rustysilo Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 If you go to the block editor with the block ("point") the point marker (the x) is on layer 0 and bylayer color so said marker will assume the color of whatever layer the block is on. In this case layer CH-TREES. The attributes, however, are on separate layers within the block (CH-SPOT-PNTS, CH-SPOT-ELEV, and CH-SPOT-DESC). Thus you would need to change the color settings of the layer CH-TREES to match the color of the attribute layers. This should cure the problem. Strangely though, the attribute layer colors don't match the display of those colors... and when I do a print preview the x's are just as dark as the attributes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustysilo Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 When you print you are using a ctb (color table) right? Is the box next to "plot with plot style" checked? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustysilo Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Also note that the attributes are set to yet different layers; CH-TREES-DESC, CH-TREES-ELEV, and CH-TREES-PNTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MS-S Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 Okay, Dave - stupid question here. I looked at the drawing you sent me with the revised points - how did you change those? I used BEDIT (as you suggested earlier), selected "point" from the list of blocks to create or edit, but the next step is what is baffling me. I have a window that comes up ("Block Authoring Palettes"); I then assume that I should select either "Point Parameter" or "Base Point Parameter" (I tried both). I then get messages on the Command Line of which I don't know how to execute. "Name/Label/Change/Description/Palette" seem to be my choices, but I don't know where to go or how to respond to these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbroada Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 no, ignore all the block authoring stuff - that is for creating "dynamic blocks" which are useful in their own right but not necessary here. I just drew a circle (snap to node) around the point and hatched it. Points will display differently dependant on your PDMODE & PDSTYLE settigns. Drawing your own symbol won't be affected by those commands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MS-S Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 If you go to the block editor with the block ("point") the point marker (the x) is on layer 0 and bylayer color so said marker will assume the color of whatever layer the block is on. In this case layer CH-TREES. The attributes, however, are on separate layers within the block (CH-SPOT-PNTS, CH-SPOT-ELEV, and CH-SPOT-DESC). Thus you would need to change the color settings of the layer CH-TREES to match the color of the attribute layers. This should cure the problem. Strangely though, the attribute layer colors don't match the display of those colors... and when I do a print preview the x's are just as dark as the attributes. Right, the print preview always looks fine. But, when I print, the cross representing the tree trunks is barely visible. My assumption has been that the cross is a very thin linetype, and I have focused on trying to change that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MS-S Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 no, ignore all the block authoring stuff - that is for creating "dynamic blocks" which are useful in their own right but not necessary here. I just drew a circle (snap to node) around the point and hatched it. Points will display differently dependant on your PDMODE & PDSTYLE settigns. Drawing your own symbol won't be affected by those commands. YES!!!! Dave, that's the knowledge I've been seeking - it works! Thanks to you, and thanks to all that contributed. You can't imagine how much I appreciated all your input. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustysilo Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Dave, do you know of a variable/setting that controls whether or not POINTS print based on the ctb color setting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Right, the print preview always looks fine. But, when I print, the cross representing the tree trunks is barely visible. My assumption has been that the cross is a very thin linetype, and I have focused on trying to change that. As I said before, you cannot have a lineweight for an AutoCAD Point, that is the way it is and that is why it plots as a very thin line. In the old days of pen plotters, a point was plotted OK, but in these days of inkjet plotters and CTB plotting, I would have thought that the inability of a point to have a lineweight would overwrite the CTB plotting instruction - unless someone knows different This block must date from pen plotter times, get him to update it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOB'27T Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 With Civil 3D points, you can change the lineweight. I do it often to make them more visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbroada Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Dave, do you know of a variable/setting that controls whether or not POINTS print based on the ctb color setting?I don't, but maybe eldon does? I never use points (except sometimes very small to snap to) so have never explored them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I don't. I always had it in my mind that point entities were different. That is why I have to be careful when using points when I am plotting nowadays. For example, when I send a fax, the points are all but invisible, so I have to reinforce them with lines. Are the Civil 3D points actually autocad point entities, or are they called points because that is what surveyors call them, and actually are blocks with attributes and with lines forming the cross but are called "points". Getting confused now - I think I will lie down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustysilo Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Civil 3d points are a monster all of their own. They are NOT AutoCAD points. Same with the Land Desktop points. Those are even different from the Civil 3d points. Each civil/survey software package has their own way of dealing with the points. They are called "points" because that's what the surveyors call them generally. Some surveyors refer to them as "shots". But when you get into the software they are all "points" yet they are different objects. Regular AutoCAD points are nothing but points, in the generic usage of the term; a point in the dwg where you want a graphical representation of the point location. Most users in fields other than civil/survey might use these, moreso as a placeholder or to give a snap location maybe for a block (as Dave was talking about). The survey points are of course representations of information gathered/recorded in the field and are collected with the gps devices. Then they download that data to the computer where it can be imported into the various civil/survey cad packages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strix Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Hi, Strix - thanks for your response. I apologize profusely for my lack of knowledge,not at all! I apologise for mine! I don't have ACAD on this machine so tend to be somewhat vague on occasion! (and yes, haven't used '08 or '09, so my answers are archaic too sometimes :wink: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chulse Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 only if certain people are drawing them I don't think we want to go there yet. I think that only becomes relavent if dynamic blocks have been used but even then, don't they still have a link back to the parent that allows graphical changes to permeate through? (Don't know, haven't tried) Hey now:glare: I have had them loose the link and become independent, individual, and anon. Made for some bad days and I never did find a way to reverse it. BUT- I think it was due to me saving the files back to the 2000 file type and setting SAVEFIDELITY = 1. Keeping SAVEFIDELITY = 0 and using the current file version seems to keep it from happening. But I doubt many folks have or ever will have that trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbroada Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Thanks Cary. I didn't think the OP was getting that involved. I am always reluctant to save my drawings down a version as I make substantial use of dynamic blocks. Its "nice" to know that they do get broken! :xmas: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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