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Create a No-Plot Color?


eyeofnewt555

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ReMark, I'm not gonna comment on your attitude, reading skills, or "helpfulness". I will say that I'm going to look into why "lines merge" isn't working for me. I think therein lies my fix.

 

To the folks who don't see why having a no-plot color could be helpful when using a .ctb file:

--there are times when it is useful to have objects on the same layer, but with different visibility when plotting

--there are times when it is useful to draw objects exclusively on layer 0 (usually blocks) so that they can be placed in any drawing without dragging extra layers with them. Even if I were okay with this extra no-plot layer tagging along to the next drawing, it could potentially mean splitting objects that would otherwise be on a single layer between two layers. While this is not the end of the world, it's not always ideal.

 

To reiterate, I'm not claiming it's impossible to use the 'no-plot layer' method. It's just not ideal for my situation. And if it works for you, great. How about extending a little ACAD empathy and recognizing that not every office workflow is identical to yours and that just because something isn't a problem for you doesn't mean it isn't a problem.

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Some workflows are better than others and when a standard gets in the way, it's time to change the standard. If a .ctb is not cutting it anymore, it's time to move out of the last century. Why jump through hoops to make a very old tool work the way you want it to when there are more viable options? Layers are free and the reluctance to use one for the desired result is beyond me, but that is a personal choice, not a workflow one, because your current workflow requires a no plot layer or, OMG, even more than one.

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No sympathy or empathy here.

 

By my count you've been given four different ways (two are very similar) to temporarily have objects not plot but you still insist there must be a no-plot color option. Keep insisting..... that's you're prerogative but bear in mind there are some very knowledgeable people (I don't necessarily fall in that group) here who have responded to your query and yet you have chosen to ignore their advice. That too is your prerogative but it will also be your undoing. I wish you success in your no-plot color quest.

 

One last stab at it.

 

Have you given any consideration to editing the plot style and setting the Screening option, for one of the colors, to the value of "1" (default = 100)?

 

Attach a copy of the drawing to a subsequent post. Maybe someone here who suggested the 255,255,255 color + lines merge solution can make it work where you failed to. It's worth a shot.

Edited by ReMark
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You wrote: "--there are times when it is useful to have objects on the same layer, but with different visibility when plotting"

 

When you say "different visibility" you're talking about some objects, on the same layer, not plotting while other objects do plot. If that is correct then the two alternatives I suggested in post #16 will work.

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eyeofnewt555, I think I got this to work using the line merge option. Have you had any luck with that or any other methods? I have been trying for months to do exactly what you are trying to do and continue running into the same results... Suggestions to create additional layers which just does not make sense for my application.

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You "think" you've gotten the line merge technique to work? Why wouldn't you know? If the technique does not work there can only be two reasons. 1) Operator error or 2) wonky drawing. Attach a drawing to your next post and let someone here have a go at it.

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ReMark, none of the suggestions I've been given are viable solutions. Why would I be satisfied with suggestions that don't accomplish what I need them to? I'm not insisting that a no-plot color option is possible. I'm not sure where you got them from--but again I'll refrain from commenting on your reading comprehension.

 

Screening to 1 doesn't work any better than screening to 0, which I already addressed in my original post.

 

And yes, hideobjects would technically work. However, that would be prohibitively time-consuming. That's not a valid solution. Let it join the trash heap of other dismissive and ill-fit answers.

 

You can just say "No, I don't think X is possible" rather than "X doesn't need to be accomplished, but here's some half-baked ideas on how to do Y".

 

On top of that, whenever you claim that something works for you, you fail to respond to questions about the alleged solution, namely if it prints as white or truly no-plot.

 

0/10, would not take advice again.

Edited by eyeofnewt555
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Pukenzz, glad to see someone else in my same boat. You got lines merge to work?! Was there a trick to that? I'm about to make a separate post about that because I think I must have some other settings configured that are preventing it from working right.

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I "think" and wouldn't "know" because I first tried it last evening on just a small sample and have not yet been able to test it out in several different scenarios.

 

I created a CTB where the color(s) I decided to standardize as no plot colors were set to screening 0%

In the printer / plotter properties i selected the line merge option. When I clicked save as i named a new .pc3 file. Then I had to make sure I selected that PC3 file when I was plotting.

If this method works I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to create multiple pc3 files.

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Sample drawing attached. This is just a small sample of application. I would have hundreds of different items, hinges, casters, drawer slides, locks, special connectors, etc. In this case clolor 152 represents hardware or notes that I need to see but do not want to plot. Color 51 represents insertion points and 212 represents some sort of other needed point, many times it could represent a "mating" point. Colors 51, 82, 152, 212... regardless of layer should be visible on screen but not show up when printing. Should not "wipe out" items they overlay and can not deal with draw order. The grid to the bottom left is just to test out the "wipe out" issue. Thanks for looking.

Sample.dwg

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Pukenzz, have you tried changing the .ctb file so that colors 51, 82, 152, 212 are screened to 0? And then doing lines merge? Let me know if that works because then I'd know for sure it's just a lines merge problem on my end.

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