Pulling in the
Plotting purse strings - Part 2
Saving time and money is possible
with Plotting.
We continue to look at the options available to you for reducing
the time spent plotting this month.
Eliminate routine steps through
automation.
This may be as simple as creating
Plot Scripts or using Script Pro.
Scripts have been around since the
earliest days of AutoCAD as a way to add functionality through
simple files that automatically run once they are started.
A script is a
text file with one command on each line.
You can run a
script during a session by using the SCRIPT command.
The
BACKGROUNDPLOT system variable must be set to 0 before a script
can plot multiple jobs.
You create
script files outside the program using a text editor (such as
Notepad) or a word processor (such as Microsoft Word) that can
save the file in ASCII format. The file extension must be .scr.
Each line of
the script file contains a command. Each blank space in a script
file is significant because SPACEBAR is accepted as a command.
You must be very familiar with the sequence of prompts to
provide an appropriate sequence of responses in the script file.
A script can
execute any command at the Command prompt except a command that
displays a dialog box. Command line versions are provided for
many dialog box commands.
Script files
can contain comments. Any line that begins with a semicolon (;)
is considered a comment, and it is ignored while the script file
is being processed. The last line of the file must be blank.
You just create
a file containing the commands as if you were typing them on the
command line.
Here are the
questions you need to answer if you were going to automate
plotting via script file at the command line in 2006:
Command: -plot
Detailed plot configuration? [Yes/No] <No>:y
Enter a layout name or [?] <Model>: Layout1
Regenerating model - caching viewports.
Enter an output device name or [?] <None>: Adobe PDF
Enter paper size or [?] <Letter>:
Enter paper units [Inches/Millimeters] <Inches>:
Enter drawing orientation [Portrait/Landscape] <Landscape>:
Plot upside down? [Yes/No] <No>:
Enter plot area [Display/Extents/Layout/View/Window] <Layout>:
Enter plot scale (Plotted Inches=Drawing Units) or [Fit] <1:1>:
Enter plot offset (x,y) <0.00,0.00>:
Plot with plot styles? [Yes/No] <Yes>:
Enter plot style table name or [?] (enter . for none) <>:
Plot with lineweights? [Yes/No] <Yes>:
Scale lineweights with plot scale? [Yes/No] <No>:
Plot paper space first? [Yes/No] <No>:
Hide paperspace objects? [Yes/No] <No>:
Write the plot to a file [Yes/No] <N>:
Save changes to page setup [Yes/No]? <N>
Proceed with plot [Yes/No] <Y>:
So my script
file would contain the following lines:
=====
-plot
y
Layout1
Adobe PDF
Letter
Inches
Landscape
No
Layout
1:1
0.00,0.00
Yes
.
Yes
No
No
No
N
N
Y
======
Notice the last
line is blank. I could have left each line empty for
hitting return to accept the defaults. I like to type
everything in just in case someone has saved a default setting
that I do not want to use.
Once you have
created the file save it as a .scr file. So I would save
my file as PDF.scr.
When you want
to create the plot just type SCRIPT and enter or select the file
you just created.
You may have to
fiddle with your file to get it right, but once you are done,
you can create plots quickly using the script.
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