THICK JAGGED TEXT

[rkingery]

Hello,

It seems like I've tried everything and still my text in model space is sometimes jagged looking and prints too heavy. My dimension strings also show the text this way. The usual suspect of a z-coordinate doesn't seem to cure the problem. However, I discovered that if I use chspace on a piece of text to bring it into paper space and then type zero into the z-coordinate my problem is cured until I chspace the text back into model space. Also, I can import everything into a fresh drawing and cure the problem temporarily - a few days or so. Curiously I can also import the old viewport and have the new viewport show the text cleanly and the old one show it jagged in the same paper space (as far as I can tell both viewports have the same properties). But, I'm not able to see what causes the text to revert back to the jagged form. Any ideas?

[SRBalliet]

Can you post a dwg so we can try to recreate the problem and then look for a solution?

[Capt. Computer Crasher]

Hello,

It seems like I've tried everything and still my text in model space is sometimes jagged looking and prints too heavy. My dimension strings also show the text this way. The usual suspect of a z-coordinate doesn't seem to cure the problem. However, I discovered that if I use chspace on a piece of text to bring it into paper space and then type zero into the z-coordinate my problem is cured until I chspace the text back into model space. Also, I can import everything into a fresh drawing and cure the problem temporarily - a few days or so. Curiously I can also import the old viewport and have the new viewport show the text cleanly and the old one show it jagged in the same paper space (as far as I can tell both viewports have the same properties). But, I'm not able to see what causes the text to revert back to the jagged form. Any ideas?

Look at your lineweight settings for that layer and the object itself.

[rkingery]

Can you post a dwg so we can try to recreate the problem and then look for a solution?

Here you go. And thanks for taking a look!

[jaberwok]

I don't know what the cause is but removing viewport overrides makes it go away.

[rkingery]

I don't know what the cause is but removing viewport overrides makes it go away.


Hmm... I was unable to get the same response.

[SRBalliet]

Sorry, I can't duplicate your problem on my computer. Are you using a plain vanilla AutoCAD or a Vertical? What Version (2006, 2008, etc.)?

[tedg]

Sorry, I can't duplicate your problem on my computer. Are you using a plain vanilla AutoCAD or a Vertical? What Version (2006, 2008, etc.)?
I would imagine it's atleast 2007, 'cause I'm in 2006 and I had to covert it down from "Acad 2007 format" to 2004 to even open it.

...and everything appeared normal to me, I couldn't duplicate the problem as described.

~shrug~

[scott.wilcox]

All text looked normal in the download. Perhaps it has something to do with the font you are using.

Not all Arials are created equal.

[rkingery]

The problem appears for me in vanilla autocad 2008, civil 3d 2008, and autocad architecture 2008.
I've tried changing fonts with no success. It's interesting that in model space everything looks and prints correctly. The problem seems to be with the viewport on the right. Its a mystery.

[SRBalliet]

The problem appears for me in vanilla autocad 2008, civil 3d 2008, and autocad architecture 2008.
I've tried changing fonts with no success. It's interesting that in model space everything looks and prints correctly. The problem seems to be with the viewport on the right. Its a mystery.

I'm using C3D 2008 also, but again saw nothing different in the two VP or Model space.

[dajohud]

The text looks fine here, in both C3D & C3D LDT companion, 2008. Looking like a personal glitch. Love a mystery though...be sure & post the solution when you find it.

[Capt. Computer Crasher]

All text looked normal in the download. Perhaps it has something to do with the font you are using.

Not all Arials are created equal.

I agree all text looked normal to me as well.

[rkingery]

I found the issue. It has to do with a z-coordinate in the "TARGET" sysvar which is controlled by DVIEW. DVIEW is not my preffered way of working so I'm not very familiar with its functions. Going through the process described here cured my issue:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2880566&linkID=9240617

Thanks everyone for looking at this!

[andreas.115503]

I found the issue. It has to do with a z-coordinate in the "TARGET" sysvar which is controlled by DVIEW. DVIEW is not my preffered way of working so I'm not very familiar with its functions. Going through the process described here cured my issue:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2880566&linkID=9240617

Thanks everyone for looking at this!

Thanks. This worked for me. I've come across this problem numerous times and in very rare case "magically" cured it, but never knew what I had done to fix it. Wrong DVIEW settings makes a lot of sense.

[Ewen]

Going through the process described here cured my issue:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=2880566&linkID=9240617


Of course AutoDesk has broken that link. Can you remember any search keywords I could use to find the article?

[edit] Nevermind - found it - http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=2880566&linkID=9240617

Note the subtle URL breakage .../id/...

[rkingery]

Here is a link that delineates the same solution to a slightly different problem. The steps involved in the "cure" are exactly the same though:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?linkID=9240817&id=2880566&siteID=123112

Good Luck!

[Ewen]

Thanks @rkingery - the updated link that AutoDesk have obfuscated with "/dl" as per my edit pointed to an identical article.

cheers for the update. I may have to suggest the AUGI forum trawls their links to post updated links alongside the ones the ADSK webmasters recently broke. Must have been the same dept that implemented their new forum.

[Ewen]

I'm still getting this problem, even after going through the DVIEW process. Interestingly, it is with single-line text in a rotated (90 deg) block. Multiline text and attributes in the same font and size render fine - only the single-line text renders jaggedly. If I edit the block in-place and convert the single line text to multiline then the text renders ok.

Weird.

[jaberwok]

I'm still getting this problem, even after going through the DVIEW process. Interestingly, it is with single-line text in a rotated (90 deg) block. Multiline text and attributes in the same font and size render fine - only the single-line text renders jaggedly. If I edit the block in-place and convert the single line text to multiline then the text renders ok.

Weird.

Can you post a sample?
There are so many possibilities, most of which you have probably already tried.

[JGA_o1]

Can you check that your view is in plan & not slightly askew in 3d space?
Although this will ruin your layout in the viewport, change the UCS to world, then set Plan to world co-ords as well.

Hope it helps.

[Ewen]

Here is an excerpt of one example. This one has a known issue - the block on the left is rotated 90 degrees. Notice how the text is jaggy but the attributes are fine. The block on the right has been exploded and reblocked as a new block.

I'll post any other examples I find with different problems. It's kinda hard to remember which drawing was broken in what manner.

I'm interested to hear your theories.

[Ewen]

Fixed.

LISP code ...


(COMMAND "._dview" "ALL" "" "points" "0,0,0" "0,0,1" "exit" ) (princ)

sans-LISP it's the DVIEW command - just type everything in the quotes.

Do NOT (as I did) go on to use Zoom previous a couple of times to return to the view the user started with. It undoes the DVIEW command. :roll:

[jaberwok]

or it could be run as a script -


dview
ALL

points
0,0,0
0,0,1
exit

[JGA_o1]

jaberwok, thanks for the script - very handy.

[robwarner]

We have been experiencing "fat text" for several years now, and have tried various work arounds. Sometimes flattening Z-elevation to zero works, sometimes not.

Latest experience was with model views in layout space where the view was rotated 90-degrees using MVSETUP rotate. Never had the issue before, but this particular drawing decided to act up. The DVIEW procedure outlined above worked to fix the issue, but in so doing destroyed the view; basically it acted as a zoom extents and re-oriented to the UCS.

Panning back to the intended view and re-scaling, and then using MVSETUP to re-rotate caused the "fat text" to come back. However, by first rotating with MVSETUP and then panning and re-scaling the "fat text" did NOT reappear. Go figure!