Colors in color column of surface table not plotting

[Anonymous]

When I plot a map with a surface table (slopes in this case), the model view will plot the colors, but the table color column doesn't plot the color swatch.  I can see it in the viewport, just doesn't plot. Screen shots of Civil 3D screen and the plotted PDF.

[Udo_Huebner]

Works as expected  here.

The Legend is placed in modelspace and you have 2 viewports in Paper layout?

The Surface Layer is NOT frozen in Viewport with Legend?

[tcorey]

Things I would look at:

Use _DrawOrder to bring the table to the front. 

Make sure the Visual Style assigned to the Viewport is 2D Wireframe. Look in Viewport Properties or set it using the text that displays in the top left corner of the viewport when you are in modelspace.

If you are using a third-party pdf driver (like Adobe PDF) switch to using the Autodesk-supplied DWG to PDF.pc3. 

Check transparency settings for those colors and layers. Yours doesn't look to be caused by this, but it takes a minute to check. Leave no stone unturned, as they say.

[Anonymous]

Correct on 2 viewports - the surface view and the table are both in an xref.  No layers frozen in the viewports

[Anonymous]

Did the Draworder to Front - no change.  Viewport viewstyle set to 2D Wireframe.  Using the AutoCAD DWG to PDF.pc3  Also tried other PDF plotting options (Bluebeam and Adobe), as well as the Publish to web JPG and PNG, and none worked.  In the table, all the layers are set to 0, and the colors are true color settings (RGB), just like the plan view. 

Just as a point of reference, this has only begun to happen intermittently in the last couple of weeks - could there have been an update that caused this?  I did the 2020.5.2 update yesterday, and problem still there.  I'm going to try it on my other computer that has 2019 and see if this happens - will advise. 

[Anonymous]

Not sure what's going on, but in both my host drawing and the xref drawing with the surface and table, the view keeps resetting to 'Unnamed view'.  It won't hold the Top view.  In the xref, I can set it to 'Top' , insert the table, and plot the table fine (attached).  I save it, reload (or detach and reattach), and set my host drawing to 'Top view'.  In model space looks fine, but the table then becomes very small in the viewport.  Any thoughts?  For now, I'm just going to add the PDF to the layout and plot it...

[krheil]

Did anyone ever come up with a solution to this issue? I am having the same problem where the colors are not showing up in the surface elevation legend when printed to PDF. It shows up visually on the screen, but not when printed.

[camden.n.dean]

There are a few things to try/check.

1. Are all of the relevant layers on and have an appropriate plot style?

The above picture shows the layer properties that I needed in order for the colors to be plotted. The most important things are that the layers are on, thawed, and have a plot style ("Normal") which allows colors to be plotted.

The below pictures show how to find which layers you need to address. They live in a couple places since some of the layers are associated with the table and others with the surface.

• Surface Legend Table layer

• surface style layers:

• table style layers:

2. Have you tried changing the layer of the table?

I can't explain why it works, but I have had luck with changing the layer that my table is on. I create the surface legend table which is automatically placed on a layer called "C-SURF-TABL" and then I select the object and change it to any other layer (I typically create a layer called something like "C-SURF-TABL-SurfaceName." For some reason, after I do this, the plotting works like it should even though all of the layer properties are identical.

3. Last resort, have you tried exploding the table?

Exploding is a bad habit that should be avoided. That said, it is great for understanding what is going on under the hood.

Exploding in this case lets you see the properties of the things that are giving you trouble. If you explode the surface legend table twice, you can click on those color palettes to see what layer they live on and what their properties are. These are good clues for how to solve your problems.

Additionally, once they're exploded you have more direct tools to control their appearance so you should be able to get it to appear exactly as you want. The big downside is of course that you lose the dynamic link to the surface so if the elevation analysis or the data are updated, you need to go back and edit the table. This maintenance also provides room for errors to enter your work if you aren't diligent with the upkeep.

[Kevin.Spear]

OK, quick update for anyone following this thread...

At least regarding C3D 2022.2.6, this issue exists. Researching this in 2022, we determined that the table swatches are placed onto the current layer when inserting an XREF into the sheet file. If the current layer is a non-plotting layer, the swatches will not display. If you relayer the XREF, the swatches stay on that original current layer. Also, you may be using the XREFLAYER variable to force xrefs to a layer regardless of the current layer. The swatches will still use the current layer.

The solution is to detach the XREF, set a layer current that does plot, and reattach the XREF!

[drebeloF55A4]

I can confirm Kevin Spear's solution. WTF.

[jgiangiulio]

Thank you! Worked for us as well. 

[Kevin.Spear]

A quick update - this issue still persists in Civil 3D 2026.1.