Creating Plot Templates

To create a plot template

    Note:

    This procedure should be performed by a System Administrator.

  1. In the Maintenance workspace, open an enterprise industry model project.
  2. Display the Plot Explorer in the Industry Model explorer using either of the following methods:
    • Click Output tab > Plot panel > Plot Explorer.
    • Click Plot Explorer in the Industry Model explorer.

    The Plot Explorer pane opens to display your Plot Library. The Plot Library contains plot templates and any plots you have saved.

  3. In the Plot Library, right-click the Templates folder and click Create New Template.
  4. In the Create New Template dialog box, specify the following:
    • Default Printer: Select a printer from the list. The selected printer determines the available paper format choices. The None option is not a true printer and cannot be used to send a plot to a printer. However, you can use it to create a template. When you create a plot with such a template, you must specify a printer in the plot instance.
    • Paper Format: Select a paper size and click the icon representing portrait or landscape orientation.
    • Use An Existing Style For This Plot: In rare cases, you can select an existing AutoCAD style sheet from this list. However, the appearance of the plot is defined by the display model defined in the Display Manager . In most cases, you will leave this option blank.
    • Plot Display Model: Select the TBDM file that contains the set of display styles to apply to the template. This display model is not the one used for the drawing, but rather for the plot elements.
    • Name: Enter a name for the plot template.
  5. Location: By default, plots are saved in the Plot Library. If you have created sub-folders and want to save your plot to one of them, click Browse and select the sub-folder to use. Templates must be stored in template folders to be recognized as templates. For more information about creating template folders, see Managing Plot Template Folders.
  6. Advanced: Click the Advanced arrow to specify the scale and origin for the plot.

    This is required only if the fields are blank. The scale and origin specified here are not used for the maps contained in the plot. These values are used only to create the initial template features within the industry model's valid extents and the spatial reference system assigned to it, if any.

    Typically, the System Administrator sets the scale and origin, which must match the industry model's extension settings or a spatial reference system. Do not change these settings unless the administrator tells you to. If the values are wrong, the plot creation will fail.

  7. Click Draw Layout to see the blank template canvas.

    This button is gray until you specify a name, paper format, and default printer for the plot template. If it remains gray, check to be sure that the advanced settings are not blank.

    AutoCAD Map 3D creates the template and opens it in edit mode. You can now add the map placeholder and other elements to your layout. For an explanation of the template elements, see Plot Template Elements. After you close template edit mode, you can later return to edit mode to make changes. Select the template in the plot library and click Edit from the Preview/Edit split button at the bottom of the Plot Library.

  8. Add the map placeholder to the layout.
    • Right-click Map Placeholder and select Digitize Rectangle. (You might want to turn of AutoCAD OSNAP to position the map placeholder as desired.)
    • In the template drawing, click where you want the lower left point of the map placeholder rectangle, then click where you want its upper right corner.
    • Press Enter to complete the map placeholder.

    Create additional map placeholders as needed. You can capture a fixed portion of the map, for example, to create an overview map. In the Plot Explorer task pane, select the newly created map placeholder node in the tree view and click Capture Map. Rotate, scale, and move the map placeholder frame as needed using the grips. The captured area of the map will always appear in the template. In the Capture Map Settings dialog box, click Save Capture.

  9. Add dynamic labels to the template.

    For example, add a title and a label that shows the captured map scale.

    • Open the Plot Label item to see available label types.
    • Right-click a label type and select Digitize.
    • In the template drawing, specify the label insertion point and orientation. Any other label settings are defined by the selected display model.
  10. Add static labels to the template.

    For example, add an approval remark.

    • Right-click the Decoration Text item. Click Add Text.
    • In the template drawing, specify the text insertion point and enter the text.

      By default, reference records are used to provide some style options. Select a style option. For more information about reference records, see Using Reference Records.

      After you add decoration text, reposition it if necessary using Edit Geometry or using the positioning attributes in the Decoration Text form. To adjust the text style and size, use the Text Style and Text Size attributes in the Decoration Text form.

  11. Optionally, add image placeholders.
    Note: For the image placeholders, north arrow, legend, and scalebar, the image's representation is determined by the selected display model. You can configure the display model to use a saved block. The block you use will depend on the feature's attributes. Both the plot and the template use the same display model. For example, if the display model specifies an AutoCAD block to use for scalebars and you digitize a scalebar point in the template, the scalebar block will appear (instead of the point) in your drawing.
    • Right-click Image and select Digitize Point.
    • In the template drawing, click the insertion point for the image block.
  12. Add the legend.

    This placeholder is inserted as a point.

    • Right-click Legend and select Digitize Point.
    • In the template drawing, click the insertion point for the legend.
  13. Add the north arrow.

    This placeholder is inserted as a point.

    • Right-click North Arrow and select Digitize Point.
    • In the template drawing, click the insertion point for the north arrow. If you place this block on top of the map placeholder, it appears superimposed on the drawing (if the display model specifies this position in the draw order).
  14. Add the scalebar.

    This placeholder is inserted as a point.

    • Right-click Scalebar and select Digitize Point.
    • In the template drawing, click the insertion point for the scalebar. You can place this block just above or below the Plot Scale element.
  15. To adjust any element, select it and, on the Home tab of the ribbon, click Attributes. In the Attribute dialog box, use the Form tab to make your changes.
    • You can change the size of the map placeholder, decoration lines, and decoration polygon features.
    • You cannot modify the values defined for a template's map placeholder when you create a plot from this template. You can define grids and cross-hair settings only for the first (main) map placeholder. If these items are not defined in the template, you cannot set them in a plot you create from this template.
    • To add a grid and grid crosses, in the Plot library, right-click the placeholder and click Show Form. In the Map Placeholder form, click the Details tab. Under Grids and Grid Cross Settings, specify the grid settings.
    • A label’s text is determined by its parent feature. For example, modifying a plot's name will change any existing plot-name-label. See Data Model: Labels.
    • For images, legends, north arrows, and scalebars, you can change the orientation and type.

      For point features like images, north arrows and scalebars, you can select a pre-defined type, if one exists. These types are determined by enterprise industry model domain tables. If you select a pre-defined type, you can configure the display model to style the respective point feature with a particular block. See Styling a Scalebar Point Using a Specific AutoCAD Block for an example.

  16. When you have finished creating the layout, click Close.

    The template is now ready to use for plotting. After you close template edit mode, you can later return to edit mode to make changes. Select the template in the plot library and click Edit from the Preview/Edit split button at the bottom of the Plot Library.

Styling a Scalebar Point Using a Specific AutoCAD Block

The following example explains how to style a scalebar point feature using the AutoCAD block defined in a display model. It assumes that you have already created a template with a scalebar feature.

To style a scalebar point feature with a specific block

  1. In Infrastructure Administrator , add the value Black scalebar (1:1000) to the domain table Plot scalebar type.

    Enter an ID greater than or equal to 10,000, so it does not interfere with system IDs used within the enterprise industry model. See Data Model: Domain Tables.

  2. In the Maintenance Workspace in AutoCAD Map 3D, use the Display Manager to modify the plot display model (the one that contains the styles for the plot or template layout).
    • Add a rule for the Scalebar layer (the feature class PLT_PLOT_SCALEBAR) that applies only to scalebar features that have an ID_SCALEBAR_TYPE attribute set to 10,000, which is the ID of the domain entry Black scalebar (1:1000).
    • Set the size on the AutoCAD block to reflect the template's actual scale, so the scalebar will have the correct size on the plot.
  3. Set the scalebar type in the template.
    • Open an existing template for editing.
    • Open the generic form for an existing scalebar feature.
    • Click Edit Record in the dialog box toolbar.
    • For Scalebar Type, select Black scalebar (1:1000).
  4. Click Update.
Parent topic: Creating Plot Templates