topic Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file in AutoCAD Forum

AutoCAD - Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 18:42:48 GMT

When plotting/printing PDFs, is there a way to save the file to the location of the source file instead of the default !@#%$ folder? It is frustrating to navigate for half an hour to locate the source folder.

The will save so many mouse clicks. I can't be the only person asking for this!!!!

[ The subject line of this post has been edited for clarity by @handjonathan Original: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file ]

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

JTBWorld — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 16:00:38 GMT

Maybe JTB Current Folder can help. Or even our JTB Batch Publish.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 16:24:40 GMT

I don't know of a way to automatically change the pdf save location based on the location of the dwg file(s), and what if you were publishing from more than 1 source file, in different folders? How would it know which to automatically choose?

I set my desktop as default, then cut/copy the pdf to wherever I want.

See attached for how to change the default.

Hope this helps.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

pendean — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 16:52:23 GMT

You will need to either automate with LISP or a 3rd party tool as noted above.

LISP forum is over here if you need help coding https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-customization/ct-p/AutoCADTopic1

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

maratovich — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:12:31 GMT

Are you using Print or Publishing?

Are you using Layouts or just a model?

Need more information about your job.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:24:37 GMT

Majority of the time, you keep pdf version of your plots in the same dwg source folder. Why would you need to place it elsewhere? Other programs seems to this all.

I have tried choosing a default folder already as you suggested to minimize the amount of navigating. However, every time I close AutoCAD and start it back the next time, it goes back to the **** document folder set by AutoCAD. So that didn't work.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:29:33 GMT

Print and from model space (see attached image please).

I believe, from past batch plotting, publishing would produce the same results.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

maratovich — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:45:28 GMT

Yes, here only with the help of additional tools.
Much depends on your style of creating title blocks.
You need a sample to choose which printing tool is right for you.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 17:57:18 GMT

That's odd behavior. I have never had that option reset itself.

Set it once when installing a new ACAD release, then forget it until next year....

Maybe you have something loading at startup (lisp or an add-on) that changes that back to default?

What is your Windows version, ACAD version (and is it fully up-to-date), and what, if any, add-ons or custom startup routines do you have loading?

As an aside. if you use >Publish< you can change the output location for each job. It "should" start with whatever default you set (as shown in my previous graphic)

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:30:55 GMT

Yes odd behavior indeed.

- Windows 10 - 64bit (all updated and fresh)

- AutoCAD 2022 freshly installed this morning and updated - no add-ons, no LISP, no coding, no nothing. As bare bone as possible as it will every come.

Thank you for the publishing location image. I am aware of that as well. My main thing is avoid choosing the output location. Just want the PDFs to be sent to the dwg source folder location by default.

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:44:29 GMT

I am out of ideas, and as I don't have 2022, and thus can't test, I guess I am out.

Sorry....

Re: Plotting Dwg. to PDF to location of source file

ken — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:17:47 GMT

This is nothing new with this version of AutoCad - it has always done this and is VERY annoying. MS Word has a Save as PDF command and it always saves the PDF to the same directory as the original docx (or doc) file so this should be simple for AutoDesk to figure out. As it is now, it is a major pain and a major waste of time.