Color to Lineweight

[Madriver]

As I posted in my layer thread, is there any way in Chief 9.5 or X ver to assign color to a lineweight, either within the layer or the layout?

Thanks
Bob

[Tim Schrock]

If I read your question correctly, No. What I have done is created my layers with the correct color and lineweight definitions, then you draw your objects on that layer. HTH.

[Madriver]

thanks

as I posted in my layer to lineweight thread, I am trying to figure out a way to universally translate line weight between ACad and Chief. In AC I can assign a color to a lineweight. If I could do this in Chief it solve the problem.

Bob

[Dan Park]

In Chief Color is Color and line weight is line weight. The idea of mixing these two separate ideas dates back to the days of the pen plotter when users started using different line weight pens in different color slots for the pen plotter. This caught on for AutoCAD users but is really a hack to get around the ability of these old plotters to change line weight.

With modern printers and plotters this is no longer needed but is still used by some AutoCAD users.

If you set your line weights and colors to the same settings as AutoCAD then when you export it will use the AutoCAD color number which you can then use to assign line weight or you can set the line weight properly and if you want it to be a certain color then use that color.

In 11.4 a change in our export broke the AutoCAD color export table because we wrongly assumed that most users of AutoCAD were now using line weights independently of color (in fact I think most are but a few still use the old method of changing color to specify line weight) - we plan on having this back in 11.5 but in all other versions of Chief this should work fine.

[Madriver]

AC allows you to set up plot configurations with assigned lineweight or specific to a color, it is this flexability that I am looking for. If Chief would allow a color to be assigned a lineweight, then the translation of line weight would work. Chief translates the AC colors fairly well. Chief does not translate the lineweight attribute unles done manually.

Bob

[Dan Park]

Make sure when you import you map drawing layers to Chief layers by name and check the option to import all layer attributes.

See image

[Madriver]

Make sure when you import you map drawing layers to Chief layers by name and check the option to import all layer attributes.

See image

I don't see the "Map Drawing Layers to Chief layers by name" in ver 9.5? I have "Map drawing layers to consecutive Chief layers"


Bob

[Dan Park]

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/shop/

[Madriver]

http://www.chiefarchitect.com/shop/

what does this mean? Is the option in a different version?

[WHirsch]

LOL, it's a not too subtle hint that you need to upgrade to get what you're looking for.

The newer versions don't have plot style tables either, but the layerset variables, available in V10 and XI allow accomplishment of most of that, in a fairly elegant manner. The lineweight control in XI is much improved as well, and has much better compatibility with other cad.

[Madriver]

LOL, it's a not too subtle hint that you need to upgrade to get what you're looking for.

The newer versions don't have plot style tables either, but the layerset variables, available in V10 and XI allow accomplishment of most of that, in a fairly elegant manner. The lineweight control in XI is much improved as well, and has much better compatibility with other cad.

Thanks Warren

If I were looking for typical Inet noob posting I would stay in my usual hangouts. I thought a Chief rep would at least try and answer questions straight up. Anyway, thanks for an honest answer. Have you tried importing layers and attributes in XI? I have set up Chief with identical layering as my ACAD dwgs. Everything translates except lineweight. Does XI allow you to assign lineweight to a color?

Thanks

Bob

[Dan Park]

I did a bit of research to help me understand this whole color = line weight thing and found this interesting article contrasting the two methods.

Basically what I got out of it was that if you are AutoCAD only and are not sharing with other applications you can continue to use the old Color Plot Styles.

If you are communicating with other cad applications then use a Named Plot Style. Chief has always worked more like the Named Plot Styles and it seems that this would be the best way to communcate between the two applications.

http://www.cadmasters.com/techsupp/acad/pltstyle.html

[Madriver]

I did a bit of research to help me understand this whole color = line weight thing and found this interesting article contrasting the two methods.

Basically what I got out of it was that if you are AutoCAD only and are not sharing with other applications you can continue to use the old Color Plot Styles.

If you are communicating with other cad applications then use a Named Plot Style. Chief has always worked more like the Named Plot Styles and it seems that this would be the best way to communcate between the two applications.

http://www.cadmasters.com/techsupp/acad/pltstyle.html

So Chief uses named plotstyles? Your answer will work if the other CAD user has both Chief and ACAD. He can then plot using the ACAD plot style and plot the Chief file in ACAD. However, I want to plot and use Chief, so will ACAD plotstyles work in Chief? I don't see this capability, is it in the plotter setup?

Bob

[WendyWelton]

When you bring your layers in from autocad, they should keep their assigned color if you check that box in the import dbx. In Chief, sort your layers by color, group select layers of the same color, change their lineweight to match the acad color/pen setting, and change the color to black if you wish. I do it all the time.

[Madriver]

When you bring your layers in from autocad, they should keep their assigned color if you check that box in the import dbx. In Chief, sort your layers by color, group select layers of the same color, change their lineweight to match the acad color/pen setting, and change the color to black if you wish. I do it all the time.

o.k

so I will need to do this everytime I import from AC? I have over 150 layers and 20 typical colors.

thanks
Bob