Many plotters that do not use pens can simulate the performance of a pen plotter by using virtual pens. If you allow software to control the pens, the Plot Style Table values for the Lineweight, Linetype, Screening, Line End Style, Line Join Style, and Fill Style settings are effective and override the settings on the plotter's control panel.
If you turn off software control of the pen attributes (typically done on the plotter), then the software can select virtual pens but can't control lineweight, linetype, end style, join style, fill style, or color. In the program, you select hardware (virtual pen) control over software (normal) control by selecting 255 Virtual Pens in the Color Depth area of the Vector Graphics option on the Device and Document Settings tab in the Plotter Configuration Editor. Selecting any other color depth specifies software control.
When you create a plot style table, it is important to remember that it can be used with many different plotters and that the plotter and mode determine what parts of the plot style table are enabled.
- Click
. Find - Double-click the plot style table that you want to modify.
- In the Plot Style Table Editor, Form View tab, select the plot style you want to change and click Virtual Pen.
- Under Virtual Pen #, enter a number between 1 and 255 or enter 0 or Automatic to have the program assign the ACI color of the object you are plotting to the virtual pen.
- When finished, click Save & Close.
You can edit properties for multiple plot styles while in the Plot Style Table Editor.