Fully 3d in AutoCAD - Plotting and other issues.

[mdhutchinson]

We have for a long time now done fully 3d drawings. We use all of AutoCAD MEP functionality as well as 3d party add-ons that are fully 3d. In many instances we need to plot with viewports set to Hidden. (uses most often use... on Layout Tab, Select the viewport, right click select Shade Plot > Hidden.)

We have had issues primarily with hide plotting. The issues include.

1. Line weights drops to LWDefault variable.
2. CTB file gets ignored in all respects, including line weight and color.
3. Layer based Linewieght settings get ignored. 
4. Style based line weight settings are not honored.
5. Text in model space using TrueType fonts get hollowed out (even if TEXTFILL is set to 1).
6. The fill in wide polylines, 2d Solids and Solid filled hatches in model space drops leaving only the boundaries. (even if FILLMODE = 1).

Consequently we don't use wide polylines, but use CTB file to control lineweight... but this a problem when hide plotting is done.

We also do not use TrueType fonts, although we wish we could.

Has anyone addressed these issues... or how do you get around them?

One point I would like to make, I posted to Autodesk support about DimStyle based linewieghts getting ignored when hide plot is done. They agreed it is a problem and say they 'had' this on there list to get fixed in an upcoming release, however that's been several releases ago now... and it is still a problem.

I am wondering if there is not another approach we could take to work around, at the least the lineweight issue and still have hidden plots?

Any discussion? 

[dgorsman]

This may be an issue specific to AutoCAD MEP and/or MEP objects.  We use AutoCAD 3D objects and a selection of custom DBX objects from third-party software.  When the viewport is set to HIDDEN/Legacy hidden (not 3D hidden), PLOTTING respects color->line weight, and lineweight (if CTB is set to "use object lineweight), and STB style settings.  When using Hidden (from the Properties palette) or 3D Hidden from the context menu we do see it ignore all settings like you describe.  The latter is using the Visual Styles setting, more of a rendered view than a flattened view as expected.  You might have some results tweaking settings inside the Visual Styles Manager palette.

TTF text, well yes... but thats trying to "hide" text - not exactly an operation thats expected by Windows.  SHX gets away with it as its explicitly implemented by AutoCAD.  In virtually all cases, its far easier for us to put text and dimensions in the layout rather than model space when we have to plot viewports hidden - too many problems getting the text at the right elevation, orientation, and so on.