Batchplot

[Globey]

Esteemed AUGI Colleagues....

Anyone use batch plotting? I have a crapload of electrical 11x17's to print out, and I figured I would give it a shot.

[REMTOTT]

If you have access to the sheet set manager "_SheetSet" at command prompt (I believe came in 2008) there is a wizard (enter "NewSheetSet" at the command prompt )that will walk you thru building a sheet set and greatly improves the plotting process. In the manager there is a "publish" icon at the top that automatically publishes to the page set up requirements.

[Globey]

Got it. Thanks for the info!

[rkmcswain]

I'm a huge advocate for SSM as well, but it should be pointed out that you do not have to use SSM in order to use PUBLISH.

The important thing is to make sure your sheets are "ready to plot" - meaning that the page setup is correct

[Globey]

I'm a huge advocate for SSM as well, but it should be pointed out that you do not have to use SSM in order to use PUBLISH.

The important thing is to make sure your sheets are "ready to plot" - meaning that the page setup is correct
This is the first time I worked with it. Normally I never do any type of batch plotting. I knew AutoCAD had that capability, but I never had any need until now to actually use it.
Very easy to use, but yes, you have to make sure your page set ups are the way you want them and uniform throughout the sheets.

[REMTOTT]

"ready to plot" is for certain in SSM and Publish. However in the Publish dialog you have the opportunity to import any page set up from the pull down list under the "Page Set/ 3d DWF" column.
Nice utility!

[rkmcswain]

....However in the Publish dialog you have the opportunity to import any page set up from the pull down list under the "Page Set/ 3d DWF" column.
Nice utility!

You can do the same thing when publishing from SSM, either in the Publish dialog, or using a page setup override.

[Globey]

You can do the same thing when publishing from SSM, either in the Publish dialog, or using a page setup override.
I know it's my fault for not delving into it further, but when I create a sheet set, it doesn't plot the drawings in any type of numerical order. I know it must be something simple I'm skipping, but I often found myself organizing sheets after they have plotted. Or even sometimes a drawing would be part of a sheet set, with the page set up just like the rest, but It still wouldn't plot.
Regardless, this was the first time I had to plot out 100's of drawings at once. it still turned the job around very expediently and I will definitely be using more often.

[Lemons]

I know it's my fault for not delving into it further, but when I create a sheet set, it doesn't plot the drawings in any type of numerical order. I know it must be something simple I'm skipping, but I often found myself organizing sheets after they have plotted. Or even sometimes a drawing would be part of a sheet set, with the page set up just like the rest, but It still wouldn't plot.
Regardless, this was the first time I had to plot out 100's of drawings at once. it still turned the job around very expediently and I will definitely be using more often.
Be sure you check that all your sheets printed and printed correctly. I've had squirrely things go on with publish from time to time... though for the most part it Rocks!

Oh, wait, did you use Publish? I've never created sheet sets/used the SSM, so I don't know if this is different than publishing...

[Globey]

Be sure you check that all your sheets printed and printed correctly. I've had squirrely things go on with publish from time to time... though for the most part it Rocks!

Oh, wait, did you use Publish? I've never created sheet sets/used the SSM, so I don't know if this is different than publishing...
I did publish them to the plotter, or in this case, 11x17 printer. I loved the way it worked, the only downside was doing a subsection at a time so I can put them in proper order later.

One other quirk I found was that even though every drawing was accounted for in the sheet set, on a rare occasion it did skip by a drawing.
What I did to allieviate that was to highlight the list which is shown in the mgr, then hit publish, all drawings plotted out at that point.

[mburke.54112]

I've never liked the Publish command for multiple PDFs. Never could get it to plot as individual PDF files (even when set to "single file"). Stumbled across this post and used the Publish command through SSM - and it FINALLY WORKED!!!
I was able to publish 13 dwgs to seperate PDF files in the folder I told it to.
The trick for me is not to use the Publish commend staight from the command line, but to access it through SSM. It's an extra step setting up a sheet set, but well worth it.

[michael.viall919828]

I have started creating sheet sets for projects to print out full size to our printer, half size to our printer and to pdfs. The potential problem I can see happening is that by habit everyone here typically prints from model space. When you change the plot style table it asks if you want to "assign this plot style table to all layouts". If you click yes, then it changes that setting throughout all of the layout tabs. Is there a way to lock the settings within the layout tabs so if a different user prints from model space it won't change all of the settings?