Autodesk Technology Managers Forum
Share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage with fellow CAD/BIM Managers.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Plotting C3D drawings faster?

10 REPLIES 10
Reply
Message 1 of 11
Hammer.john.j
710 Views, 10 Replies

Plotting C3D drawings faster?

So it's obvious that plotting through civil 3d is slower than potting with map.  Has anybody attempted to plot there civil 3d drawings via another version of autodesk such as map to expedite the plotting process whereby you'd expedite by loading proxy's instead of actual editable objects?

 

I'm kind of tired of the slow plotting process and time consuming aspects of loading civil 3d content to "plot".

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
10 REPLIES 10
Message 2 of 11
pendean
in reply to: Hammer.john.j

Plotting to what?
Using which driver?
method of connection to plotter?
do you use a custom PC3 file?
Message 3 of 11
Hammer.john.j
in reply to: pendean

"Plotting to what?"

Plot files - via Civil 3D 2012 - sheetset manager to an hp1050c.pc3 file, stored locally (in this instance) on my workstation, to a plot files on a network location over cat 6 network.

 

same performance results from output to pdf with dwg to pdf.pc3 stored on c drive locally, fyi.


"Using which driver?"

hp1050c.pc3 with a DesignJet 650C C2859B driver - has no bearing on the problem, we've been using this driver since 2002 it's a civil 3d problem loading xrefs, data shortcuts, and civil 3d content (the issue i'm trying to circumvent)

 

"method of connection to plotter?"

local c drive - plot to plot file


"do you use a custom PC3 file"

yes, with a pmp file (again no bearing on the issue at hand)

 

computer is a dell T3500

Xenon W3550 @ 3.07GHz

Ram 12GB

64bit Windows 7

NVIDIA Quadro 2000

 

thanks for the reply!

 

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
Message 4 of 11
pendean
in reply to: Hammer.john.j

The HP1050c is a great old workhorse of a plotter, but it is exceptionally slow and there is no way to speed it up. Did you buy the optional HD drive back in the day, and is it's RAM maxed out?
Is the driver (not the PC3 file that points to it) set to "process in computer'? This seems to help a little when plotting direct, but not in creating PLT files.
Again, exceptionally slow plotter trying to plot large files: there is no cure.
Repost and ask your fellow C3D peers in the C3D forum how they speed up processes (and include the info in your second post). If there is a way, your C3D peers would know best.

PS: in case you missed it, you just need a more modern current more-capable plotter.
Message 5 of 11
Hammer.john.j
in reply to: pendean

I don't think you understand the issue and possibly i explained it wrong....

 

Plotting is from CAD to a file or a device

Printing is from a FILE to a DEVICE

 

We don't have a printing problem, we a have a plotting problem.  All of the plotting we do is to a file, not a device.

 

The issue i believe is with the complexity of Civil 3D content being loaded during the plotting process and I'm trying to determine if there is other versions i.e. MAP that plot faster because it loads C3D objects as proxies.

 

thanks again.

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
Message 6 of 11
pendean
in reply to: Hammer.john.j

Nope I got it, just went off on a tangent. If you need C3D fixes you need to ask fellow C3D users in the C3D forum: it's not a CAD Manager type solution you seek.

Message 7 of 11
Hammer.john.j
in reply to: pendean

nope, not looking for a civil 3d answer, just looking for another way to plot drawings using sheet set manager with proxy objects or something to avoid loading civil 3d content

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
Message 8 of 11

I just did a test to get the actual time it takes....

 

18mins for 26 sheets.  each sheet is a separate drawing with plan and profile, xrefs, data refs, etc... MassDOT standards.... following Autodesk BMP

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
Message 9 of 11
pendean
in reply to: Hammer.john.j

Your using C3D: how do you want to set the program to not use C3D content? Only your C3D peers can help, if at all.
You asked, this is not a cad management question.
Message 10 of 11
jggerth1
in reply to: Hammer.john.j


@Anonymous wrote:

I just did a test to get the actual time it takes....

 

18mins for 26 sheets.  each sheet is a separate drawing with plan and profile, xrefs, data refs, etc... MassDOT standards.... following Autodesk BMP


Try running that same test using the shortcut for "Civil3d as AutoCAD".  That will avoid loading the code for civil 3d initially, and _may_ be faster.  FWIW - I have a separate install of Map3d, and have not noticed any improvements in plotting time.  Of course, anything is faster than the old single pen HI plotters.....

If you are running a current version (2013 or later) you could try running your plot's through CoreConsole as a headless Acad.  Getting from a SheetSet to a script that CorecCnsole can run through could be tricky though..

 

(a pity that TrueView doesn't work with .DST files.....)

Message 11 of 11
Hammer.john.j
in reply to: jggerth1

Yeah, first thing I tried was the Civil 3D as autocad, no improvement really... ok maybe a slight improvement on the drawing opening time.

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Administrator Productivity


Autodesk Design & Make Report