What features would you like to see added to a future version of DataCAD?
#3604 by Twizzle
Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:32 am
I find DataCAD tedious when having to do repetitive plots at different scales and/or paper sizes

When using AutoCAD, it prompts you to keep your previous plot settings. I dislike AutoCAD by the way, but I find this very handy.

For example if I want to plot an batch of A3s and they were previously plotted as A1s, I have to reset each drawings scale, pen table, printer and sheet size, rather than keep the previous settings, for each drawing file.

We normally plot A1 at 1:100 and then we normally run off a set of A3s for the file, which are at 1:200.

Its a pain in the proverbial.

If we had say a plot setting 1, which was at 1:100, with compatible pen table, printer and paper.

The if we selected plot setting 2, for example, it would select a different scale, printer and compatible settings.

If you have a set of 20 drawings, having to do this 20 times is very time consuming.

Anyway, that's my gripe.

Cheers
#3605 by Nick Pyner
Wed Jun 22, 2005 2:57 am
Twizzle wrote:I find DataCAD tedious when having to do repetitive plots at different scales and/or paper sizes

When using AutoCAD, it prompts you to keep your previous plot settings. I dislike AutoCAD by the way, but I find this very handy.

For example if I want to plot an batch of A3s and they were previously plotted as A1s, I have to reset each drawings scale, pen table, printer and sheet size, rather than keep the previous settings, for each drawing file.

We normally plot A1 at 1:100 and then we normally run off a set of A3s for the file, which are at 1:200.

Its a pain in the proverbial.

If we had say a plot setting 1, which was at 1:100, with compatible pen table, printer and paper.

The if we selected plot setting 2, for example, it would select a different scale, printer and compatible settings.

If you have a set of 20 drawings, having to do this 20 times is very time consuming.

Anyway, that's my gripe.

Cheers


Will not the "Check Plot" facility within the printer/plotter settings suffice?
If you are standardised on A1 output and A3 file, then surely this can be set in your default file, both for size and printer. You never have to set it again and, if you are not printing both A1 and A3 simultaneously, you simply aren't trying hard enuff.

Failing that, plotting to PDF should fix just about anything - including the file copies themselves. Saves a few trees too! :lol:
#3607 by Paul Nida
Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:33 am
I think it would be a good idea to have multiple printer setups and I would vote for that. Having said that, however, we do most of our printing to PDF files. That allows us to preview the plots to make sure they are what we want before printing them. It allows us to print them at whatever size we want half size or full size. And, if we are running a lot of prints, we can just send the PDF files to the print company and get back the prints.
#3625 by Twizzle
Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:54 pm
Nick Pyner wrote:Will not the "Check Plot" facility within the printer/plotter settings suffice?
If you are standardised on A1 output and A3 file, then surely this can be set in your default file, both for size and printer. You never have to set it again and, if you are not printing both A1 and A3 simultaneously, you simply aren't trying hard enuff.

Failing that, plotting to PDF should fix just about anything - including the file copies themselves. Saves a few trees too! :lol:


The default file contains the A1 plotter, pens settings and scale, which means that if we want to plot in A3, we still have to change all the settings, and on every drawing.

When we plot to pdf, the pen settings for A1 are too heavy for an A3 pdf, so the pen table needs to be changed every time, because the default file is set to A1 pen table.

We do use the save as pdf faciltiy alot, but most of our clients dont have an A1 plotter and some dont even have an A3, so we have to plot them out.

We are services engineers, and things like electrical symbols cannot be read properly if A1 pen table is used for an A3 pdf file.
#3628 by Twizzle
Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:05 pm
Neil Blanchard wrote:Hello:

The Check Plot scales down the line widths automatically proportional to the scales. :P


Hi : :lol:

I just checked that out, never used it before. Seems that it may solve some of the problems.

I'll give it a try.

Thanks

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