AutoCAD 2010/2011/2012 DWG Format

[#1]

I have been using autocad for 20 years plus. I've never really had to publish anything to DWF. We have a client that wants DWF's instead of PDF's. I have a 3D model with views in paperspace within viewports. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to plot these drawings to DWF in Black and White. I have tried everything. I am using monochrome.ctb plot style. The border and all border elements are plotting B/W but everything in the viewport is plotting whatever color it is in the VP. This is driving me nuts. Never liked this DWF format. If I plot to a PDF it all comes in B/W. Makes no sense. Please help, these files need to go out in the morning.

Thank you,

CAD

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Whats the visual style assigned to the viewports?  Most of them ignore plot style settings, as they are effectively a "mini render" view.  You might want to try "Hidden" or "Legacy Hidden" (should be the same thing), rather than "3D Hidden".  Alternatively the model space contents may have TrueColor color values (specified as R,G,B values), or the layers may have viewport-specific overrides.  Both of those would also ignore plot style settings.

[#3]

There is no 3D PDF unless you bought 3rd party software to create it, are you comparing 2D PDF to 3D DWF by chance? The instructions above apply to 3D.

As a side note, what DWF viewer is your recipient using? Most current ones have a mono-viewing option I believe.

[#4]

I'm not trying to print 3D. And I'm not sure how you can do that on paper. ;+)  I am just trying to print what is on my screen within the viewport as a '3D hidden' layout. Basically an isometric, in black and white. DWF keeps plotting to color regardless of my CTB file. Which is stupid to me. But, I got it to work and print in black and white. I right clicked on the viewport, hit 'properties' made visual style '2D wireframe' and shade plot 'hidden'. DWF is now in B/W.

Thanks everybody!

CAD

[#5]

"Printing" to 3D PDF is a bit of a euphemism, really its printing to file similar to using 3D DWF, producing a 3D model viewable in free viewer software.  Me, I prefer Navisworks to either of those options.