Plotting Images & FDO Connected Points

[Anonymous]

HELP!!!!!

I'm plotting a map that is supposed to show a background of either aerial imagery or the USGS topographic maps. I have points for wells from the state database that has a tabular join to an excel spreadsheet.  The well points are color coded for samping data from the spreadsheet.  I want the color-coded points with the well ID number in a plot (paper or .PDF).  

The imagery/map underlay are both MapIInserted, versus FDO Raster, but I've put them into a layer in Display Manager.

What's happening is that some of the points plot & some of the labels plot, but not all.  Also, some of the text for the labels is missing the front end of text and some is missing the tail end.

I've gone as far as trying to set the white background of the USGS quads "transparent" and plotting with transparency thinking that the points were "under" the images.  Not the case.  

I'm only getting about 40% of the points.... WHY???????  I've spent the better part of a day on this and getting extremely frustrated.  I've tried turning on/off hardware acceleration.  I'm working with a "non-compliant" graphics card - think this is the issue?

Any input greatly appreciated.

TIA!

[Anonymous]

Oh, and same thing happens in both C3D 2011 and 2012 - just haven't updated my signature as I'm not using 2012 for most of our production work.

[Anonymous]

Even more fun - when I turn off the images altogether, the FDO points are unchanged - it's something with plotting the FDO data versus FDO + Image 😞

[foxeec]

Have you tried using the Draworder command?

When i have linework/points that don't print with aerials, sometimes its as simple as selecting the points/linework and do a 'draworder' 'front'.

Lorrie

[Anonymous]

tried multiple times. 😞

Some of the points even disappear when they are the only object(s) being printed.

Right now I'm trying to update my printer driver.  I'll post if that is the cause of this mess....

[Anonymous]

I'm giving up....  my issue is demonstrated in the attached scan of a paper plot and a screenshot of my desktop.  Updating the plotter driver didn't help.  

I'm resorting to using manual blocks as this issue has now cost me over $1,200 in lost billable time.... 

Thank God I'm no longer doing tech support as an A/E and having to tell customers that I have no viable solution!

[parkr4st]

and if you put the points in a dwg without any other layers, will they print ok?  If they do, save a *.layer  and then try that layer back over the image.

dave

[Anonymous]

No joy.

Even trying to take the layer and exporting it to a new .SDF (to hardwire in the joined excel spreadsheet) had similar results when putting it into it's own drawing and using design center to copy over the layout for printing.

Thanks for the idea.

[Anonymous]

If you have "Plot Transparency" Checked in your plot dialogue, I would uncheck it and try again. 

It is usually the problem 4 out of 5 times for me when I have an issue printing.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

not sure if got the details right - if the missing objects are based on FDO : it worked occasionally in the past to increase memory available to Map/Civil, e.g. turning on the 3GB switch on 32bit WindowsOS.

Another thing - but that doesn't seem to apply here : in the past the number of fdo labels to be printed was restricted to 1000 (I think) but this could be changed by modifying a registry value.

Good luck,

Rob

[Anonymous]

@TJMapper - turning the data set on/off in Display Manger hasn't helped - the last .PDF print is about the worst.

@ro_fr - my machine is Win7 64 w/ 12GB, so the system memory shouldn't be an issue.  Also, you are correct about a limit to the number of labels - 2000 (there are blogs/discussion threads about how to increase this default setting from within the system registry).  However, this is the first I've had data points as well as portions of labels dissapear.  And my data set is only 280 points.

Can someone answer if there is any link between plotting and the graphics card?  having a "non-compliant hardware" issue is my last straw as to what's going on beyond an outright "bug"

I was able to export the stylized layer to a .SDF and then Mapimport it to different CAD layers & use dynamic annotation to get a product out the door, but....

Thanks all for your assistance!

Todd

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Todd,

I think you have mine confused with another post, but I am still 100% serious about turning off map plot transparency to see if it works.

[Anonymous]

Spoiler

just a few things which haven't been mentioned but might help:

- plotting to different format such as DWF - same problem?

- are any coordinate systems involved? Multiple coordinate systems?

- rotatet viewport?

rob

[Anonymous]

Sheer brilliance - it worked 🙂 🙂

last reply was pre-first cup of coffee 😉

at least using dynamic annotation the lables are where i want them, so not a total waste... 

Thanks Much!

[Anonymous]

by the way, the same issue with plot transparency was across both paper & pdf prints - didn't try a .dwf, but will next time, after the plot transparency solution.

Thanks for the thoughts.

[Anonymous]

I'm having similar issues with my line work not showing up on my plotted drawings with SID imagery. I've tried the above steps to try to resolve this as well as plot to PDF. I'm not very well versed in Civil (using 2012) and this is very frustrating. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!