1. Difference on the Plot feature between ZWCAD+ and AutoCAD

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1 Trouble Shooting ---Plot Familiar Problems Analysis 1. Difference on the Plot feature between ZWCAD+ and AutoCAD Plot problem is not only related with the software itself, but also related with the Plotter Driver, plotter connection, and the plotter configuration. Considering most customers is AutoCAD user, in following, we list differences between ZWCAD+ and AutoCAD on Plot module: A. Embedded Plotter Driver The plotter driver which CAD software uses are from two resources: one is the driver installed into the OS, and the other is the embedded drivers inside the CAD software. Autodesk cooperated with Plotter Vendors such as HP, Xerox, and got especial customized version of plotter driver, embedded into AutoCAD. ZWCAD+ only provides embedded plotter drivers of some old model styles of HP plotter. Thus ZWCAD+ usually works with the driver installed into the OS. Due to Windows have already provided a large amount of plotter driver, in most cases, ZWCAD+ can work well, only sometimes some special plotter configuration cannot be done. B. Shade Plot AutoCAD have various options for Shade Plot, the frequently used option is Wireframe, Hidden and Rendered. ZWCAD+ only has option Wireframe and Hidden. 2. Why are some OLE objects not plotted? Possible Cause 1: Low plot quality make the OLE object not be plotted. Solution: Right click the OLE object, choose Properties, in the Properties palette, choose Plot Quality as high graphic. Then try to plot again.

2 Possible Cause 2: The memory space of the computer or the plotter is not sufficient Solution: Firstly, test the memory. For instance, test to plot with small paper size, like size A. The smaller the size is, the less memory of computer and plotter take. If the OLE object is normally plotted with size A, but cannot be plotted in larger size, please try following solution: a. Add more RAM to the computer b. Plot with a Plotter with more memory inside c. Enlarge the size setting of Cache File in the computer d. Set the plotter driver as Online Plot 3. Some objects are missed in the Plot Preview Firstly we should check whether the object property is able for plotting or not. Firstly check the Layer properties. If the layer is set as not able to be plotted, as shown in following image, so objects on the layer will not be plotted. For example, the layer Defpoints is not plotted. At the same time, please pay attention to the layers in the Xref. Another possible cause is that, in the CTB table, some kind of objects is set to be plotted as White or similar light color. In this case, we can use the Plot style Monochrome.ctb to test, because the Monochrome.ctb can plot all objects in color Black. Please notice to set proper Plot Scale and Plot Offset, to ensure the drawings is inside the Plot Area. To check, we can tick the option Center the plot and Fit to Paper in the Plot dialog box, then plot again. Finally, check the Properties of the object, check whether it is a customize object that ZWCAD+ doesn t support.

3 4. The Plot Preview is ok, but some objects are missed in the Plot result, why? Possible cause 1: There is problem with the connection between the computer and Network plotter, or there is other plot task that disturbs the current plotting. Solution: Directly connect the Network plotter with the computer, and then test again. Or delete other plot task, only run the plot task for ZWCAD+. Possible Cause 2: There is limited memory space in the computer or plotter, that cause the object missed. If the missed object is with lots of data, like object OLE or Image, please consider the memory limitation. Currently in ZWCAD+, user cannot plot Image with paper size A0 and A1. Remark: How to verify the Plot Effect problem: Currently we don t have enough device to test on our side, but if user meet problem that Plot Preview is ok while Plot result is not ok, we can try following operation: Install the Driver of customer s plotter, and then in the Plot dialog box, tick Plot to File, to plot the drawing to be a PLT file. Then we can use PLT views (like ABViewer) to check the PLT file is correct or not. 5. When use the Driver of System Printer, how to change the Paper Size? When use the Driver of System Printer to customize the Paper Size, in the Plot dialog box, please choose Properties -> User defined Paper Size -> Custom Paper Size

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5 6. Images cannot be plotted in the large paper size like A0 and A1 You can try to use other image editor application to lower the DPI of the image, and then try again. The cause of the problem is that, the total pixel of the image is too large to plot, and the computer cannot assign enough memory space at one time, so the image is not plotted. For example, fulfill an A0 size paper with an image of 24 bit, then the required memory space size of the computer is 33.11*46.77*300*300*24/8/1024/1024 = 398M, but the largest size of the assigned memory in the CXIMAGE is only 256M, so it failed. 7. Why the plotting is slow? Firstly make sure the connection between computer and plotter is ok, and the Driver is working. If the plotting is slow, there are possible causes including: a. Use Network Plotter, but the Network communication between computer and the Network Plotter is not good. b. The workload of the plotting is too heavy, but the memory in the computer or plotter is not enough. In this case, please assign more memory for the plotting. Avoid to running too many applications in the computer. If AutoCAD can plot fast, the possible reason is that AutoCAD has especial version driver for the plotter. 8. Can ZWCAD+ convert CTB file or STB file? Yes. Please refer to following form. Command Convert Support Convertpstyles STB -> CTB ACAD Convertctb CTB -> STB ACAD ZWCAD 9. Can I convert PLT file to DWG file? How to do that? If you need to convert PLT file to DWG file, firstly the PLT file must be of HPGL/1 standard, that is, the PLT file must be created by some old styles plotter, only under this condition, the command PLT2DWG can convert it to DWG. Currently most of the main-stream plotters has already apply the HPGL/2 standard, and the PLT files created by which cannot be converted to DWG file. So we can say the command PLT2DWG has limitation.

6 10. How to run Hidden plot for the 3D solids? In the layout, select the Viewport which has 3D Solids inside, then in the Properties palette, set Shade Plot option as Hidden, then plot 11. Does ZWCAD+ support format 3DS and DGN? Currently ZWCAD+ doesn t support format 3DS and DGN. If customer need to open\ edit \ plot drawing from other 3D design software, we suggest in the 3D software, customer can save the design as format DXF or DWG, which ZWCAD+ supports. 12. How to find the plotter ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter 1.0? After install ZWCAD+, run command Plot, if there is no ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter 1.0 in the plotter list, please try following solution: In Windows XP, log on with Administrator account (or Super Administrator account), then start ZWCAD+, run command Plot (necessary step), then in the plotter list, you can find the ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter 1.0 is back. (Also in the Control Panel you can find the plotter is back). Then switch back to your own account, you can find the problem is solved. In Windows Vista, run click ZWCAD+.exe, then choose Run as Administrator, then run command Plot (necessary step), then you can find the in the plotter list, the ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter 1.0 is back. Then other user account cannot also find it. That is, ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter 1.0 is created when the command Plot is running, at the same time, if the user account doesn t have enough permission from the OS, the plotter cannot be

7 created successfully. That is why we need to run with the Administrator account to solve the problem. 13. What is the advantage of PLT? a. Easy management. b. Plot without CAD software. c. For some Digital Tablet, can copy multiple PLT files, and then join those PLT files as one big file to plot. d. PLT is created from DWG file, but it is not editable. Thus it can keep the original version and avoid some Text compatibility problem in different computers. 14. Why my ZWCAD+ cannot plot? Firstly confirm basic condition is ok, including the plotter connection is ok, and the plotter driver is installed normally, etc. Beside basic conditions, if you meet plot problem, please send following material to our local partner to test and analyze, including: The drawing; ZWCAD+ version number (command vernum ); The module style of the plotter (or the plotter driver); A video or screen-shot of your operation in the Plot dialog box. 15. How to change the margin width around the plot area? In the Layout space, we can see the plot area is marked with dotted line, that is the object out of the plot area will not be plotted or export to files, for example, PDF. Actually, ZWCAD+ provides configuration for change the margin around the plot area. As following:

8 16. In the paper size list of ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter,there are no A0, A1, A2, how to add these sizes? As default, ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter doesn t provide these paper sizes. User can add these paper sizes by: 1) In the Properties of ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter, change the Custom Properties.

9 There are two shortcomings of above way: a. For.pc5 file, user can only add one custom paper size b.the size of paper may be displayed as Chinese, and the option Post Script may be displayed as??? 2) Change in Windows: In the configuration setting of Plotter Server, add more paper size for the system plotter. (ZWCAD Virtual Eps Plotter is a system plotter) 17. How to publish multiple PDF copies of one drawing? Run command Publish, add the drawing to publish, and then set Number of copies

10 18. When plot Layout, there is no TextFill in the Plot Preview or Plot result? When plot Text of TrueType in the Layout, but cannot see the TextFill, please try following solution: Run command FILL, set value as On Change system variable FILLMODE as 1 Change system variable TEXTFILL as 1 In the Plot dialog box, do not tick option Hide PaperSpace Objects. In the properties of Viewport, set Shade Plot as As Displayed. Maybe the Layout space was broken, check it by plotting in Model Space, or create a new Layout space to try plotting.

11 19. In the Plot Preview or Plot result, there is stamps showing information like file location, date, how to delete those stamps? This is because in the Plot dialog box, user ticks the option Plot Stamp On. If user doesn t those stamps, please do not tick it. 20. How to make ZWCAD+ not plot frame of OLE object? The system variable OLEFRAME can control that. Value Setting 0 All frame of OLE objects are not displayed and plotted 1 All frame of OLE objects are displayed and plotted 2 All frame of OLE objects are displayed but are not plotted Please notice that, after set value to OLEFRAME, please run command REGEN to make it effective. 21. The plot quality of OLE object is low. Why? System Variable OLEQUALITY can control the plot quality of OLE object. Value Setting 0 Line 1 Text 2 Graphics

12 3 Photo 4 High photo User can also change the setting of plot quality of OLE in the Plotter Configuration Editor. As following: 22. How to make ZWCAD+ not display and plot the Frame of a Viewport? The frame of a Viewport is visible. Select the Viewport frame then put it into a individual layer, then freeze the layer. 23. Why can t I see the Hatch object in the Plot Preview? If in the drawing you could see the Hatch object, but cannot see it in the Plot Preview, perhaps it is because in the Options dialog box, in the Display tab, the option Apply Solid Fill is not ticked. You can also change value of system variable FillMode for the same purpose.

13 24. Why is the Center Line plotted as Continues line? Possible Cause 1 : Check the Plot Style Table in the Plot dialog box, confirm whether the setting of Center Line layer is Continues line. Possible Cause 2: The Linetype scale of the Center Line layer is not proper. Too large scale or too small scale may cause the line is plotted like Continues Line. 25. How to plot multiple drawing files into just one PDF file? Currently both ZWCAD+ and AutoCAD don t have this feature. User can take use of additional tool, or combine PDF files into one PDF file. Solution 1: Publish drawings as PDF files. Then use Adobe Acrobat to combine many PDF files as one PDF file. Solution 2: Install tool PDFfactory, in the Page Setup of the Drawing, select plotter as PDFFactory, then user can use Publish command to plot multiple drawing as one PDF file. 26. How to change the DPI of raster image for plotting? In th Plotter Configuration Editor, select Graphic -> Vertor Graphic, and there is a slide bar to adjust the DPI.

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