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Pen Settings Disapeared


resullins

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Ok, I have an interesting problem. Let me start by saying this is another computer in my company, and I don't have direct access to it. But since I'm the CAD Manager, I need to solve the following issue:

 

Why oh why would one's pen settings disappear? A guy in my company, let's call him Norm, went to plot something... he imported his plot settings (the same place he's been importing from for YEARS) and for some reason it plotted in color. On further inspection, when he went in to his plot settings, his pen setting monochrome.cbt had a little yellow triangle next to it, and it said missing.

 

First, I need to find the monochrome pen setting and send it to him so he can restore it, but second, I need to figure out what could do that?

 

Any insight?

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Ok, I have an interesting problem. Let me start by saying this is another computer in my company, and I don't have direct access to it. But since I'm the CAD Manager, I need to solve the following issue:

 

Why oh why would one's pen settings disappear? A guy in my company, let's call him Norm, went to plot something... he imported his plot settings (the same place he's been importing from for YEARS) and for some reason it plotted in color. On further inspection, when he went in to his plot settings, his pen setting monochrome.cbt had a little yellow triangle next to it, and it said missing.

 

First, I need to find the monochrome pen setting and send it to him so he can restore it, but second, I need to figure out what could do that?

 

Any insight?

 

In Options, verify the Plot Style Table Search Path(s), and ensure that the desired .CTB file either resides there, or at the end of any shortcuts that are located there... Yes, the plot mechanism recognizes shortcuts, but only loads them at session start.

 

If the .CTB isn't found in those locations, then go to your default location (I assume you have standardized locations for stuff like this? If not F3 & Explorer are your friends), and ensure that it exists where it should, and drag a folder shortcut from the actual location to the folder found in Options, and restart.

 

Cheers

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It sounds to me like the drawing was set up or changed to use .STB which would explain why it printed in color and the .CTB couldn't be found. If this is true then use the CONVERTPSTYLES command to get back to .CTB.

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Awesome... I'll try to check that out... or have Norm do it!

 

We don't have standardized locations for that stuff, we should... but we don't. There are a lot of things I haven't had the time to implement...

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How would a drawing be set up to use .sbt instead of .cbt? Just curious... I'm not sure he started this drawing any differently than he always has.

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How would a drawing be set up to use .sbt instead of .cbt? Just curious... I'm not sure he started this drawing any differently than he always has.

 

I am just making guesses since I am not there to see the drawing or the setup, etc. People push buttons they shouldn't push all the time so I thought perhaps that was what happened. Or someone else besides Norm decided to convert the drawing, etc. Or Norm changed a setting in Options to use .STB. The ways a user can mess AutoCAD are almost endless.

 

If not the please refer to post #2.

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It sounds to me like the drawing was set up or changed to use .STB which would explain why it printed in color and the .CTB couldn't be found. If this is true then use the CONVERTPSTYLES command to get back to .CTB.

 

FWIW -

 

While there's nothing wrong with using .STB in lieu of .CTB (everything has trade-offs), the use of the former would not render the latter unable to be found... One can modify the plot style to be used for that Layout, but the discussed .CTB would still be found.

 

'Something' (or rather someone) has either modified the file itself (i.e. moved/deleted it), or the path(s) used to locate same, as those are the only two reasons for a given .CTB (particularly one that has been used for years) to not be found.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Edit] - When no plot style is found AutoCAD defaults to printing each layer in the color is it assigned.

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That's exactly what it's doing... plotting in full color based on the layers. I'm sitting in a meeting right now... but I will take a look as soon as I'm done and see if his plot styles are still there.

 

This is just a wonky problem! I've never seen it before!

 

Also, can I say that I really love my keyboard, but it doesn't have LEDs that show when my CAPS lock is on... so I often type for a while, and then have to go back and fix it! Seriously... that little bit of feedback used to make my life so much easier.

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FWIW -

 

While there's nothing wrong with using .STB in lieu of .CTB (everything has trade-offs), the use of the former would not render the latter unable to be found... One can modify the plot style to be used for that Layout, but the discussed .CTB would still be found.

 

'Something' (or rather someone) has either modified the file itself (i.e. moved/deleted it), or the path(s) used to locate same, as those are the only two reasons for a given .CTB (particularly one that has been used for years) to not be found.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Edit] - When no plot style is found AutoCAD defaults to printing each layer in the color is it assigned.

 

I just converted a .CTB file to .STB, hit plot, previous plot, and I got the exact message the OP posted. So there is one more reason a given .CTB (particularly one that has been used for years) to not be found.

ctb missing.png

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Also, can I say that I really love my keyboard, but it doesn't have LEDs that show when my CAPS lock is on... so I often type for a while, and then have to go back and fix it! Seriously... that little bit of feedback used to make my life so much easier.

 

I wrote an app that automagically turns on CAPSLOCK for certain Commands (customizable per-Profile), and restores them to original setting (in my case off), when switching between AutoCAD and other application windows (even if in the middle of a Command that enables caps). :thumbsup:

 

[PeterGriffinLaugh]

 

Ehhhehehehe

 

[PeterGriffinLaugh]

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I just converted a .CTB file to .STB, hit plot, previous plot, and I got the exact message the OP posted. So there is one more reason a given .CTB (particularly one that has been used for years) to not be found.

 

Thanks for educating me....

 

I (mistakenly?) thought (as I do not use .STB), that functionality worked like CUI Editor... When you open a .CUI in a newer version it automagically makes a copy and upgrades it to .CUIx format, leaving the original .CUI as-is.

 

 

 

So... Do what rkent suggested? :lol:

Edited by BlackBox
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So RKent is saying perhaps he altered his .ctb file to an .stb file?

 

The .cbt is still intact, though it has apparently been edited on 7/9/2014, and Norm has no idea why or how it may have been edited.

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So RKent is saying perhaps he altered his .ctb file to an .stb file?

 

The .cbt is still intact, though it has apparently been edited on 7/9/2014, and Norm has no idea why or how it may have been edited.

 

By definition, if the .CTB can still be found, the process of converting to .STB has not been performed.

 

Does the .CTB reside in a location that is either explicitly specified in Options, or is a shortcut to the .CTB's location added to that which is specified in Options? If so, the .CTB will be found _at session start_ and not in the middle of a session.

 

Cheers

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By definition, if the .CTB can still be found, the process of converting to .STB has not been performed.

 

The conversion doesn't remove the .CTB file or rename it, a new .STB file is created when using CONVERTCTB. When the drawing is converted with CONVERTPSTYLES the .CTB or .STB files are not changed or over written, no new files are created.

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The conversion doesn't remove the .CTB file or rename it, a new .STB file is created when using CONVERTCTB. When the drawing is converted with CONVERTPSTYLES the .CTB or .STB files are not changed or over written, no new files are created.

 

When you didn't reply to my other post, I incorrectly assumed I was correct in my understanding. :oops:

 

I just read through the help, as I know next to nothing about .STB aside from it's one more thing users would have to learn, and I thought migrating from Land Desktop to Civil 3D would keep us busy enough for the time being *chuckles*.

 

If this is a drawing level setting, then any other drawing NOT converted to use .STB would still find the .CTB originally mapped... Perhaps OP will clarify if this issue is only being observed in a select drawing, and all is well in a new drawing based on their .CTB-based template?

 

Cheers

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FYI, apparently it works on my computer.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the file has a problem... but I REALLY hate idiopathic problems. I need an explanation.

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FYI, apparently it works on my computer.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the file has a problem... but I REALLY hate idiopathic problems. I need an explanation.

 

It's only a file problem, if you can replace Norm's file (make a backup copy first!) with a copy of your file, and all works as it should... Otherwise the issue is not file related, but rather setting (either Drawing or Profile).

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