"Watermark" layer

[dbroada]

Is there an AutoCAD technique that adds a Watermark layer, and if so what is it for?

 

An odd request I know but some history.

 

We recently had a subbie who was expert at telling everybody how good he is and that he could revolutionise the way our drawing should be done. Despite being told to work to our standards (pretty relaxed but usable by the large skill range we have at times) he did his own thing. After not long we realised that while he may know his way around AutoCAD (although even that is in doubt) it was clear he was not a draughtsman. He is no longer a subbie with us.

 

I have just inherited one of his drawing sets (and now know why the others have been moaning). They all open up saying links to other sheets are no longer valid and various other warning messages. I have now got them openning on all the machines without messages and have decided to do some final cleaning.

 

After PURGING I am left with 2 odd items. One is a bit of RTEXT - Expression: $(getprop, %LOCE)

and the other is the Watermark layer.

 

I can delete the RTEXT with QSELECT and I can delete the Watermark layer with LAYDEL but I am curious to know if he put them there, deliberately or accidentaly or whether they have been added because they could work in our favour.

[Dadgad]

It's nothing I've ever heard of, might it be a part of the SECURITY options for digital signatures and encryption

on the OPEN AND SAVE tab of OPTIONS, under File Safety Precautions?

I just glanced through that, and didn't see any reference to Watermarks in the tooltips.

What sort of layer settings does it have?

Nothing on it presumably, as you didn't mention anything?

[dbroada]

must admit to being more interested in getting rid of it just in case it was a time bomb than seeing what settings it has.

 

 

 

doesn't look unusual to me, but nothing on it and it doesn't purge.

 

=====================

 

edit, changing transparency to 0 doesn't reveal anything either.

[Dadgad]

Are you talking the commandline -PURGE?

[dbroada]

Are you talking the commandline -PURGE?

I wasn't - but it doesn't make any difference. Still there.

[RobDraw]

We recently had a subbie who was expert at telling everybody how good he is and that he could revolutionise the way our drawing should be done. Despite being told to work to our standards (pretty relaxed but usable by the large skill range we have at times) he did his own thing. After not long we realised that while he may know his way around AutoCAD (although even that is in doubt) it was clear he was not a draughtsman. He is no longer a subbie with us.

 

Please tell me his name wasn't Michael.

 

Is the RTEXT working? I'm not familiar with the syntax so I don't even know what it is looking for. Is it on the Watermark layer? Do you know what is on the Watermark layer?

 

Watermarks can be used for a couple reasons that quickly come to mind. One is branding. Some paper companies put one of there logo on every sheet. They can also be used to mark an original print of a document as they are difficult to copy.

[ReMark]

Re: Watermark. Maybe the reason the layer does not purge is that there is an invisible entity of some sorts on it?

 

Or....could we be talking about a "plotstamp"?

[dbroada]

No, his name isn't Michael but even if it was, its a long comute from old England to New England.

 

The RTEXT wasn't visible and I only spotted it as it was on a very oddly named layer. I just splatted it as it served no useful purpose to us. It certainly wasn't (obviously) on the watermark layer.

 

QSELECT didn't come up with anything being on the watermark layer. No further blocks were purged after the watermark layer was deleted so I don't think (don't really know how LAYDEL works) it was within a block.

[dbroada]

Re: Watermark. Maybe the reason the layer does not purge is that there is an invisible entity of some sorts on it?

I wondered that but purge now gets rid of 0 length lines and null strings so I am not sure what else to look for. Next time I'm bored I will look further.

[ReMark]

How about a "plotstamp"?

[RobDraw]

When you did the QSELECT, did you use Ctrl+A for your initial selection. That will pick up stuff that can't be window selected. Or it could be buried in a block.

[dbroada]

this is where somebody says "its obvious, you should have...."

 

test.dwg

[RobDraw]

Not from me. I can't find it.

[eldon]

I converted it in DwgTrueview to 2002. There was still the layer Watermark. Then I went to Image Manager, and Detached the eight Images. Then I W-blocked out the frame, and the new drawing only had layer 0 and the frame block.

[fuccaro]

The last AutoCAD I used was 2007, but I think you still can try the old things.

A few times I used to place invisible texts in my drawing.

First: see if there is anything (visible or not) on that layer. Enter in the command line:

(setq ss (ssget X '('(8 . "WATERMARK"))))

Next: try to list those entities (if any):

(repeat (setq i (sslength ss))
(setq a (ssname ss (setq i (1- 1))))
(princ (cdr (assoc 1 a)))
)

I hope it works, I am AutoCADless!

[dbroada]

found it!!!!

 

Its a bit of MTEXT in paperspace (whic we don't use here).

 

Command: list

1 found

MTEXT Layer: "Watermark"

Space: Paper space

Layout: HSP 86149-02-PD-0001-02

Handle = 13aab

Style = "ROMAND"

Annotative: No

Location: X= 408.38 Y= 294.64 Z= 0.00

Width: 982.33

Normal: X= 0.00 Y= 0.00 Z= 1.00

Rotation: 35

Text height: 35.00

Line spacing: Multiple (1.000000x = 58.33)

Attachment: MiddleCenter

Flow direction: ByStyle

Contents: {\L\OFOR QUOTATION PURPOSES ONLY}

 

my suspicion is that he copied the whole thing from somwhere else and didn't know that it was there.

 

I can now rest assured that I haven't "broken" the drawings while making them useable.

 

and thanks for looking.

[Dadgad]

Yeah, viewport frozen in paperspace.

 

What the hell is RTEXT?

[dbroada]

its a reaction text. It can be used with/similar to diesel expressions. Never really explored what it can do although I am sure some here know it inside out.

[rkent]

rtext was in express tools and was replaced by Fields although Fields can't do everything rtext can do.

[Murph_map]

Even though Dave was ale to work this out I'll add some info. There is/are some lsp/vba apps out there that claim to add watermarks to dwgs, from what I've seen/hear they use the Rtext & create a watermark layer and only display when printed. So Dave may want to look on the former users pc for the lsp/vba app.