Normal Plot Style

[jcronburg]

AutoCAD - Why does the Normal plot style plot in color? Black seems to make a lot more sense. Almost everyone in Architecture uses black prints most frequently so that should be the default. And you can't adjust Normal to all black. So what was AutoDesk's reasoning?

Thanks,

Jim Cronburg

[dmfrazier]

Perhaps they were trying to help out the printer industry by promoting color printing (?).

The word "normal", like the word "standard", can mean different things to different people.  If we draw in color, wouldn't it be logical for "normal" to mean plot the colors of the objects?

Do you not have access to a "monochrome" plot style?  Could this be set up as the default, or saved as "Normal"?

[jggerth1]

AEC,, with Architecture as a subset,  is not the sum total of AutoCAD users -- one persons idea of what's normal can be widly different from another persons.  sicne they had to start somewhere, they did.

It's up to you to define what you want to see for output, sticking with the initial OOTB is pretty restrictive, and would limit you to the lowest common deniminatior -- not a good position to be in for a business.

[pendean]

AutoCAD is about users taking control and ownership. It's tough for a noob or inexprienced user/manager until they become power users and managers then you get it. It's all up to you, and all about you: not anyone one else.

If you want a closed CAD system where the program creator tells you what you can and cannot do you might want to look elsewhere.

Are you up to the challenge of 'owning' your AutoCAD output fully?

[drjohn]

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@jcronburg wrote:

AutoCAD - Why does the Normal plot style plot in color? Black seems to make a lot more sense. Almost everyone in Architecture uses black prints most frequently so that should be the default. And you can't adjust Normal to all black. So what was AutoDesk's reasoning?

Thanks,

Jim Cronburg

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Aside from all the lectures, you might want to set up plotstyles so that you don't have to mess with it anymore.

I print in both color and B/W and I am in the mechanical field.

I set up my plot styles like this:

PLOTSTYLE 1 = monochrome CTB, 17 x 22, Extents, laser printer

PLOTSTYLE 2 = color CTB, 8 1/2 x 11, Extents, Fit to Paper, HP Designjet 500

etc ....

etc...

The PLOTSTYLE names are arbitrary (you can name them anything you want when you create them).

BTW ... did you notice the little arrow in a circle in the lower right corner of the plot dialog?  It opens so you can select diff CTB files and other options.  Check it out.

HTH

Regards,

DJ

PS: You an set any of the plotstyles as default so you won't ever have to deal with it again.

DJ

[dmfrazier]

"Aside from all the lectures..."

I could be wrong (nothing new), but I took the OP's question as a "rhetorical" one, more of a gripe than a request for technical assistance.  These kinds of questions are practically an invitation for "lectures", don't you think?.

[drjohn]

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@dmfrazier wrote:

"Aside from all the lectures..."

I could be wrong (nothing new), but I took the OP's question as a "rhetorical" one, more of a gripe than a request for technical assistance.  These kinds of questions are practically an invitation for "lectures", don't you think?.

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Your point is well taken, however, my way is to take them at face value.  I saw a bit of a vent but thought I would err on the conservative side and help him out in case he really needed it. He may not even see the reply since, as you pointed out, his vent was directed at AD. 

My comment was unnecessary, I agree. Sorry.

Regards,

DJ

[pendean]

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@DrJohn wrote:

PS: You an set any of the plotstyles as default so you won't ever have to deal with it again.

DJ

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Not true: that only applies to new drawings, not exisitng or vendor/client "existing" files. Named  page setups in Template files come into play for these other cases.

[pendean]

A pratical response for sure, but the OP still reads like a general query.

[drjohn]

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@pendean wrote:

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@DrJohn wrote:

PS: You an set any of the plotstyles as default so you won't ever have to deal with it again.

DJ

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Not true: that only applies to new drawings, not exisitng or vendor/client "existing" files. Named  page setups in Template files come into play for these other cases.

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Agreed ... I was just thinking new.   My mistake.  Thanx

DJ

[jcronburg]

All:

Thanks for the quick and cogent responses. My main interest was AutoDesk's reasoning for Normal using color for the standard. I think the most likely explanation is as some of you say color is the normal way of the world and "they had to start somewhere". I did not think of the responses as 'lecturing' but as useful points of view. I had already set up my Templates to solve the problem.

I was at MIT when Surtherland developed CAD there. We architectural students were quite skeptical (were we wrong!). But of course his system was in black as were the mainframe applications over the next many years. Having used AutoCAD since the late 1980's, after AutoDesk was founded in 1982, I do know back then black was the only model available (a la the early Ford).

Thanks again,

Jim Cronburg