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Change line thickness


TheRobster

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Hi all,

 

Does anyone know how I would change both the model and paper space thickness of a line in AutoCAD 2004? I've tried changing "line thickness" and "line weight" in the properties dialog box but it doesn't seem to matter whether it's 0 or 9,999,999 or any number, it just looks the same, in both the model space and paper space views.

 

I have a drawing someone else did that uses polylines of different thickness so I have tried to figure out how they did it. Again, looking at the properties dialog box it seems to make no difference what I set the "line thickness" or "line weight" properties to...the line just stays the same size regardless.

 

I want to change line thicknesses because I'm designing a surface water pipe layout...I want the pipes to be a lot thicker than the lines that represent the actual building so that they will stand out when I plot the drawing.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

-Rob

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Go to your Format pull down menu and select Lineweight. This will open the Lineweight Settings dialog. Check the box that says "Display Lineweight". Once you hit Ok, you should see all your line thicknesses.

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Mmm, got another issue now. Got the line thickness sorted out but I have given my drainage pipes (lines) a dashed linetype to further distinguish them from the other on-site infrastructure.

 

Problem is when I go to Paper Space, the lines are just continuous....what happened to my dashed settings??? I can see them in model space but they do not seem to apply to paper space?

 

Thanks

-Rob

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To further clarify.

 

Fat lines are achieved by setting the line weights in the Layer Properties Manager, for printing purposes or adjusting wot you see on screen by ticking the Lineweight Settings dialog box as explained previously.

Personaly I don’t switch this on as I like to see sharp corners and fat lines get in the way of other close objects on screen. I know where my fat lines are!

(all round my waist unfortunately)LOL LOL

 

However, the thickness refered to in the properties dialog box is a 3D value where the line is given a vertically extruded height value.

Not to be confused with a width which is horizontal!

 

To get really broad lines use a polyline with a width value as StykeFace suggests.

See ‘Pedit’ and the various options (w).

 

 

Stephen

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As we tend to work almost exclusively in 2D model space (scaling up text/ dims/drawing frames) I've always used plot configuration files to control plotted line thicknesses related to the line's screen colour, using ratioed thicknesses (based on the old Rotring pen sizes) for differing plotted drawing sizes. That way the line thicknesses always look right in proportion to the size of the printed drawing, in the same way as enlarging or reducing on a photocopier. We also get our logos to print in colour so it's easy to differentiate the master from a print.

 

After a while you can visualise the plotted thickness from the colour, though it usually takes at least one plot and adjustments to get the finished drawing just right.

 

The trouble with polylines is I've never discovered how to draw circles, arcs, elipses etc easilly. and to avoid objectionable end connections looking like a draughtsman who couldn't quite be bothered.

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using plot configuration files to control thickness in this way?

 

Boro Nut

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As we tend to work almost exclusively in 2D model space (scaling up text/ dims/drawing frames) I've always used plot configuration files to control plotted line thicknesses related to the line's screen colour, using ratioed thicknesses (based on the old Rotring pen sizes) for differing plotted drawing sizes. That way the line thicknesses always look right in proportion to the size of the printed drawing, in the same way as enlarging or reducing on a photocopier. We also get our logos to print in colour so it's easy to differentiate the master from a print.

 

After a while you can visualise the plotted thickness from the colour, though it usually takes at least one plot and adjustments to get the finished drawing just right.

 

The trouble with polylines is I've never discovered how to draw circles, arcs, elipses etc easilly. and to avoid objectionable end connections looking like a draughtsman who couldn't quite be bothered.

 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using plot configuration files to control thickness in this way?

 

Boro Nut

that's what we use in our offices. i know how "thick" the line is, i don't need it thick on my screen.

 

as far as Polylines go, i just use this method for certain blocks or objects that i want "bolded" on my prints, to further distinguish things on my screen, and on the print. as for arcs, circles, etc, just PEDIT and join. i don't do it often so it doesn't bother me really.

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  • 6 years later...

I have a question: I know each color has it's own thickness, for example, cyan shows up really thick when printed in color or black and white. Is there a way to change the thickness of a color so that it has the same thickness of another color. For example I want to have the color 250 printed for my Arch. background, but I want the thickness of color 253. Is there a way to see the color definition and modify to suit other color thickness'?

 

Hope my question is clear.:unsure:

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It shouldn't matter what color the line is as far as how "thick" it plots. I can draw ten lines, assign them each a different color and have all ten plot exactly the same. Did you check your Layer Properties Manager? Maybe the layer your line is on has a lineweight assigned to it other than "Default".

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It shouldn't matter what color the line is as far as how "thick" it plots. I can draw ten lines, assign them each a different color and have all ten plot exactly the same. Did you check your Layer Properties Manager? Maybe the layer your line is on has a lineweight assigned to it other than "Default".

 

Maybe I wasn't as clear as I should have been.

 

When I plot a line drawn in 250 and one in 253 in their default setting, you can see the color and thickness difference. How would I find out what the default thickness is on color 253 to make it the same on 250? I guess I'll just play with the thickness settings of the 250 line until I get it the same.

 

Thanks.

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Maybe you are using the wrong terminology to describe what you are seeing? I don't see how lineweight is affected by the color one assigns to it. By lineweight I mean whether a line plots thin or thick like the difference between a 3mm or a 9mm line.

 

Would you happen to be referring to how light or dark a line appears when printed and not the actual width or thickness?

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Would you happen to be referring to how light or dark a line appears when printed and not the actual width or thickness?

 

Doesn't the lineweight and color affect the light or darkness of the print? I thought that if I change the color of a line, it would determine whether or not the print will come out light or dark. If I change the thickness of the layer, doesn't it just override the default color thickness? Basically, I want to see the color in CAD as 250, but print it out in 253 darkness.

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Lineweight affects how thin or thick the line plots. I thought I made that clear. You can assign line weights that could be as thin as 1mm or 1 meter if you wanted to.

 

Color does not play a role in how thin or thick a line plots unless you want it to. It is completely arbitrary. You may decide that the lighter the color the thinner the line will be and the darker the color the thicker the line will be. Make a chart with two columns. In the left column put the lineweight and in the right column assign it a color. Now use this chart when you assign colors to your layers in the Layer Properties Manager.

 

You may even want to include a column in your chart for your layer names too. Example:

 

Layer name: Existing

 

Color: White

 

Lineweight: .009

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Basically, I want to see the color in CAD as 250, but print it out in 253 darkness.

 

For simplicity sake start the print/plot command, look to the upper right for the plot style table, there is an icon further to the right, pick that to edit the current plot style. Yours will no doubt end in .ctb. You will be in the plot style table editor, move down to the 253 plotstyle, note the lineweight, now move to 250, change the lineweight to match.

 

If you don't have the plot style table showing in the upper right look to the lower right for an arrow in a circle, pick that to expand the dialog box.

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For simplicity sake start the print/plot command, look to the upper right for the plot style table, there is an icon further to the right, pick that to edit the current plot style. Yours will no doubt end in .ctb. You will be in the plot style table editor, move down to the 253 plotstyle, note the lineweight, now move to 250, change the lineweight to match.

 

If you don't have the plot style table showing in the upper right look to the lower right for an arrow in a circle, pick that to expand the dialog box.

 

Thanks.

 

I found out that what I was trying to do is see one color on the CAD screen, but "Screen" the color as something else when it prints, not change the lineweight. I should have went to the Plot Style Table Editor sooner.

 

Sorry everybody.:oops:

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