large 12d Profile output dwgs with Arial font

hi everyone,

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but i am having an issue with the size of dwg files output by 12d when the font is arial narrow (ttf).

if i output the text as an iso font, the average files size is about 75kb, whereas when it is set to output as arial they are 2000kbs larger!

what is interesting is that if they are simply output as iso font, but then the style of all text is changed the final file size is the same as if it was just output as an iso font?!

ive tried the 12d forum, but the difference in time of actual production of the profiles is negligible with either font.

as it is the standard font required, i would love to be able to keep the output as arial (via either setting "standard" font to arial, or setting it in the amf file from 12d) so we dont have to do the extra steps involved in changing the font every time for conformation, and also save time doing this every time they are updated.

the profile dwgs also take a long time to load as youd imagine, which kind of negates any time saved with using the required font.

would really appreciate some help on this one.

thank you.

Never heard of 12D but in AutoCAD it's not such a good idea to change any of the standard styles. Make a new one with the desired properties. The standard styles are there as a default and everyone using the program has that style. Changing the settings might cause a bit of confusion.

hi everyone,

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but i am having an issue with the size of dwg files output by 12d when the font is arial narrow (ttf).

 

if i output the text as an iso font, the average files size is about 75kb, whereas when it is set to output as arial they are 2000kbs larger!

 

what is interesting is that if they are simply output as iso font, but then the style of all text is changed the final file size is the same as if it was just output as an iso font?!

 

ive tried the 12d forum, but the difference in time of actual production of the profiles is negligible with either font.

 

as it is the standard font required, i would love to be able to keep the output as arial (via either setting "standard" font to arial, or setting it in the amf file from 12d) so we dont have to do the extra steps involved in changing the font every time for conformation, and also save time doing this every time they are updated.

 

the profile dwgs also take a long time to load as youd imagine, which kind of negates any time saved with using the required font.

 

would really appreciate some help on this one.

 

thank you.

This question may be better fielded in the civil section. 12D is not a AutoCAD vertical but there may be some people over there who know about it. http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?57-Civil-3D-amp-LDD

I can tell you that different font types will likely change file size. With AutoCAD is you use a font style outside of the proprietary fonts this will increase your file due to the way the program has to deal with/interpret the information. Try to use native (to the program) fonts and see if that helps file size. If the font type you want is not available with your distribution, contact their customer support or possiblely their development team. They may be have it and may be able to get it to you.

There shouldn't be any appreciable difference between file sizes whether you are using the Arial Narrow font or the Iso font.

We are talking TTF vs. SHX fonts. Aren't TTFs heavier than SHXs?

In some cases that might be true but not in this one. Generally speaking you could have three different drawings each using a different font (Arial Narrow, ISOCPEUR and Romans) and all three would have the same file size. Something else may be affecting the file size but I don't believe that it is the choice of font in this particular situation.

I'm far from a font expert, but IME, TTFs in general are a lot heavier. I/we used to avoid TTFs for that very reason. We are not talking about AutoCAD though and, as Noob has already suggested, 12D might handle fonts differently.

I will grant you that 12d may very well handle fonts differently but not AutoCAD in the example I outlined in my last post.

Are you saying the old rule about TTFs in AutoCAD has changed and in general do not make files larger?

No. I am saying that it does not always apply. There is a difference.

Yes, just clarifying.

In some cases that might be true but not in this one. Generally speaking you could have three different drawings each using a different font (Arial Narrow, ISOCPEUR and Romans) and all three would have the same file size. Something else may be affecting the file size but I don't believe that it is the choice of font in this particular situation.

I'm going to have to retract my previous statement and agree with this one. I did several tests with just one MText object and a starting file size of approx. 700kb. Tried various fonts and the file sizes had no appreciable differences.

Thank you for doing so. Before posting my first comment regarding the issue I created three test drawings using the different fonts I mentioned previously and compared file sizes. Each test drawing used the exact number of lines of text meaning the character counts matched. And for the sake of clarity I did the test drawings in AutoCAD 2015. I don't have access to 12d unfortunately and if I did I would have duplicated the process and compared one program to the other.

hi everyone,

not sure if this is the right place to post this, but i am having an issue with the size of dwg files output by 12d when the font is arial narrow (ttf).

I have moved this question to the Civil 3D & LDD section, http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?57-Civil-3D-amp-LDD, but you will probably have better luck finding a solution on the 12D forums.

The answer may be like Civilcad an alternative product to CIV3d like 12D both Australian. The poster has not said wether the software is generating a shx file also. We make sure that the font in Civilcad exactly matches the font in Autocad. One of the little steps we do is remove the shx link by making sure all linetypes and text styles are true autocad a purge then will remove the linked shx file. If you don't then linetypes are read from the shx file or alternatively you get error messages about missing shx file.

I recall reading your thread on the 12d forum and was under the impression you had solved the issue although it seems not from this thread.

Your idea of changing the 'Standard' textstyle in AutoCad and making that Arial Narrow should work (provided you are happy for everything in AutoCad with the Standard textyle being arial narrow font).

I will try to export a lplotppf with arial narrow font this week and see how it goes. I normally use arial and iso and have never noticed any issues in exporting from 12d or importing to AutoCad. I don't use xrefs normally though.