Print and PDF resolution from shaded views

[Thomas Holm]

I'm tryng to create a high-quality PDF from a 3D view in Archicad 7v3, OSX 10.3.3.

It's a 3D cutaway (not photorendering) in Analytic hidden line and shaded mode, with contours set at Best, vectorial 3D hatching and Transparency On, and Vectorial Sun Shadows on all surfaces with Contours Off, Line Weight Thick, and Background Single Color.

I find that I can't get the quality I got in December, when I was still on 10.2.8. I've got one PDF left from then, which is a similar view so I can compare directly. This PDF is completely vectorial, no rasters, and prints and displays prefectly (while a little slowly - you know the on-screen effect when it looks like surface after surface is overlaid until finished).

What happens now is that some surfaces, namely transparent ones (glass etc) get rasterized when printed (or when saved as PDF) from Archicad. I can't find how to get back the same quality as before.

I don't think this is an Archicad issue, because I _think_ the only difference in my setup is that I'm on Panther now. Before, when on Jaguar, I used to have Adobe Reader as the print preview viewer, but this doesn't seem to work anymore. I don't know where that setting is stored either.

However, I'm not sure that the Preview setting is the fundamental issue here. What I really need is to get at the parameters controlling what is rasterized when printing shaded views from Archicad. Anybody knows more?

Thanks,

Thomas

[Thomas Holm]

Just thought I'd add a screen dump that shows the issue. Both pdfs opened in Adobe Reader 6.0.1 in Panther OSX10.3.3 and viewed at about 400% magnification. They also both fairly well show the results I get when I print.

The one on the left shows the "correct" rendering, made in December. It prints and displays nicely now too, it's just that I can't reproduce it!

The one on the right shows the results I'm getting now. Transparent materials, like glass, are rasterized, causing all sorts of troubles, moirées, bad details. Also, the pdf files get big because they are no longer completely vector defined.

Help!

[Anonymous]

Thomas,

I assume you are referring to the awful bitmap fill that is being used to simulate partial transparency. If you turn your glass to 100% transparent this goes away. It would be nice for AC to support transparency in fills (and graduated fills would be cool too).

[Thomas Holm]

Du you mean THAT'S what I did in december? Without remembering? Of course I've realized Alzheimer's approaching, but I didn't think it was that close...

You don't happen to know some global override I might have used? I have no recollection that I played with the delivered materials. But when I scrutinize the left screen dump (above) of course there is no discernible tint to the glass.

You see, in this image even the grass is transparent. I used transparency to show different stages of site development. And there is no rasterization there, in the old pdf, but there is now...

[Anonymous]

As far as I know this ugly fill for transparency in shading is a new "feature", at least I don't recall ever seeing it before 8.0 (or 8.1?).

[Thomas Holm]

Matthew,

I just want to say that you're worth your weight in gold! I'm sorry I'm not wealthy enough to send it to you, but I'll O U forever!

You were absolutley right - increasing "transmittance" to 100% for the Glass material solved the issue. While I still don't have the slightest recollection of it, this is what I must have done in December. I guess I'll have to consult a shrink! (As usual, it was a hurry night-job, and I guess I pulled all the levers I found without taking too many notes).

Before I got your suggestion, I wasted hours and hours and reams of paper trying to solve this. I was convinced it was a system or PPD issue, since I could not find any change I'd made to the Archicad config. I was wrong. Now I'm getting exquisite prints and PDFs with Panther's system tools, doing what you suggested.

BTW, If Then Software's PDF U utility is a good addition if you create PDFs a lot <http://www.ifthensoft.com/index2.html>

Just one small issue left - it seems the printouts I get from the PDFs are a little less color saturated than when I print directly from Archicad. No idea why, but not important.

And - this is no new issue. As you can see from my signature, I still haven't scraped together the funds necessesary for an Archicad upgrade. I have to convince my partners, which is a significant task.

Thanks a lot!

Thomas