Plotting with Viewport Filled

[Anonymous]

I am curious what would cause my viewport to print as if it is filled with solid hatch?  I haven't changed any settings for the viewport and even recreated it from scratch.  In my print preview it shows it will print as it looks on the screen, however when it actually prints, it's filled in solid.

[tcorey]

Kris, can you give more details?

Plotting to what type of printer, or is it to PDF?

What version of AutoCAD Civil 3D?

Do you have all the latest service packs/updates for your version? There have in the past been issues that have been resolved with service packs.

[Anonymous]

Hi Tim.  Thank you for your response.

I am using Civil 3D 2013.  The viewports on my other layouts in the same drawing file print fine for me.  It's just this one sheet and that one viewport.  I even tried to recreate the viewport after deleting the first one thinking I may have inadvertently done something when I first created it.

I have tried to print to our Xerox 6204 Large Format Plotter (default plotter) and also to PDF and both options display a solid black filled viewport.  

I am up to date as far as I know.  I would think I might experience this on all viewports if it was an update error.  The drawing in the viewport is a simple line drawing with some hatch and no raster imagery.

Thank you again for your reply.  🙂

[AllenJessup]

It sounds like a scale problem. Possibly PSLTScale set to 1 is causing a hatch to be too dense.If there is an error in the VP scale I've seen the Civil annotations become so huge that it looks like the VP is filled.

Is it possible to copy a VP from a layout that works to the layout you're having problems with and recenter it to the MS area for that layout?

Allen

[Anonymous]

Hi Allen.  I just tried your suggestion of copying another viewport that is printing correctly and I also changed the PSLTscale to 0 with no luck on either.  This is highly frustrating.  My coworker did change the space and put in on my paperspace to be able to print it but I really don't want to use that work around.  I'd rather figure out what it causing this. I'm going to try a brand new blank layout and new viewport and see if that works next.

[AllenJessup]

Hi, Kris. You've got something strange happening there. Just to cover all bases, I'd suggest doing an Audit or Recover. Don't know if that will help, but I tend to try that any time the software is behaving badly.

Allen

[Anonymous]

Hey Allen.  It has defnitely got me baffled.  I created the new layout and a brand new viewport and still get the same thing.  Then I opened a brand new drawing and put that particular detail in a new viewport on that sheet and it worked.  I guess I'll just have to keep my detail sheet by itself because obviously the way it's set up now had spoiled my changes of making it work in the same file with the other layouts.  

I'd still like to figure it out.  I attached the new layout and viewport view because this time, it's got little white spots showing where as the other was a solid black.  I would think that would be something to do with scale too but I've set all of that back to the default settings.

[AllenJessup]

OK Kris, you may have given me a clue. Is your model space drawing in Meters or Feet and your detail in Millimeters or Inches? Drawing the detail in those units may cause the Civil or Annotation labels to become huge and fill the viewport. If that's the case. You've done the correct thing by moving the detail to a new drawing. Another option would be to draw the detail in paperspace where the units will be millimeters or inches.

Allen

[Anonymous]

Allen, this detail is a section of the site plan so it's drawn the same as the plan view which is drawn in feet.  Crazy, huh?  I think I've stumped you about as much as I've stumped myself.  Lol!

[AllenJessup]

Yes. Has me stumped. Let us know if you find out what happened.

Allen

[Anonymous]

I will for sure.  May be beneficial to someone else in the future.  Let me know if you have some ephiphany in the future too.  

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, and thanks for all of your help and ideas. 🙂

[AllenJessup]

No problem. If thought occurs will let you know.

Allen

[jbowenUSC]

Kris,

I know this is an old thread. And you may have already found a solution, but this may offer a solution to future readers. Your viewport will display objects with transparency by defualt. However; Raster images with transparency and some hatches with transparency will print as solids by defualt. To enable transparency printing, you must click the butting with a right arrow in the bottom right hand of the plot window and check the box labeled "Plot trancparency" Hope that helps. Thanks. ~ Josh.