plot maker is awful

[Anonymous]

plot maker is the most awful program.... do i have to use it? is there something else... it's so frastrating and slow i've spent half my time setup drawings in plot maker, some times more time then to do the archicad drawing.. the commands do work the same etc... i think it would be quicker and easyier to use autcad in replacement of plot maker....

What do other people use.

[Anonymous]

plot maker is the most awful program.... do i have to use it? is there something else... it's so frastrating and slow i've spent half my time setup drawings in plot maker, some times more time then to do the archicad drawing.. the commands do work the same etc... i think it would be quicker and easyier to use autcad in replacement of plot maker....

What do other people use.

Question number ...
1) what version are U referring to - 5.0?
2) have U done any training (= are you using PM correctly)?
3) are you sure you want to convert to ArchiCAD?

because ...
What are U expecting from a CAD program?
Dumb 2D drawings where you have to copy and paste to get any elevation and section information at all but with a "fast" print layout

or ...
an object intelligent 3D program that automatically gives U the 3D info (and calculations if needed) in any view but might be a bit "trickier" to do paper layouts in if no user training has been adapted?

In the scenarios above - where would U save the most time (again, with a bit of tutoring maybe)?
Hmmm, tough one ...

[Aussie John]

dbroughton you havent indicated any detail of your system/ version etc so you arent likely to get many useful responses.
Personally i find plotmaker good and i am using it on a below minimum spec machine

[Anonymous]

You made some good points but PM is just not fast enough for me... trying to grab the grip points, the images moving around inside the frame.. images not increasing in size when i stretch the frames.. commands and functions being different from standard archicad... lines not meeting up and going nuts on my title block drawing which i inserted from archicad.. not having setups save as per what i did last time.... maybe i do need training.... again... but i think that a great program like archicad should have a better less frustrating program then plot maker running the show, with so few options.

I did an experiment I drew the initial 3d drawings etc in archicad a used Autocad in replacement for plot maker it was 1/2 to 3/4 faster for a better result... it was eaiser more pricise... and i wasn't panicking to get my next job out... I xreffed the drawing into autocad in five seconds.. size raster images to size straight away... and easily noted my sections etc.

dale

[Anonymous]

plot maker 9 is awful

[TomWaltz]

You have to remember, Plotmaker is made for
(A) laying out Viewports
(B) Filling out Reference Markers
(C) Numbering Sheets in order and/or by subset
(D) Plotting them out.

It's lovely that you can XREF a single drawing into Autocad faster than you could with Plotmaker, but how long does it take you to plot a 50-sheet set? How long do you spend filling out reference bubbles? How long would it take you to insert a sheet in the set, renumber the affected sheets, and correct the reference markers to refer the the new location?

Sounds to me like you need to learn a little more before you display your ignorance for the masses. Anyone can blame the software for their lack of ability instead of learning how to use it. This kind of atttitude towards learning and improvement could explain why you are looking for work.

While I agree Plotmaker needs a lot of improvement, it is excellent at what it does, even if that is ALL it does.

[Anonymous]

dbroughton wrote:
plot maker 9 is awful

You must be using a different program than I am, because I find plotmaker to be quite a good layout program. It has it's quirks, but have someone show you how it is intended to be used and you will never turn back.

[Dwight]

Now that the Waltz/Hann tag team has kicked that whiny guy's ass-umption,

the big advantage to Plotmaker, regardless of quirks flaws, etc, is the second project - once you have synchronized your ArchiCAD template for a given building type with the Plotmaker template.

Then the links all work and update when you change the project.

Ba doo ba ding.

Slogan if they ever need to market Plotmaker, which they won't: "Plotmaker: It's a PLOT!"

[Djordje]

dbroughton wrote:
You made some good points but PM is just not fast enough for me...
///
I did an experiment I drew the initial 3d drawings etc in archicad a used Autocad in replacement for plot maker it was 1/2 to 3/4 faster for a better result... it was eaiser more pricise... and i wasn't panicking to get my next job out... I xreffed the drawing into autocad in five seconds.. size raster images to size straight away... and easily noted my sections etc.

You did list all your gripes that objectively do exist in PlotMaker.

But, try to do the following in AutoCAD:

- automatically number all the sheets
- do the whole project in one file
- import DWF
- print to PDF without buying additional software
- open the same AutoCAD drawing on a different machine and find your placed images
- overlay as many drawings as you like, changing pens and colors and whatnot
- ...

Now again a quote from Murphy's Law:

- Everything works better if you switch it on
- Computers never do what we want, only what we tell them to do

As Miyamoto Musashi once said, you should study this.

[Stress Co_]

Dwight wrote:
"Plotmaker: It's a PLOT!"

Ahh, the Plot thickens........