Plotting another company's drawing

[tim_newsome]

If a sub has sent me a DWG with there font styles, shape files and plot style, what is the best method to plot after I unzip that file?

would I distribute those files to the appropriate search files that are assigned in options?

[CAtDiva]

If a sub has sent me a DWG with there font styles, shape files and plot style, what is the best method to plot after I unzip that file?

would I distribute those files to the appropriate search files that are assigned in options?

You could add that folder to your search list for the font & shape files, but I'd more likely copy them to your resource folders. The plot style has to go to your plot style folder 'cause ACAD only looks in one place for plot style tables.

[dgorsman]

If they provide a plot style, shape files, etc. then they go in the appropriate central folder for that client. The fall-through nature of the support file search path and plot style folder list lets us set up folders to search Client => Application (we run a number of different third-party programs) => core AutoCAD. Our start-up system includes client selection that sets search paths so provide the user picks the right client, AutoCAD sees the appropriate support files.

We also have a "thin lines" plot style so that we can plot anything, as it's not unusual for Document control (client or ours) to know what to do with things like CTBs and SHXs.

[rkmcswain]

The plot style has to go to your plot style folder 'cause ACAD only looks in one place for plot style tables.

Sort of true.
You can place a Windows shortcut to your "client" folder, in the normal plot style table folder, and AutoCAD will read the CTB/STB files from the "client" folder" too.

[dgorsman]

Sort of true.
You can place a Windows shortcut to your "client" folder, in the normal plot style table folder, and AutoCAD will read the CTB/STB files from the "client" folder" too.

Last couple of versions you *can* provide multiple folder locations without shortcuts. I can set them manually but not through automation in 2014; later releases fixed this.

[rkmcswain]

I can set them manually but not through automation in 2014; later releases fixed this.

Actually, you can set them through automation too, just in a different method.
You have to use:

(setenv "PrinterStyleSheetDir" .................)

;;; instead of 

(vla-put-PrinterStyleSheetPath .... ) <-- which will only accept a single path