Is it possible to override a .ctb plot lineweight (without using global thickness)?

[MauCabrera789]

Trying to achieve the following plotting behavior:

1) I have polyline objects inside a block definition that need to maintain a constant plot lineweight, regardless of:

a) what layer the block is placed in

b) if that parent layer has any .ctb lineweight definitions

c) varying block scaling 

2) These polylines must be in layer 0, so ultimately they would adopt the remaining properties of the layer that the block's placed in. 

I have tried to assign specific lineweights to the polylines within the block definition (still maintaining them on layer 0) and this works as long as the layer the block is on has "Use object lineweight" defined in the .ctb settings. However, these blocks will often be placed on layers with predefined .ctb lineweights, and it appears that a .ctb defined lineweight will override everything (even objects individually assigned a specific lineweight). Also, global thickness won't do the trick because once the block is scaled up, the global thickness scales accordingly and won't plot with consistent thickness. 

Example: 

1) I have a block consisting of two horizontal lines. Within the block definition, both lines are set to lineweight 0.13mm.

2) If this block is placed on a layer with a .ctb defined lineweight, these lines will plot to that lineweight (and ignore their 0.13mm lineweight). Here, the block is placed on a layer with color 1, and the .ctb defines color 1 with lineweight of 0.50mm. 

3) If this block is placed on a layer with no .ctb defined lineweight ("Use object lineweight"), lines plot appropriately. 

TL;DR: Is it possible to override a .ctb plot lineweight?

[pendean]

Nope.

[ChicagoLooper]

This issue has existed for many years. A Best Practice for ctb’s is to have colors 1 through 9 plot using the ctb lineweight and all other colors plot with ‘Use object lineweight.’

For your block, place it on a Layer using color 240. When the block is placed on this layer, it will plot correctly but still look as though it’s color 1 (red).

As an alternative, you could also redefine your block and make both lines use ByLayer for their lineweight. Then, in modelspace, you could place 3 instances of the block on 3 different layers. 

For example,

• Instance 1 on Layer QQQ, lineweight 0.13mm
• Instance 2 on Layer RRR, lineweight 0.18mm
• Instance 3 on Layer SSS, lineweight Default

If the layers QQQ, RRR and SSS all use color 240, then all blocks would use the same color in modelspace but plot using their ByLayer lineweight. 

[schurthing]

Do you have a strong unassailable need to use a .ctb ?
The simple solution to this might be to stop using .ctb files and just use lineweights.

[MauCabrera789]

Yes, company plotting standards are tied to a .ctb file. Helps keep consistency in drawing production.

Sad to see there's no easy way to override it. I'll just have to put those polylines within the block definition into a particular layer that has the .ctb lineweights I'm looking for. Not a sparkling clean solution, as I don't like assigning layers to objects within block definitions, but it'll do the trick for the time being.

[deltacoolguy]

I normally do not advocate drawing by color, but I have had situations like yours.  In the block I will edit the individual line to be a color that is the width you want in the ctb file.

[TomBeauford]

Even with an antique CBT plot style there hasn't been a good reason to have lineweights to any plot style since the 2000 version was released almost 23 years ago when lineweights became a property that could be assigned to layers and objects.

Nobody should still have issues like this anymore.

[MauCabrera789]

It all depends on your organization's workflow.

There are benefits to having lineweights assigned to a .ctb plot style that is stored in the server which all workstations have access to. You can come up with a set of plotting standards using all 255 colors, create a document showing this information to the users, so you'll get consistent drawings across projects and workstations. Over time, users adopt intuition relating colors to plot behavior. 

I can see a few advantages to assigning lineweights directly to layers or individual objects for that matter. Drawings would plot the same regardless of workstation used to plot as the plotting style and information would be directly stored on the drawing itself (assuming anybody who wants to plot your drawings knows that they must not use a pre-defined .ctb plotter). However, I could see drawings lacking visual consistency across users if there's no server-wide plot standard to follow. Also, there would be some minor inefficiencies related to users having to set up their lineweights in their layers every time they worked on a new drawing, as opposed to simply knowing already the lineweight that particular colors plot with .ctb standards.