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Autocad lt for mac plotting issues

38 REPLIES 38
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Message 1 of 39
gerrard
5182 Views, 38 Replies

Autocad lt for mac plotting issues

I am using auto cad lt for mac , when plotting there is no option to preview a plot , I have to open as a PDF to preview.
Very frustrating!
Also Is there any command to plot previous as in auto cad for windows. I appreciate any help on this.
38 REPLIES 38
Message 21 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: buckwiet99

OK, looks like AutoCAD can not read something from System printer settings.

If you have installed this printer before you install AutoCAD - try to delete printer from system and install it again.

Or, at first, try to Open PDF in Preview from Print dialog in AutoCAD (PDF button with arrow at the bottom left of dialog) and see what you will get. If it works, you can print from Preview app.

 

Maxim


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Maxim Kanaev
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Message 22 of 39
buckwiet99
in reply to: maxim_k

I went past the first msg (clicked OK) and clicked on PDF. When I clicked on view PDF in Preview, I got the attached msg. Clicking on OK i9n it did nothing: the msg stayed on the screen. I could not go back to Autocad. I had to go to another program just to be able to click Force Quit!

 

By the way, how/where/when is Autocad supposed to allow me to select what's going to be in the pdf?

 

Andy

Message 23 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: buckwiet99

Could you attach screen-shot of Application Preferences of AC LT from your system, like this one:

 

Screen shot 2012-03-31 at 23.53.35.png

 

with the same branches opened.

 

Maxim


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Maxim Kanaev
Architect
MARSS

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Message 24 of 39
buckwiet99
in reply to: maxim_k

I have twice added

/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/'Resources

under printer configuration path, but not only does it not help, after shutttng down AC and restarting it, that change is gone. Perhaps I should add one of the folders under /LibraryPrinters/'Brother (see BR.png attached), but which one and where?

Message 25 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: buckwiet99

OK,

I have managed to reproduce your error exactly (with "Force Quit" variant)

 

Screen shot 2012-04-01 at 0.42.37.png

 

In order to repair this:

1. Quit AutoCAD

2. Start Terminal.app, copy this string to clipboard:

 

defaults write com.autodesk.autocadlt "HKEY_CURRENT_USER.SOFTWARE.AUTODESK.AUTOCAD LT.R18·2.PROFILES.<<UNNAMED PROFILE>>.GENERAL.PRINTERCONFIGDIR" "/Users/ab/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/roaming/AutoCAD LT 2012/R18.2/enu/plotters"


3. Paste it in Terminal and hit Return.

4. Verify with this command:

 

defaults read com.autodesk.autocadlt "HKEY_CURRENT_USER.SOFTWARE.AUTODESK.AUTOCAD LT.R18·2.PROFILES.<<UNNAMED PROFILE>>.GENERAL.PRINTERCONFIGDIR"

 

you should get:

 

/Users/ab/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/roaming/AutoCAD LT 2012/R18.2/enu/plotters

 

5. If so - start AutoCAD and try to print or to open PDF in Preview

 

6. Let me know how it works.

 

Maxim


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Message 26 of 39
buckwiet99
in reply to: maxim_k

Success!  The odd thing is that I still get the message that I posted first, the file called ACmsg.png.  After I get it, I click okay and now in the expanded print window I get the option to print Window.  That's all I need to do, i.e. I don't have a plotter but when I get to the stage of actually plotting 24x36 prints out just take the file to be plotted.

 

So, thank you so so much!  I really appreciate it.  But I am curious: the solution seems more technical than an AutoCAD user usually is. <g>   How did you figure that out?

 

Thanks again,

Andy

Message 27 of 39
buckwiet99
in reply to: buckwiet99

One other question: this solves my problem with 2012 LT.  However, I also have 2010 full version installed under Parallels.  It can't find the driver even though I've installed it having disabled the firewall under Windows to do so.  Any clues about that?

 

Andy

Message 28 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: buckwiet99

Hi Andy,

 

About printing from AC LT for Mac: I had already seen such a case during my experience with AC for Mac (semicolon at the end of printer configuration path - the result of some corruption in AutoCAD preferences file)


About printing from Parallels: have you tried to attach your printer directly to virtual machine: if your printer connected to usb port, while virtual machine is running, click on USB icon in Parallels and select your printer to attach it to virtual machine (you have to install Windows drivers inside virtual machine for your printer and configure it)

 

Maxim


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Maxim Kanaev
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Message 29 of 39
buckwiet99
in reply to: maxim_k

Maxim,

As long as I can print from LT on the Mac I'm happy.  I may end up using the full version of 2010 in the Windows environment for some things, but can just close the file open it in LT on the Mac to print. it's not worth crawling around under the desk trying to figure out which of the dozens of wires goes where to try it directly connected if this can end up back on the network anyway.  But thanks very much for the suggestion.  And again even more so for the solution!

Andy

Message 30 of 39
biuro
in reply to: maxim_k

well my issue is even worse ;/ every time I plot to pdf (either through file->print, typing the "plot" command or pressing command+P) and use a custom paper size or just a big paper size (A2, A1, etc.) the program crashes - it seems impossible to plot any layout.

please help! 

I use a very new mac, paid 1k$ for the software and it doesn't work properly!

I use the 2012Lt

 

 

Message 31 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: biuro

Hi,

 

What System printer do you use for printing (saving to PDF) from AC LT?

Does AutoCAD crashes on small paper sizes?

 

BTW: Core 2 Duo - "very new mac" - I'm not shure.

 

Maxim


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Message 32 of 39
biuro
in reply to: maxim_k

🙂 I'm writing this from a laptop and automaticly made a print screen from the 'about this mac' - I mainly use an imac i7 2.8GHz. 835GB of free hard drive space and 4GB of ram - I use it only for drawing and design.

 

I'm not sure swhat do you mean by saying 'system printer' - if I want to create a pdf I use the pdf button in the plot dialog box. Can you tell me how to chceck it exactly? 

 

Cad crashes very randomly but definately more often on large paper sizes. But in example - after 12 crashes it plots the A2 size pdf. But it is ridiculous to work this way.

 

 

Message 33 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: biuro

What OS do you have on iMac? If it is Mountain Lion, then you have to wait for SP3 fo AutoCAD LT 2012.

 

To check current System printer, you have to go to System Preferences and open Print & Scan Pane, on the left side you will see printers, installed in your system, on the bottom right you will see Default printer, which AutoCAD uses for print to PDF.

 

Maxim

 


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Message 34 of 39
biuro
in reply to: maxim_k

I run on the osx 10.7.4

I'm attaching a print screen of my print&scan dialog.

 

Waiting for a SP3!?!?! is this the ONLY way to create pdf's from layouts? I paid for a full working product, haven't I ?

 

I'm attaching the print screen of my printer setup..

Message 35 of 39
maxim_k
in reply to: biuro

You misunderstood me, you have to wait only if your operating system is 10.8

About default printer - seems OK.

 

So my advise is:

1. Try to add another printer (plotter) to your system. You can use my instructions from this post:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-for-Mac/can-t-export-oversize-PDFs-Help/m-p/2825605#M924

then use it as default printer for AutoCAD

 

2. Try to delete and then recreate (inside AutoCAD) Custom paper sizes

3. Try to "Reset printing system" (right-click on printer name in System Prefs)

 

Maxim


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Message 36 of 39
MILESarch
in reply to: maxim_k

Hi,

 

First off, please direct me to the correct thread if there is already addressing my question.  Now the question.

 

I have a primarily a Win environment.  I recently added a Mac and ACADMAC.  We almost always print to PDF and then send the PDF files to a printer, plotter or service.  So most of our files are set with the ACADWIN DWG to PDF plotter that installs with ACADWIN.   However, since this is not available in ACADMAC, the only way I can plot is to change the plotter to a system plotter that includes the D size paper and then I can output that to PDF throught printer dialog or Batch Publish.  But then when the file is opened in WINACAD we have to set the plotter back to DWG to PDF.  PITA.  Anyway around this?  Is there any "common" setting that can be created to allow both ACADMAC and ACADWIN to work without changing one or the other?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

pbfarch

Message 37 of 39
zalant
in reply to: MILESarch

Since there simply is no true PDF printer device on the Mac, what you're already doing is probably the best possible solution.  The only other suggestions I can offer would be to:

 

A) Copy the layout tab, and somehow label it so that the Mac users know it's for them to use.  This isn't anywhere near a perfect solution, of course, because any work done (in paper space) only happens on one layout tab, and not on the other.  But, if you're only really "working" in model space, and the layout content (title block, etc.) is fairly static, it wouldn't be too bad.

 

or 

 

B) Set the layout to plot with whichever device makes it less work for the other users to change when they get the drawing back to their side of the world.  For example, say you set the plotting device in AutoCAD for Mac.  When the Windows users go to plot to PDF, have them be sure not to click the button 'Apply to layout' prior to plotting.  They'll still get PDF output, but the layout will remain configured for the device that was last used on the Mac.

 

or 

 

C) For a sort of left-field kind of solution, have the Windows users create parent drawings into which the "real" drawing files are externally referenced.  When the Windows users need to do work on the drawings, they'd open the parent DWG and then start a REFEDIT session to directly make changes to the XREF drawings.  When the Windows users wish to plot, they'd exit the REFEDIT session (saving changes) and then go through and plot to PDF.  The PDF plotting device could be left assigned to the parent drawing file, and the Mac users could just continue to open the "real" drawings directly, and never have to worry about switching plotting devices.



Zac Travis
Message 38 of 39
MILESarch
in reply to: zalant

Thank you for the quick respose Travis.  

 

Option A does not work for us as we display "real world" objects in model space and all annotations and non "real world" objects (text, references, dimensions, titleblock, etc.) in paper space.  So multiple tabs would be twice the amount of work.

 

Option C seems like a lot of work as well just to accommodate a single Mac user and not "typical" of industry standard way of setting up drawings in CAD.

 

Option B appears to be the least of the evils but again, not seemless and prone to error.

 

We need a seemless option that will allow both platforms to coexist and share files.  Right now my option for this user is to:

 

1) not allow them to plot but only edit drawings,

 

2) work on projects that he can do alone without collaboration with others in the office, or

 

3) have him use ACADWIN under Parallels with no compatibility issues.  

 

Option 3 is the only real solution.  Which is sad because ACADMAC won't gain momentum if it cannot be used in a mixed platform environment seemlessly.  For my office, plotting compatibility between platforms is a deal breaker.

 

I applaud AutoDesk for coming back to the MAC platform.  However, they had better take a lesson from Quicken Mac.  If their solution is not equal to or better and certainly not compatible with the Win world, MAC users will abandon and move away from the product.  Especially in a business environment.  We are here make a living and hopefully a profit.  Thus we must be efficient and the incompatibility of plotting solutions is cetainly not efficient. 

 

Thank you again for taking the time to repond.  I appreciate it.

 

pbfarch

Message 39 of 39
MILESarch
in reply to: MILESarch

I have found a work around for this.

 

We have created different plot configuration for the MAC in each drawing.  This includes a typical printer available on the MAC and the custom paper size created.  Then when we batch plot to PDF on the MAC the dialog box allows the selection of the plot configuration.  We choose the one for the MAC for each and it outputs the PDF without issue.  Not ideal, but it works with minimal fuss.

 

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