Default Index Colors?

[Anonymous]

How do I return them back to default?

What are the default names and color values for 8 & 9?

Is this over a decade old:
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-for-mac/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2019/E...
?

[maxim_k · Accepted solution]

Welcome to Autodesk Forums!

Hi @Anonymous 

There is no special names for colours 8 & 9, only numbers. Only colours with indexes from 1 to 7 have names - Red, Yellow, Green, etc

If you mean BY LAYER or BY BLOCK color values, then in order to fill in them in text field in "Color Palette" window, you need to pick on one of the buttons on that window "By Layer" or "By Block".

The default value for current color n standard AutoCAD drawing is "By Layer'.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the answer.

That decade old help page says: "The second palette displays colors 1 through 9; these colors have names as well as numbers."

But what are the default color values for 8 & 9?

And are they different in Windows version?

[maxim_k]

>>>>>But what are the default color values for 8 & 9?
There is no specific names for colors 8 and 9 in AutoCAD, help documentation is wrong.

>>>>>And are they different in Windows version?
They are the same in Windows version, only numbers.

[Anonymous]

Okay, so the help page is clearly wrong.

I just saw, over the remote connection that index #9 is 242,242,242 in windows.

My mac version is then acting weird?

AppPrefs->Interface Theme->Modelspace

The Palette window looks like this: #9 is kind a "chosen", but the color is 192,192,192, not the color of chosen box, which is 242,242,242.

Then, when I hover the cursor over #9, the chosen box, it will show the right index number and the right color values for it.

But when I click #9 box, nothing happens. I can't set my background to #9 (242,242,242), which I really need.

If I go and click #8, it will normally change in the New Color Swatch (If that is the name of those two partially overlapping boxes, again the help page doesn't show this).

But if I after that, try to choose #9, the color will, once again, shift to 192,192,192 and not to #9.
What's happening here?

[maxim_k]

When you pick one of the ACI (AutoCAD Color Index) colors on "Index Color" tab of Color Palette window, AutoCAD shows nearest approximate values for True Color (next tab in Color Palette window).
True Color 192,192,192 in RGB values is the same as ACI color 9.
True Color 178,178,178 in RGB values is the same as ACI color 8.
.....
True Color 255,127,0 in RGB values is the same as ACI color 30.
....etc.

So if you need to set display background in True Color, you need to use True Color tab of Color Palette window.

[Anonymous]

I checked the ColorSync Utility of my mac and it tells that gamma of 2.4 is being used.

This is normal.

But is ACAD doing some strange gamut/gamma conversion here?

I checked with Digital Colour Meter, that when I click #9, Palette shows 192,192,192, the real Modelspace background is that.
But the "New Color Swatch" shows 203/204.

Same thing happens when I try to change a color of a Layer.

#9 is listed as 192,192,192.

But now the box even looks like that shade of gray:

 The question remains: how do I change #9 to be 242,242,242?

Btw, I'm using acad2020, since the 2012 version installer has this bug, that if you run your mac from external boot drive, the installer detects that non-case-sensitive disk as case-sensitive. (I guess they won't fix this ever and I'm not buying a new mac with bigger soldered ssd in it just to run acad.)

[Anonymous]

Sorry, just noticed that you replied already.

---

@maxim_k wrote:
True Color 192,192,192 in RGB values is the same as ACI color 9.

---

You DO know that #9 is 242,242,242 in windows version of acad?

(And even the mac version shows it in some times, like I described.)

I just put this capture here again; can you spot the conflict here?

PS. Can I somehow manage the picture size in this forum? Same pictures seem to show up with different sizes...?

[Anonymous]

Amazingly enough,

---

@maxim_k wrote:
True Color 178,178,178 in RGB values is the same as ACI color 8.

---

My ACI color #8 is 128,128,128.

Does every release of autocad have it's own different ACI colors?

[maxim_k]

>>>>>You DO know that #9 is 242,242,242 in windows version of acad?

No, color #9 in AutoCAD for Windows is 192,192,192 - the same as on Mac:

 

If you need to set colors in True Color (RGB), set it on True Color tab. When you switch between ACI and true Color tabs AutoCAD approximates colors, so this could be the case of the issue you see.

>>>>>Can I somehow manage the picture size in this forum? Same pictures seem to show up with different sizes...?

Yes, after you insert picture, select it and you will see buttons for adjusting image size:

 

[Anonymous]

Even more numbers to these "indexed" colors 8 & 9...:

https://gohtx.com/acadcolors.php

 

[maxim_k]

>>>>>>>My ACI color #8 is 128,128,128.
>>>>>>>Does every release of autocad have it's own different ACI colors?

There is another thing - when you change display background color, AutoCAD adjusts RGB values for ACI colors 8, 9, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254 and 255 (grays) to ensure that lines of the corresponding color are visible on the screen.

[Anonymous]

asd

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Btw, I'm using acad2020, since the 2012 version installer has this bug, that if you run your mac from external 

---

Looks like I can't edit my postings after some time or after I have posted something new.

I meant that acad2021 (for Mac) has this installer bug.

[maxim_k]

>>>>>Even more numbers to these "indexed" colors 8 & 9...:

AutoCAD is technical drawing application, but not image editing software like Photoshop.....

[Anonymous]

---

@maxim_k wrote:
There is another thing - when you change display background color, AutoCAD adjusts RGB values for ACI colors 8, 9, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254 and 255 (grays) to ensure that lines of the corresponding color are visible on the screen.

---

WOW!

I wonder why they don't document these things?

[Anonymous]

How do you explain this:

I'm not asking this for fun, I have a real problem here.

I need to use lightISH background, but the objects aren't visible enough with nice background tone.

I'm studieng this and my teacher uses windows version, so he can't help in every way.

He's index color #9 is 242,242,242.

If I have understood right, it would be wise to use indexed color as background, because then ACAD notices when there are layers with same indexed color and changes them, so they will show up more clearly.

If I choose some random true color that is close to that indexed layer color the objects does not show clearly, sine ACAD does not chenge their color values then.

If your number #8 = 178,178,178 was a typo, then we could still have theoretically "global" indexed colors.

But why on earth, we do not have indexed color that is gray and between 192-244 ?!?!

[Anonymous]

Okay, I give up, there's no sense in this.

I don't know if a bug report or request for documentation on how these colors change other colors would help, but I wasted already too much time.

I tried something similiar for the end:

Index color 254. It should be 244,244,244 right?

Well, it doesn't show like that in New Color Swatch.

And this confirms that:

So somehow ACAD decides to change that #254 to 214,214,214.

I'm not sure if this is index color or true color then. Why it doesn't show up listed as 254?

Maybe then: I choose an index color -> ACAD changes it to another -> it is converted to true color -> layer colors do not change their appearance, since it's not inxex color?

Btw, why some grays have names like Vellum? Where can I check or change them? Are they interfering the "normal" acad color system?
EDIT: Seems to be that Vellum is 192,192,192 ie. #9. And Charcoal is 130,130,130, which might be close enough for #8? These color names are naturally totally undocumented.

I just wonder if there are any professionals working with mac version of ACAD?

Is it just a gate for people to switch to windows version, if they are seious about using it?
(By not fixing the installer bug in 2021 really hints that way...)

[pendean]

You can report your issues to Autodesk in two ways:
Support is here https://knowledge.autodesk.com/contact-support
Feedback is here https://www.autodesk.com/company/contact-us/product-feedback

HTH

[Anonymous]

Looks like I'm not getting any support since on student license...

[Anonymous]

To conclude, it looks to me that how index colors are shown, depends on the color of the background.

At least when choosing the background color.

If anybody has any knowledge of this or can point a link to documentation about how this works, I'd be very happy.