Help me plot these drawings

[Suresh968]

I've 50 cross section in a single drawing and in a single model space and there are more than 100 dwg files with same case. Each station cross section is inside a single block (with fix-sized border). I don't have much time to print all those one by one. I want a lisp which let me choose plotter, plotstyle, lower left corner of first sheet, upper right corner of first sheet and array distance and plot all those one by one. Please, help me.

[RobDraw]

If time is of the essence, I would just go ahead and plot them manually. I could send them one by one faster than any plotter that I've worked with could put them out.

[Suresh968]

If time is of the essence, I would just go ahead and plot them manually. I could send them one by one faster than any plotter that I've worked with could put them out.

 

I am plotting it manually; but I fear whether I'll be able to plot all the drawings in such a small time.

[RobDraw]

Once you do one plot and save the settings, it should be a simple as creating a new window for each sheet. Once you get the hang of it, you will be sending sheets faster than they can come out of the plotter.

[ReMark]

Any chance you saved each cross section as a separate view?

[Organic]

If time is of the essence, I would just go ahead and plot them manually. I could send them one by one faster than any plotter that I've worked with could put them out.

 

Printing 5000 cross sections manually one at a time is going to be a pain!

[ReMark]

We have met the enemy and they are us. Pogo

 

Why would someone purposely set up a drawing this way if they wanted to print each cross-section separately?

[RobDraw]

Wow, missed the 100 files part of the OP.

 

Someone must have known that these needed to be printed at some time. As ReMark was alluding to, proper drawing set-up would have made this job a lot easier.

[Organic]

I've got a better question. Once the cross sections are all printed (via whatever means), how are you going to collate them and sort them if there is no annotation/labels on them as shown in the sample image. Even printing only 50 at a time would be a pain. In-fact, what even is the point of printing all these sections if all they contain is the centreline location and a line representing a surface, yet nothing else?

[Mike_Taylor]

If they are all set up uni formally you may be able to write a script/LISP routine that will plat them all.

 

Here is a forum where there was a similar discussion happening.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?80029-How-to-print-multiple-drawing-in-one-layout-combined

[steven-g]

If they are all set up uni formally you may be able to write a script/LISP routine that will plat them all.

 

Here is a forum where there was a similar discussion happening.

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?80029-How-to-print-multiple-drawing-in-one-layout-combined

The problem with that method is it would take a while to get up and running, and without using some form of scripting aid (like excel) it would probably take longer than manual plotting. On the other hand a quick macro based on that method, that only needs you to pick the 2 corners of each plot would probably be a good time saver in this case. Doesn't full Autocad have a macro recorder built in.

[Chilidawg]

If you have 100 separate files that are the same general layout, then do this.

 

Set up a template with 25 viewports for the first 50 cross sections.

set up another template with 25 viewports for the second 25 cross sections.

(you could do 50 per template if you want, it's a bit more cumbersome that way. one tip: create your first tab use field names for the file name and the sheet number on the layout itself (do that before you start copying) to track your output. Once the layout is al set up with a viewport, title blocks, proper page setup to the plotter, etc, rename the tab xx-(1) (with whatever you want for xx) copy it to the end, select both tabs, copy them to the end, seect all four tabs, copy them etc. untill you get all 25 or 50 layout tabs. they will be numbered xx-(1) to xx-(25) (again, whatever you want for xx) the trick is to make sure you get ALL your page layout set up first before you start copying and redoing your viewports.

 

Xref one of your files into the model space and adjust all your viewports as required. If all the remaining files are the same layout, hopefully they will all line up. (they probably won't, but at least you will hae a starting place.)

 

detach your xref, then save your template.

 

 

open a new file using the template, and xref one of the the original files into the model space.

save as new name, double check all your viewport tabs, save, then use sheet set manager to organize and plot them.

 

Note, don't try to plot a huge bunch to a single PDF, you will crash for sure.

 

( I did something similer earlier this year for about 200 files with about 1 to 30 layouts each)

[maratovich]

Give the file to test

[rkent]

If you have 100 separate files that are the same general layout, then do this.

 

Set up a template with 25 viewports for the first 50 cross sections.

set up another template with 25 viewports for the second 25 cross sections.

(you could do 50 per template if you want, it's a bit more cumbersome that way. one tip: create your first tab use field names for the file name and the sheet number on the layout itself (do that before you start copying) to track your output. Once the layout is al set up with a viewport, title blocks, proper page setup to the plotter, etc, rename the tab xx-(1) (with whatever you want for xx) copy it to the end, select both tabs, copy them to the end, seect all four tabs, copy them etc. untill you get all 25 or 50 layout tabs. they will be numbered xx-(1) to xx-(25) (again, whatever you want for xx) the trick is to make sure you get ALL your page layout set up first before you start copying and redoing your viewports.

 

Xref one of your files into the model space and adjust all your viewports as required. If all the remaining files are the same layout, hopefully they will all line up. (they probably won't, but at least you will hae a starting place.)

 

detach your xref, then save your template.

 

 

open a new file using the template, and xref one of the the original files into the model space.

save as new name, double check all your viewport tabs, save, then use sheet set manager to organize and plot them.

 

Note, don't try to plot a huge bunch to a single PDF, you will crash for sure.

 

 

( I did something similer earlier this year for about 200 files with about 1 to 30 layouts each)

 

+1

 

 

I was going to suggest something similar since the need to plot these again will probably come up, may as well set it up and be ready.

[steven-g]

If you have 100 separate files that are the same general layout, then do this.

+1

Chilidawg your Kung Fu is strong. I like that, thinking out of the box

[RobDraw]

Set up a template with 25 viewports for the first 50 cross sections.

set up another template with 25 viewports for the second 25 cross sections.

 

His figures don't quite add up but the method is good.

[Suresh968]

Anyway, I've plotted all drawings manually. It cost me a night but today I've found Dream ( though it's in Korean:( )which is absolutely free. It has so many tools including batch plotting from model space too. Anyone can Download it from here http://autoc.tistory.com/305. Thanks guys, for your support too.

[steven-g]

Well done, I hope you don't have problems like that too often.

[maratovich]

It has so many tools including batch plotting from model space too.

Give the file to test

[Suresh968]

Well done, I hope you don't have problems like that too often.

 

yeah, It came suddenly. But I'm prepared for the next one

 

Give the file to test

 

I'm still trying; it's in Korean. Even hard to guess.

I've found something similar that worked for me at http://www.cadstudio.cz/freeware (PlotDWGarr + LayDWGarr)