Autocad Screen Color Palette Manipulation - RGB Values

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know if there is a way in Autocad
2000i to manipulate the RGB values that autocad
uses for its 255 screen colors?

For example, autocad color #18 is a very dark
color that you can hardly see when using a black
background. Is there a way to adjust the RGB values
for autocad color #18 so that it could be made
to show up as a lighter hue so that it could be
more easily seen on a black background, it would
still be color #18 but it just would look a different
hue on the screen.

Years ago there was a product called Soft-Engine
by Vibrant Graphics that sold a display list driver
that would allow you to do just what I'm asking,
but I don't think they exist anymore or if they do
I don't think they have a product that works with
Autocad 2000.

This was an awesome feature with the Soft-Engine
product and we purchased it specifically for that
feature.

So, I know it can be done. But how to do it
without the Soft-Engine product.

Without the ability to manipulate autocad colors
RGB values, you lose the use of many colors from
the 255 color palette because you just can't see
them on the screen with a black background.

The only other solution is to change the background
color to white or light grey, but after working all
day with a bright colored background my eyes hurt,
just to much constant brightness.

Does anyone know how to do what I'm asking or
know of a 3rd party product that will?

[Anonymous]

I have the same need. Acad14 had the ability to
Adjust Custom Colors in the Windows Color palette, but the other 240 colors were
locked. And there's not a lot of real variety among the higher numbered colors.

I had a driver for Acad12 with a customizing
utility enabled by calling 'dldcolor'. No such system exists using the current
Windows Colors using my Oxygen Card.

Keep looking, I will too.

-doug

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"maguire" <
href="mailto:kbmaguire@mindspring.com">kbmaguire@mindspring.com> wrote
in message
href="news:f08e7e3.-1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb">news:f08e7e3.-1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...

Does
anyone know if there is a way in Autocad
2000i to manipulate the RGB
values that autocad
uses for its 255 screen colors?

For example, autocad color #18 is a very dark
color that you can hardly
see when using a black
background. Is there a way to adjust the RGB values

for autocad color #18 so that it could be made
to show up as a lighter
hue so that it could be
more easily seen on a black background, it would

still be color #18 but it just would look a different
hue on the
screen.

Years ago there was a product called Soft-Engine
by Vibrant Graphics
that sold a display list driver
that would allow you to do just what I'm
asking,
but I don't think they exist anymore or if they do
I don't
think they have a product that works with
Autocad 2000.

This was an awesome feature with the Soft-Engine
product and we
purchased it specifically for that
feature.

So, I know it can be done. But how to do it
without the Soft-Engine
product.

Without the ability to manipulate autocad colors
RGB values, you lose
the use of many colors from
the 255 color palette because you just can't
see
them on the screen with a black background.

The only other solution is to change the background
color to white or
light grey, but after working all
day with a bright colored background my
eyes hurt,
just to much constant brightness.

Does anyone know how to do what I'm asking or
know of a 3rd party
product that will?

[Anonymous]

As a workaround with CTB drawings, set up a layout viewport to show the
colors the way you want. Use a viewport that fits the screen, and pick
Display plot styles. Use the ACAD.CTB plot style table and edit it to show
color substitutions you want. Go down to the end of the color list to True
Color to adjust the RGB values for any of the 256 ACAD colors. Put the
layout in your templates for new drawings, but you will have to bring it in
to existing drawings.

--
Tim Skene

PRO Menu - The Productivity Toolbox for AutoCAD
www.multicim.com/pmenu.html

[Anonymous]

Forgot to mention: if your monitor refresh rate is 85Hz or more and you keep
the screen brightness not too high, you should be able to work without
problems on a light background. It doesn't seem to bother me at all. When
working with shaded solids you need a grey or midrange background to see
them, because the shaded faces range from white to black.

--
Tim Skene

PRO Menu - The Productivity Toolbox for AutoCAD
www.multicim.com/pmenu.html

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your suggestions, Tim.
I looked for adjustability in a ctb profile, but found none.

I bet there are only 64 truly discrete colors in Acad's 255-color palette.

Here are a few examples of duplicated colors.
105=115=125=135=145=155=165
25=35=45=55=65=75=85

Does anyone see more variation than I do? I'm set for 32-bit 'True Color' on my
Hitachi CM751 19" screen, using an Oxygen VX1 card.

Here's why I need 'infinite' adjustability:
I'm trying to match Acad colors to specific yarn colors for accurately
displaying the colors of a 'pictorial' knitting pattern. If you want to see what
I'm describing, go to our website at
www.sweaterscapes.com/nf.htm
That's a sample of one colorful design that require realistic color rendition.
The design for that sweater was done years ago with Acad12 and a display-list
driver.
Now I'm using A2k, and have lost my adjustablility.

Any other ideas?
-doug



"Tim Skene" wrote in message
news:43B7301EF54CE3CD9E75D3377B8D6405@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Forgot to mention: if your monitor refresh rate is 85Hz or more and you keep
> the screen brightness not too high, you should be able to work without
> problems on a light background. It doesn't seem to bother me at all. When
> working with shaded solids you need a grey or midrange background to see
> them, because the shaded faces range from white to black.
>
> --
> Tim Skene
>
> PRO Menu - The Productivity Toolbox for AutoCAD
> www.multicim.com/pmenu.html
>
>

[Anonymous]

You said CTB so I assume the drawings use color based plot styles (CTB) What
you need to do is adjust the plotted color for each drawing color. You can
display the plotted color as you work with
these steps:

- show the drawing in a layout (paper space) vport
- In page setup, in the Plot Device tab select acad.ctb in the Plot Style
table list
- Pick the Edit button
- In either Form View or Table view, pick a color from 1 to 255
- The first item to edit for each color is: color
- Click color, and a drop down list of colors appears
- Scroll to the bottom of the list and pick True Color
- Set the RGB or HSV values for that drawing color in the True Color dialog
- Repeat for each color you want to change
- When done save the edited table with a new name
- Check "display plot styles" in the page setup plot device tab
- Regenerate in model space

Model space drawing objects should display in the new color settings
Once made, the plot style table can be used in any drawing layout

If this doesn't work, I have failed...

I looked at the sweaters - very cool.


--
Tim Skene

PRO Menu - The Productivity Toolbox for AutoCAD
www.multicim.com/pmenu.html