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Batch Plotting Files

The batch plotting utility allows you to plot directly from a vault.

Use the Plot Manager dialog to build and manage large plot lists and to submit any number of plot jobs to a plotter or printer. The progress of submitted jobs is tracked using the Plot Monitor dialog. CAD files, Microsoft Office files, text files, and any other file type stored in the vault can be added to a plot list. Individual sheets from file formats that support sheets can be added to the list as well.

Batch Plot provides support for the following files:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc, .rtf, .docx)
  • PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)
  • Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
  • PDF (.pdf)
  • Dwf (.dwf, .dwfx)
  • AutoCAD (.dwg)
  • Inventor (.idw, .ipt, .iam, .ipn, .ide, .dwg)

Notes:

  • Batch Plot provides limited support for all other file extensions.
  • Batch plot is not supported with AutoCAD LT or Inventor LT.
  • Batch plot is not supported with Inventor View and DWG Trueview. A full version of Inventor or AutoCAD is required to run the batch plot command.

Plot Command and the Plot Manager

The Plot command is accessed from the File menu and is also available on the main toolbar. Files are added to the plot list through the Plot Manager dialog box. Any revision of any file can be added to the list. Select files from the History tab, the Where Used tab, or the Uses tab to create a plot list.

The Plot Manager dialog box enables you to manage the list of files to be plotted. Files can be added to the plot list or excluded from the list, the number of copies for each file in the list can be specified, and a printing device for each file in the plot list can be selected in the Plot Manager dialog. Individual sheets from within files that support sheets can be excluded from the list, as well, allowing you to print only the necessary sheets from a file. The page setup for each file can also be specified.

Each row in the Plot Manager dialog represents a file or sheet in the plot list. Plot lists can be saved, so you can create a list of commonly plotted files that can be opened and printed at any time. The plot list is organized by the following columns:

  • File Type: the type of file
  • File Name: the name of the file
  • Revision: the file revision
  • Plot Data: the file that will be used to create the plot
  • Sheet Name: the name of the sheet within the file. If the file supports sheets, any number of sheets from the file may be added to the plot list. If more than one sheet from a file is added the plot list, the file containing those sheets is listed multiple times.
  • Sheet Size: the actual size of the document.
  • Copies: indicates how many copies of each file or sheet to print
  • Device: indicates which plotting or printing device to which the file or sheet will be sent. Available devices can be selected from the drop down list.
  • Page Setup: indicates if the file will be printed using the default page setup for the file or using custom page setup settings
  • Plot Size: indicates the paper size for plotting.
  • Scale: the size of the plot in relation to the page size
  • Location: the location of the file within the vault
Note: The plot list can be sorted by any of the columns, allowing you to sort files and sheets by the size of the output, the device, and so on. Click on a column header to sort the list by the values in that column.

The Page Setup section of the Plot Manager enables you to view the default page setting for a file or create custom page settings. The Details pane displays a sample of the selected sheet using the current page settings. If the selected file has a .dwf file associated with it, the preview dynamically updates to reflect the page setup options. If no .dwf file exists, the preview is a static thumbnail image.

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