.plt file assist (asap)

I have created a plt file from a drawing. However when I open the plt
file (with hummingbird or anything) the dimension lines are there but
no text. There is also part of the title block missing. I have never
had this problem in the past. This is causing major headache as I need
to get the drawing uploaded to an ftp site. Is there a fix for this or
does anyone know another way to convert .dwg to .plt files? We are
using CAD 2002.

Also, I would like to find a program which opens .plt files,
preferably freeware so I can post it around the other designers.

Thanks for any help.
Lee Davison

 

It may have something to do with the driver that is being used to
generate the .plt files. Some plot file drivers are not able to handle
True Type Fonts. You could:
try different print driver
or
replace or redefine the text styles that use true type fonts with styles
using native AutoCAD .shp file type fonts.

I would recommend the latter.
K.

There are a few .plt file viewers out there
some of these migh work... but I dont thing that many of them are freeware:
http://www.nuclear-diagnostics.com/Computers/CAD_and_CAM/Viewers/

these appear to be freeware:
http://nslsweb.nsls.bnl.gov/nsls/org/ElecSys/RFsystems/VUV/Studies/hpglviewers.htm

Although it appears that the CERN HP-GL viewer now requires a liscence:
http://service-hpglview.web.cern.ch/service-hpglview/hpglviewer.html

Splot looks like your best bet though:
http://www.swplot.com/

 

Thankyou for the reply Mr Anderson ;o)

Truth told its a little over my head. (im not daft or inexperienced but in
my job these things were always sorted by an IT guy so we could just churn
out the drawings, unfortunately hes gone so we're all learning...)
Can you help with the following?
1) How do I change a printer driver?
2) Ive looked on the format / text styles list of fonts and I cant see any
..shp files. There are .shx files and some that do not have an extension -
are these the .shp files?

I really am grateful for the viewer links, I looked for two hours the other
day and didnt find anything. Hopefully I can get this .plt file thing sorted
out and get the damn thing uploaded onto the ftp site. It'll be a huge
weight off my shoulders to be sure.
Thanks again,
Lee

 

Hi Lee,
Autocad uses the windows system printers.
So, if you need another driver, be sure to have the printer properly
installed in windows.
Secondly, autocad uses so called PC3 files.
In these you configure the printer for use in autocad.
You can create a new autocad printer from within autocad.
Take a look at File-Plottermanager, this thing wil generate your PC3 file.

Choeck out if there are no layers set to NO-PLOT.
What plotter do you use?

Jan

 

Here a free viewer also with support of HPGL / HPGL2 / HP-RTL ....

http://www.tgsoft.ch/English/Bitview.htm


Regards
Toni

 

We use mainly a HP 750C colour plotter for drawings and a HP Laserjet 4000
for A4 copies.
We did have a bit of progress today with the .plt file thing. It seems to
show any fonts that were in romans so just to get the thing done, I went
through and changed the text styles and dimensions styles so they are all
romans. Unfortunately we are supposed to be using set linetypes, text styles
and layers but im hoping the recipient wont notice ive had to alter them.
(It should be all ariel)

Regards
Lee

 

check fine SPLOT too: http://www.swplot.com/splot.htm

N.

 

Another way to do it is to set up the printer in the windows printer files.
I have a
Hewlett Packard 750C+ Printer, and in the windows setup (shortcut to
printers), I can configure five printer setups. I select the correct paper
size in the setup (printer preferences), then use the default printer when I
plot. Maybe I should be using the PC3 system, but I found the above method
very easy. When I want to print to another printer, I make that printer the
default printer, then print to the default printer in AutoCAD. No problems.