Print Quality Problem

[jameslrobert]

Hello, I have an issue that I really don't understand at all. I have been drawing a building using CAD 2008 but have been doing it in 3D. The first load of drawings I did worked just fine, in the layout's I was able to switch between having some showing in realistic or hidden and some ie the plan views in 2d wireframe and there were no issues at all.

 

I have since started a couple of new projects since and have drawn them in 3D also however now even if I have every page setting the same as the previous drawing that worked the quality is so poor! Very pixelated! I really don't understand. If I copy everything from the model space into the old drawing that worked it works fine as well! So why isn't it working in it's own file? Is there a setting somewhere that I'm missing? I have attached a picture to show just how it looks when I do a print preview! Any help please because this is doing my head in!!!

[jameslrobert]

Come on are you seriously telling me that no one know's what the problem is? 61 views and not even a response with a possible solution?!

 

I need this to be sorted, please help me!

[Glen Smith]

Sorry man, I don't know what the problem is - but if we assume for the moment that the two drawings have a system variable set differently, there is a LISP that you can download and run on the two drawings. The link is:

http://www.cadalyst.com/management/news/tips-amp-tools-weekly-vol-12-no-6-7383

 

and the writeup for it is:

System Variables Report

Lloyd Beachy wrote SYSVAR.LSP to create a report of all system variables in a drawing and to compare system variables that are different between two or more drawings. The program creates a tab-delimited (*.TAB) file that you can open with Microsoft Excel or a similar spreadsheet application.

NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: Our Patroller agrees that this tip is helpful. He challenges Lloyd or another tipster to delve even further and program SysVar to take the TAB file and create a fix so the system variables are changed as needed. With this upgrade, the routine would be invaluable.

Give this a shot and see if you can figure out which variables differ, from there, some time spent here or in the help file should nail down which ones need to be changed.

 

 

Good luck -

Glen

[jameslrobert]

hey thanks for that, I've run the program for both drawings and there aren't many differences. Most are dimension styles, text styles and to do with the view port sizes etc. There were a few differences however that could be the issue.

 

Isolines in good one is 50 and in the bad drawing is 5

LUNITS and LUPREC differ also, though I wasn't sure if this meant anything.

 

PSOLWIDTH

 

various other variations were TDINDWG, TDUSRTIMER, UCSXDIR, VIEW CTR, VIEW DIR, VIEW SIZE, VS MAX & VS MIN.

 

Any ideas? I'll have a play with the psolwidth and isolines, but otherwise I am still stumped.

 

Thanks for your help though

[jameslrobert]

Nope I have changed everything to be the same and no difference, in fact the one that had previously shown up nicely is no longer doing so, I must have changed a setting on my CAD somewhere but I really don't know, this has totally got me, and it's really really annoying!!

[Glen Smith]

I don't do much in 3d so I am rather out of my depth, but the only other thing I can think of is Tools - Options - 3D Modeling and fiddle with the settings in there. Tessellation would appear to relate to what you are seeing, but like I said, I don't really know.

 

Hopefully someone more versed in this will come along soon.

 

Glen

[jameslrobert]

Thank you for your time anyway, I am fairly new to working in 3D and also am pretty out of my comfort zone. Life would be so much easier if I knew Revit Architecture as well as I know 2D CAD!!!

 

I'll have a play and see what happens with the 3D options.

 

Thanks again

 

James

[iskalipsi]

can u post another picture? try using a camera to view the objects

[jameslrobert]

hey here's a couple more pictures, these are from my page layout, using hidden in the vewports works. but not 3d hidden. and the 3D view i have selected the viewport as realistic and this is what happens!

[jameslrobert]

try using a camera to view the objects

 

I've tried this but I'm not totally sure how to do it and I don't think it's going to achieve the outcome I'm wanting.

 

thanks for the suggestion though

[iskalipsi]

I've tried this but I'm not totally sure how to do it and I don't think it's going to achieve the outcome I'm wanting.

 

thanks for the suggestion though

 

you can achieve a better picture when you use the camera. i have encoutered that problem once, i think...

[jameslrobert]

you can achieve a better picture when you use the camera. i have encoutered that problem once, i think...

 

but how do i use the camera view as my viewport view in page layout?

[iskalipsi]

you have to create a camera first in the model view. after placing the camera, you can then switch to paper layout then double click on the inside of your title block then set the camera view as your viewport.then set the shade plot as conceptual.

i have attached a file here. thats what i did. hope this helps:)

layout.pdf

[jameslrobert]

i really have no idea how to set camera view as viewport.....where do i set it? it's not under the viewport settings and nothing comes up with the camera image to set as a viewport.

[iskalipsi]

yes its not in the viewport settings. try to follow the post i made last nov. 24.

[jameslrobert]

i've tried this now, doesn't work sorry guys. there really isn't anything i can find to solve this problem....doesn't anyone know how to up the image quality in my layout when i have realistic on? surely someone must know!

[iskalipsi]

have you already placed a camera in your drawing? if so,switch to paper layout then after double clicking in your view port click on to the camera, right click then pick "set camera view" from there.. tell me if this helps.

[jameslrobert]

no i'm afraid that the quality is still just as bad in this view. it has to be a setting somewhere that i just don't know about. i'm totally lost, and fairly annoyed about the fact that i have to just show everything i've drawn in 3d using only the basic hidden style!!

[iskalipsi]

can you send me the drawings you made? maybe i can try to plot it the camera view

[jameslrobert]

urm the file is kinda massive, i don't think i could possibly email them to you i'm afraid....