Exercise 2: Publish to DWF

Publishing to DWF is like printing to a file. You set up plotting parameters, as if printing to a physical plotter. You apply those settings to your layout, which is like a plotting template. You display a layout tab for your map to activate the layout.

Each view of your map (which initially includes model space and two default layout spaces) is considered a sheet in your map sheet set. Learn more about sheet sets in the Help.

Use the Publish dialog box to specify the sheets to publish and whether to publish to a plotter or a file.

Note: This exercise uses the build_map1.dwg map you created and modified in the previous exercises.

To publish to DWF

1. Save your map.

   You cannot plot or publish without saving first.

2. Click Output tabPlot panelPlot.
3. In the Plot dialog box, select a Printer/Plotter.
4. Click Apply To Layout, and then click Cancel.

   Printer/plotter settings are applied to your publishing job without sending the job to a plotter or printer.

5. If you are not already in paper space, switch to Layout2 now.
   • Model and Layout tabs are not displayed just below your map, right-click in the status area at the bottom of the application window. Click Display Model And Layout Tabs.
   • Click the Layout2 tab.
6. Click Publish.

   Do not choose an option from the Publish submenu. Click the word Publish in the application menu.

7. In the Publish dialog box, in the Sheets To Publish list, make sure that only the sheets you want are selected.

   For example, if another map is open, its model and layout views appear in the list. The default Layout1 view of the current map also appears. Right-click any undesired entries (such as Layout1) and click Remove Sheets.

8. Under Publish To, click DWF.
9. Click Publish Options and click Layer Information (under General DWF/PDF Options). On the pull-down menu in this field, click Include.

   This setting publishes each layer in your map to a separate layer in DWF. In Design Review, you can turn the display of these layers on and off independently.

10. Click OK to close the Publish Options dialog box.
11. In the Publish dialog box, click Publish (at the bottom of the window).
12. Specify a location and a name for the published file and click Select.
13. If you are prompted to save the sheet list, click No.
14. You might see a message telling you that the job is processing in the background. Click Close to dismiss the message.

    The files needed by Autodesk Design Review are published to the file you specified. Monitor the progress of the publishing operation by holding your cursor over the animated icon in the lower-right corner.

    

    When the job is complete, a bubble appears in the bottom, right-hand corner of the window. Click the link in the bubble to view any warnings or errors. Close the window when you are done.

Where you are now

You have published your map to a DWF file, which can be displayed in Autodesk Design Review.