Why does Pen/Colour 7 print SHP files WHITE in Map?

[Anonymous]

Hello, this has me puzzled.

For some reason my SHP files that are on a 7/white layer are printing as white and are therefore invisible. Non-GIS lines are printing fine in white, so it's something to do with the shape layer colour settings.

My screens are all black so I don't want to change the colour of my SHP layers to a true black because then I can't see them on the screen.

I am using AutoCAD Civil 3D 2018 and this client has me using the standard acad pen table. 

Thanks in advance,

Liesl

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> SHP files that are on a 7/white layer

How did you get the SHP data into the dwg?

If they are connected using _MAPCONNECT then it's independent which AutoCAD layer is active and which color the AutoCAD layer has, .. the color is defined by it's style

If you have imported the objects using _MAPIMPORT and the layer has color 7 then make sure the imported entities have the setting color = byLayer (e.g. select the imported objects and change the color in the property window)

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the reply Alfred!

I am not sure that I entirely understand why pen 7 won't print as black. I used _MAPCONNECT and then edited the style in Display Manager, selecting pen 7 (colour white but should print black) but it shows up as white in the Display Manager (so invisible) and prints white, invisible. The only way I have been able to print black is to select true black F#101010 or very dark gray but because my screen is black I can't see the lines unless I change my screen colour.

My question then I guess is why does MAPCONNECT handle Pen 7 differently than the rest of AutoCAD?

(The other solution I am using for smaller datasets is to import using _MAPIMPORT but I can't use this all the time because I need to filter to a smaller area since there is so much data.)

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I used _MAPCONNECT and then edited

>> the style in Display Manager, selecting pen 7

and

>> The only way I have been able to print black is to select true black

That's how I would work, index colors are not the favorite types of colors for FDO objects.

>> because my screen is black

I never work with black background since more than 20 years now, and your above reason is only one of them.

I don't see any advantage (since using TFT or newer displayed) to use black background. Using white background is the only way to work WYSIWYG.

>> My question then I guess is why does MAPCONNECT handle

>> Pen 7 differently than the rest of AutoCAD?

Yes, in some rare situations.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thanks again, Alfred I appreciate your time.

It's unfortunate that FDO pens don't perform the same as in the rest of AutoCAD, one more reason why AutoDesk is losing the GIS race, although I don't think they are even trying any more. They seem to be more focused on the mechanical/architectural side of the market and I suppose they know best.

Anyway, now I know and I will set my screens to dark gray. Unfortunately our standards and pen table is based on index colours printing black (with different thicknesses) and white happens to be our text colour, so we will have to adjust.

Cheers and Merry Christmas,

Liesl