AutoCAD Architecture - Wall color diffrent when printed from Xref

[Janina_M]

Hello,

I've got a problem with the walls hatch color when printed from an xref file. From the original drawing the walls will display as gray, even when printed.

But when printed from an xref, the wall be display as black. 

What I also discovered is that when a wall is exploded the hatch color is not set to "By layer", insted it shows a "Color 253"

Does anyone have a solution for this?

I have changed everything I can see to "By layer" and chosen a layer with the prefered gray color, but nothing seems to help..

Thank you!

[ The subject line of this post has been edited to include the product name by @handjonathan ]

[David_W_Koch]

@Janina_M 

Do you have the same Display Configuration (with the same settings) current in both the source file and the file that externally references the source file?

Do you have the same Visual Style set current in both files?

Are you plotting with the same Plot Style in both files?

For example, in the image below are two Viewports on the same layout, looking at the same Wall in Model Space.  The only difference between the two is the left Viewport has the Medium Detail Display Configuration set current, while the one on the right has the Presentation Display Configuration set current.  (All settings are out-of-the-box, for AutoCAD Architecture 2022.)

Posting example files that exhibit the problem (source file and the file externally referencing the source file) will help us figure out what the specific issue is in your case.  Include the plot style file(s) that are current when making your plots.  You may need to put all of that in a ZIP file and attach that to be certain that the attachments are all accepted by the site.

[handjonathan]

Hi @Janina_M 

Thanks a lot for posting your question to the forums!   Has the solution suggested by @David_W_Koch helped with your issue?

  

We look forward to hearing back from you with more information so we can help you as a community!  

[Janina_M]

Thanks for your replies, @David_W_Koch and @handjonathan !

I should have been more clear in my question, so I will rephrase it.
I have done a drawing in AutoCad Architecture, while my colleagues inserts it as a xref while using MagiCad. Then they override xref with a grey colour and everything is showing as grey, until printing, when the hatch turns black..
This is how we have done it also with drawings done in AutoCad and this problem then only accurs when any objects color is set to a specific colour and not 'By layer'.

So I am guessing that the problem is not what display settings we have and for the plot styles, we use the same.

So my questions goes back to my second problem in my previous comment.  "When a wall is exploded the hatch color is not set to "By layer", insted it shows a "Color 253". (See above for picture)

This seems to be the same for every wall hatches, when exploded their colours are not set to 'By layer' even if everything in the wall is set to 'By layer'.

Is there a solution for this?

[pendean]

>>>...while using MagiCad....<<<
You are on the wrong website for that software: try asking for help here https://www.magicad.com/en/support/

[Janina_M]

The problem is in AutoCad Architecture though, because that's the program that sets the hatch colours..

[David_W_Koch]

You can take one of two approaches:

1. Start out with nothing that has hard-coded colors.  That will mean setting up one or more Display Configurations, with custom Display Representation Sets and Display Representations, that have all component display settings set to ByLayer (or, if the results after exploding remain inside a Block Definition, ByBlock).  If you use Material Definitions to control component display, then you will also need at least one new Display Representation for Material Definitions that does not hard-code a color to any of the components defined there.  The Material Definition Display Representation can be added and left at drawing default in all Material Definitions, saving the need to edit each one.  You would only need to duplicate Display Representations and Display Representation Sets that are actually used at the time you export for MagiCAD.  That would still be a significant undertaking.

   

2. Post-process the exported files to remove all hard-coded color assignments.  It will likely not be enough to simply select all objects and make certain that Color is set to ByLayer (although that is a good start), as there may be Block Definitions with nested objects that have Color set to something other than ByBlock or ByLayer.  Assuming you do this on a regular basis, some sort of customization, such an AutoLISP routine, could make this a much less tedious task.

[Janina_M]

Thanks for your reply!

We have our plot style set to print certain hard colours with different lineweights, so I would rather not change them, but I see why they could cause problems.

Still after setting everything to 'By layer', even every hatch and so on (yes, the hatch changes to another one than chosen before), the problem remains. When the wall then are exploded, everything is set to a color rather than set 'By layer'..

I also set the everything in the wall style properties to Drawing Default, just so there wouldn't be any overrides going on..

We don't export the files to be used in MagiCad, incase I need to do some changes, the xref will notify when needed to be updated.. Though even after being exported, it's still set on a color than 'By layer'. 

It takes extra time to everytime export the drawing and then have to change everything to 'By layer', rather then it being something that would just be set correctly from the beginning.

[David_W_Koch]

Creating a new Display Configuration with modified, ByLayer only colors would allow you to toggle to that for use by others, while still maintaining the colors for your own use in the Display Configuration(s) you currently use.

Are you saying MagiCAD can read a native AutoCAD Architecture file (with Walls, Doors, etc)?  I have never used it, but would not expect it to be able to deal with AEC Objects (without exploding them).

Are there style-level display overrides on your Walls that are adding colors?

There is a setting in the Options dialog, on the AEC Editor tab, in the Block Properties of Exploded Objects area on the right side, in the middle.  If Maintain Resolved Layer, Color, Linetype is unchecked, then the exploded components will be on the layer specified in the Display Settings (Layer 0 in your screenshot), with ByLayer color (if Color is set to ByLayer in the Display Settings).  If it is checked, then the exploded objects will be on the layer of the parent object, but with a hard-coded color (even if it is the same as parent layer color).  It looks like the only way to get the exploded elements to be on a given layer, with ByLayer color, is to uncheck that toggle and set the Layer of each component to the desired layer and the color to ByLayer.

[pendean]

---

@Janina_M wrote:

The problem is in AutoCad Architecture though, because that's the program that sets the hatch colours..

---

Exactly, MagiCAD cannot handle AEC content is what I suspected. Your previous experiences with plain AutoCAD (if I read your posts up to the reply I responded to correctly) are truly unrelated.

Looks like you found the workaround to help MagiCAD cope with the AEC content.

Good luck.

[Janina_M]

Thank you, @David_W_Koch !

By unchecking the toggle fixed the problem I had with everything being set to a color rather than by 'By layer'.

I can't say how MagiCad would work with an AutoCAD Architecture file itself, but as a xref it can read doors and windows.. It only has problem with wall hatches, they were shown as solid even if being set as insulation, but after inserting the path for the  AutoCAD Architecture hatches in MagiCad, it shows the correct hatch style. 

We still now struggle with the hatches color when color overriding the xref. I don't work with MagiCad, so I need to read up on how overriding works and if there's a way to 'force' the overriding.

[David_W_Koch]

Hatch definitions are not saved in a drawing file, so I am not surprised that MagiCAD needed to have a hatch definition file in order to be able to show the hatch properly.