Getting a polyline to plot in color

Thank you very much.

David,

I was answering another forum post and remembered another new tool - we added the ability to create solid coloured lines in concept graphics. Here's more information on that too.

Concept Lines

-Amanda

Thanks for that. 

Just want to make sure I have this right.

Say that I want to have a line on my drawing print in a colour AND be 0.70 mm. I would set up the layer so it has a True Color and adjust the lineweight, too. Then, that layer would print in the specified True Color at .70 mm thick. Yes?

Also, do the Color Books work like True Color, in that they will override the Land F/X line colours?

Thank you.

The width of the concept line won't follow typical ctb plotting widths. Instead, it will set the width based on the actual 1:1 scale size in your plan. The intent is to make something like a 6" or 0.15m curb width, or a 2'/0.6m wall width.

Yes, colour books work like true colour. They will override the ctb settings and will always print true to colour.

-Amanda

Okay, but what if it’s not a concept line. Say it’s just a polyline in a drawing. I know I can change the color by selecting a True Color. What’s the proper way to change the thicknesses?

David,

There are two ways to change thickness of a polyline in CAD:

1. Select the polyline, open the properties palette, and change "Global width". This is tied to 1:1 scale too, as with what I mentioned above.
2. In properties, or in Layer settings, change the set Lineweight. This can be tied to your end plot 0.7mm weight you were talking about. Make sure you check "Plot Object Lineweights" in your plot options for this to actually plot through to your PDF/plotter.

-Amanda

OK. Thanks for making it clear. 

I still can't print a polyline in color. I am trying to show the gutters on the house in blue. Here's what I did:

Make a new layer for the gutters, called it B-DRAI-GUTT. Color is set to PANTONE 2995 U.

When I print, the line is BLACK. 

Thank you.

-David

David,

It looks like you have 2 layers here that are a blue tone, which is lending itself to confusion- "B-DRAI-ROOF" and "B-DRAI-GUTT". The Gutter layer is set properly and is showing up as color, but the roof layer is plotting black AND is on top (draw order) of the Gutter layer, making it hard to see the color when plotting.

Make sure your gutter layer is above all other layers and you should see the color above all other black colors that are being plotted, assuming you are using the proper CTB plot style.

Thanks, Jake. 

I checked the ROOF layer, and it's set to color 150. I thought that would NOT print in color because it's not a True Color. Do I understand that right?

I checked to make sure the gutter layer is set to the TOP in the draw order, and it is. 

Instead of printing with AcroPlot, I tested the PDF that comes with CAD. It works. My True Color line is BLUE. So, this means the issue is with AcroPlot, right? If so, I will contact them. I have been waiting for weeks to hear back from their tech team on a previous printing issue. (When I use the plant labels and print with Acroplot, the labels don't have a white "fill" the covers up lines behind it in the drawing.)

Still, I have a FX Cad question: I can control the layer color by using a True Color (and making sure it's on the top of the draw order). 

How do I change the lineweight of that same layer? Do I make the change in the Layer Properties, or will that get overridden by the CTB?

Thank you!

Hi, folks. Just checking because I'm looking for some clarity on questions from 3/21. 

Thank you!

David,

Our apologies on the delayed response.

If you are successful using another plotter, then yes, I would reach out to AcroPlot to determine what settings are causing your issue.

Yes, still managing the layers draw order is the proper thing to do. If you are still going to be listing that layer as True Color, then you will need to manage its thickness by the Layer Properties Manager. The CTB plot style will NOT affect any layers set to true color, unless the layer underneath your true color layer is set to plot thicker than default (which would make it appear that the true color layer is getting covered up).

So in summary:

1-Contact AcroPlot for the plotting issues

2-Make sure the true color layer is on top of all other layers

3-Make sure to set the proper thicknesses to the true color layer from the Layer properties manager

Let us know if you have any further questions we can help with.

Thanks for clarifying, Jake. That makes sense. 

Much apprecitated!