×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

How to have both office-wide and project-specific PC3 FIles?

How to have both office-wide and project-specific PC3 FIles?

How to have both office-wide and project-specific PC3 FIles?

(OP)
Many of our projects have custom or client-specific PC3 & CTB files.  We also have standard files we share office-wide and want to keep everyone current on.

So, what has happened is we have 100s (literally) of PC3 & CTB files in our shared directories--our standards and all the project specific ones.  Given the poor interface in the plotting dialogue box, scrolling through those to find a given configuration is unwieldy at best.

I had originally hoped that the "AutoCAD library search path" (specified directory, current directory, drawing directory, etc.) would apply to the "Printer Configuration Search Path" and the "Plot Style Table Search Path."  That would have allowed the project specific files to be in the project's drawing directory, which would neatly solve the problem.  After some experiments and scrutinizing the manual, it seems this is not the case, and ACAD isn't smart enough to look at more than one particular directory for PC3 and CTB files, respectively.  This seems like an odd oversight on AutoDesk's part, as they make a point of providing that project (drawing directory) specific search path for other things.

Anyone have a clever trick that would allow some PC3 and CTB files to be shared office-wide, along with other PC3 and CTB files being shard on a drawing (preferably drawing directory) specific basis?  

Thanks,
B.

RE: How to have both office-wide and project-specific PC3 FIles?

Here's how we handle it at our company.  Our plotter setting are on the server.  We created an "Alternative CTB" folder in the directory one level above "Plot Styles" (where our standard CTB files are kept).  Within the "Plot Styles" folder we have an "Others" folder.  AutoCAD reads everything below the "Plot Styles" folder so anything placed in there shows up in the Plot dialog box.  Now the procedure for using an alternative pc3...The alternative pc3 files are permanently kept in the "Alternative CTB" folder.  When a pc3 is needed, the user copies the file into the "Others" folder, procedes to print, then removes the ctb when done.  It is a quirky method, but it does work, and since we have a backup system on the server, we haven't lost a needed ctb file yet.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources