PPF Plot formatting into AUTOCAD

Asset Design and As Constructed standards and discusions
  • Make sure you're running V14C2k or V15C1a.

    In order to align each section sub-plot in a regular grid, you're effectively either asking them to all be the same size or the insertion points to be at a fixed interval. If you open the Section X Plot PPF Editor and select the Plot parameters branch on the tree to the left, I think you'll find most of the settings you'll need. I haven't done it myself, but it looks like if you choose a fixed sub-plot size, they'd be plotted in neat, aligned rows and columns. You might need to tweak with a few of the other settings depending on your sections and how much they vary.
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  • Thanks Matthew really helped got my plots looking much more reasonable and clean.
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    One follow up however, I’ve managed to get the format, spacing and alignment sorted as per my requirements using Matthew’s suggestion. Now I was just wondering if there was a way to group them into anything other than single columns.
    I just need to group them such that I can assign them to auto generate into CAD boxes, they have the correct formatting, but they currently have no distinguishing feature by which to group plot without plotting to different sheets.
    I need to expand the space between such groups, so they auto generate into boxes without inconsistent overlap.
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    I just need to be able to denote larger spaces between sheets. As i can have my Cad windows generate and display but no effective way of grouping into separate sheets automatically in CAD
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    Let me know if anyone has any tips, EXDS support has recommended writing a macro to solve this problem but would like to avoid this if possible as i have little programing knowledge.

    Cheers
    Harrison
  • I think this is possible out of the box

    the internal margins can be achieved via the Plot Parameters as Matt noted

    the Sheet margins can be achieved if
    - plot to a model
    - set the correct sheet size
    - go to the tree section Plot To Models and choose the row-wise translation
    - set horizontal spacing to something little bigger than your sheet (say 500 for A3), set the origin to move them up/down etc
    - do an export to DWG via the menus File I/O output DWG/DXF (if your plotter uses amf specify that file as the acad map file)

    red arrows indicate margins by model translate
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    if all that fails, plot to models and use this macro before you send it to Autocad
    https://tatras.co.nz/product/12dpl-4do-plot-management/
    the source code for it is here:
    viewtopic.php?f=56&t=14245
    Cheers
    Sam

    Tatras Consulting Ltd
    www.tatras.co.nz
  • You are a legend Sam thanks so much!
    Yeah 12D support just said to design my own macro to fix it , glad to see you're way ahead of me! Cheers!
  • I don't know of any Support person who is across all the capabilities of 12d Model.

    Hence why posting on the 12d Model is so useful - it allows all the support people, all the programmers and all users to help with a solution :)
  • Harrison Madew wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 9:45 am You are a legend Sam thanks so much!
    Yeah 12D support just said to design my own macro to fix it , glad to see you're way ahead of me! Cheers!
    Glad it helped

    Yeah sounds like an odd thing... I must say in the two decades I have not experienced that, 12d support has always been helpful, and the guys at EXDS have been great spite being over the ditch....

    Forums are great heaps of great free macros and nuggets of wisdom....
    Have a good weekend
    Sam
    Cheers
    Sam

    Tatras Consulting Ltd
    www.tatras.co.nz
  • As a 12d support person, if I had seen this request before Matt and Sam [was probably giving training at the time] I would have advised along the same lines. :-)
  • Matthew Monk wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 2:42 pm Make sure you're running V14C2k or V15C1a.

    In order to align each section sub-plot in a regular grid, you're effectively either asking them to all be the same size or the insertion points to be at a fixed interval. If you open the Section X Plot PPF Editor and select the Plot parameters branch on the tree to the left, I think you'll find most of the settings you'll need. I haven't done it myself, but it looks like if you choose a fixed sub-plot size, they'd be plotted in neat, aligned rows and columns. You might need to tweak with a few of the other settings depending on your sections and how much they vary.
    BINGO - NEWS TO ME 8)
  • Ed Wilson wrote: Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:54 amBINGO - NEWS TO ME 8)
    So you can teach an old dog new tricks. :lol: :wink:
    12dwiki.com.au - Tips, tricks and tutorials for users of 12d Model

    12d Synergy Support Portal and Knowledge Base
  • I believe the functionality has been in there since at least V12.
    But like everything, if you don't need at the time, you gloss over it.