" and "Shade Plot"

Visual style is how it looks on your screen
Shade plot is how it plots

Set Shade Plot to "HIDDEN" instead of 3D Hidden
Set Visual Style to "2D Wireframe"

Trust me, if you set your viewports to 'appear' anything not wireframe, it will -greatly- increase your regen time, meaning that every little zoom, pan, and movement will take forever.  It's best to use plot preview to ensure it appears as you want it, at plot time, rather than the view on your screen.

[Rob...]

Okay, this can be done with some simple layer management for the 2D views. You would think it would be a lot easier to do this. The perspective view looks good with thin lines. Could it be in the way I created the model?

[Rob...]

Hidden is not an option from what I can see. I've got 3D Hidden, 3D Wireframe, 2D Wireframe, Realistic, and Conceptual. 3D Hidden is the current setting.

Select your viewport

Go to properties

There is "Visual Style" and "Shade Plot"

Visual style is how it looks on your screen
Shade plot is how it plots

Set Shade Plot to "HIDDEN" instead of 3D Hidden
Set Visual Style to "2D Wireframe"

Trust me, if you set your viewports to 'appear' anything not wireframe, it will -greatly- increase your regen time, meaning that every little zoom, pan, and movement will take forever.  It's best to use plot preview to ensure it appears as you want it, at plot time, rather than the view on your screen.

Thank you!!!

[JCTER]

ha, I forgot to hit "post" after I editted my last reply, to add the screenshot... and I see you got it, but oh well, it's there, now, anyways.

I agree that it is very... cumbersome... to manage your views of your model.  If you've managed to do what I just toldja, then you got it.  That's all there is to it.

Perspective... can get tricky.  There's some quirks to the software depending on some things, and it'll rear it's head at times, but it's otherwise quite similar to what you see.  If your color table does not look great for a 'perspective' drawing, then you can possibly look into just overriding all the colors of your layers (assuming you use a .ctb and not .stb plot style) in that VIEWPORT, to a thing lineweight color... I do that.  "WHITE" is a pretty thin lineweight for us, and for perspectives I just make everything white, unless something specific needs to stand out in some way, and then I'll change it...  it's a pictoral view so it's no biggie to use overrides, imo.

Or maybe you want to look into creating your own visual style by playing with the visual styles palette, and creating something that's black and white but -doesn't- use your color table.

FYI.  The only OOTB visual styles that -do- read your color table for plotting are 2D Wireframe and Hidden...

[Rob...]

Thanks again, James. With the info you've provided I can tweak my lines far beyond the requirements of the project. I will play with those settings, though. I took this project on as an excuse to have some fun with basic 3D drawing and play/get frustrated with the plot set-up. I think it was worth it.

[JCTER]

I took this project on as an excuse to have some fun with basic 3D drawing and play/get frustrated with the plot set-up. I think it was worth it.

I did that step a couple years back.  We were doing one project and I just said "I just need to -do it- and see how this project goes if I do it 3D" and I never looked back.  I was able to eliminate so much redundant (pedantic) and menial tasks and focus more on the model/design than worrying about the details matching the design, the connections matching the beams... if they all look at the model, it's all good!  One change reflects the difference in every instance.

Of course... once I worked Autocad to it's OOTB limits, and pushed a little further with it... I found myself craving more.

And here I am, working on our Revit template...

[LE3]

<excuse my igno...>
are those characters OOTB - out of the box?
<back to the normal programming schedule>....

[JCTER]

<excuse my igno...>
are those characters OOTB - out of the box?
<back to the normal programming schedule>....

Yes sir, that's it

[mjfarrell]

I like to use an XREF for plots and views of the 3d model...just to keep my 3d work, separated from plots and views.

Another handy feature select a few items, or entire model, enter 3d orbit mode, right click, and capture a quick 3d jpg, or png no plotting required....