UNDERSTANDING PLOT STYLES

CHAPTER 9 UNDERSTANDING PLOT STYLES

The File Information group gives you the basic information about the file location and name, as
well as the number of color styles included in the plot style table.
The Apply Global Scale Factor To Non-ISO Linetypes check box lets you specify whether ISO
linetype scale factors are applied to all linetypes. When this item is selected, the Scale Factor input
box becomes active, enabling you to enter a scale factor.
NOTE International Organization for Standardization (ISO) linetypes are special linetypes that
conform to ISO standards for technical drawings.
The Table View Tab
The Table View tab offers the same settings as the Form View tab, only in a different format. Each
plot style is shown as a column, with the properties of the plot style listed along the left side of the
tab. To change a property, click it in the column.


To apply the same setting to all plot styles at once, right-click a setting you want to use from a
single plot style, and choose Copy from the shortcut menu. Right-click the setting again, and then
choose Apply To All Styles from the shortcut menu.
Click the Edit Lineweights button to open the Edit Lineweights dialog box, which lets you adjust
the lineweight settings for the plot styles.

The Form View Tab
You’ve already seen and worked with the Form View tab, shown in Figure 9.1 earlier in this chapter.
This tab contains the same settings as the Table View tab but in a different format. Instead of displaying
each color as a column of properties, the properties are listed as options along the right side, and
the colors are listed in a list box.
To modify the properties of a color, you select the color from the list and then edit the values in
the Properties group on the right side of the dialog box. For example, to change the screening value
of the Color 3 style, you highlight Color 3 in the Plot Styles list, double-click the Screening input
box, and enter a new value.
You’ve already seen what the Screening, Color, Lineweight, and Line Join Style options do.
Here’s a description of the other style properties:
TIP The names of the properties in the Table View tab are slightly different from those in the
Form View tab. The Table View property names are enclosed in brackets in this listing.
Description This option enables you to enter a description for each color.
Dither [Enable Dithering] Dithering is a method that enables your plotter to simulate colors
beyond the basic 255 colors available in AutoCAD. Although this option is desirable when you
want to create a wider range of colors in your plots, it can also create distortions, including broken,
fine lines and false colors. For this reason, dithering is usually turned off. This option isn’t available
in all plotters.
[Convert To] Grayscale This option converts colors to grayscale.
[Use Assigned] Pen # This option lets you specify which pen number is assigned to each color
in your drawing. This option applies only to pen plotters.
Virtual Pen # Many ink-jet and laser plotters offer “virtual pens” to simulate the processes of
the old-style pen plotters. Frequently, such plotters offer as many as 255 virtual pens. Plotters
with virtual pens often let you assign AutoCAD colors to a virtual pen number. This is significant
if the virtual pens of your plotter can be assigned screening, width, end style, and join
styles. You can then use the virtual pen settings instead of using the settings in the Plot Style
Table Editor. This option is most beneficial for users who already have a library of drawings that
are set up for plotters with virtual-pen settings.
You can set up your ink-jet printer for virtual pens under the Vector Graphics listing of the
Device And Documents Setting tab of the Plotter Configuration Editor. See Appendix B for more
on setting up your printer or plotter configuration.
Linetype If you prefer, you can use this setting to control linetypes in AutoCAD based on the
color of the object. By default, this option is set to Use Object Linetype. I recommend that you
leave this option at its default.
Adaptive [Adjustment] This option controls how noncontinuous linetypes begin and end. It’s
on by default, which forces linetypes to begin and end in a line segment. With this option turned
off, the same linetype is drawn without regard for its ending. In some cases, this can produce a
line that appears incomplete.
Line End Style This option lets you specify the shape of the end of simple lines that have a
lineweight greater than zero.
Line Join Style This option lets you determine the shape of the corners of polylines.



Fill Style This option lets you set up a color to be drawn as a pattern when used in a solid filled
area. The patterns appear as follows:



Add Style Clicking this button lets you add more plot styles or colors. This option isn’t available
for color plot style tables.
Delete Style Clicking this button deletes the selected style. This option isn’t available for color
plot style tables.
Save As Clicking this button lets you save the current plot style table with a different filename.