saving plotmaker files as dwg files

[Anonymous]

How do I save a Plotmaker layout file as a dwg file? I used to be able to do this easily with earlier versions of Plotmaker. I am currently using Version 9 and I cannot figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Now you have to publish it; there is no longer a Save As... > DWG.

Go to File > Publish, create a publisher set and set the file type to DWG.

[Haneef Tayob]

The quick and easy way of publishing to AutoCad and other formats has really been one of the best features of Archicad and plotmaker.

Anyone know if Plotmaker can create Autcad plotstyle files when publishing to .dwg format? I've been searching for it and quite sure it doesn't exists.

Would be great if it could, especially when you need to export files with lines set as hairlines. I often find that drawings I convert are printed really badly by other consultants, where they set all line thicknesses as one type, etc. Being able to produce a plotstyle file will improve this.

[TomWaltz]

Haneef wrote:
The quick and easy way of publishing to AutoCad and other formats has really been one of the best features of Archicad and plotmaker.

Anyone know if Plotmaker can create Autcad plotstyle files when publishing to .dwg format? I've been searching for it and quite sure it doesn't exists.

Would be great if it could, especially when you need to export files with lines set as hairlines. I often find that drawings I convert are printed really badly by other consultants, where they set all line thicknesses as one type, etc. Being able to produce a plotstyle file will improve this.

Archicad and Plotmaker do not deal with AutoCAD CTB or STB pen table files in any way. It would be really nice if it did, but I suspect those file formats are not available through OpenDWG or any other source.

[Stress Co_]

I sometimes convert Plotmaker drawings to DWG's for consultants, but a problem has been the scale translation.

For a drawing in Plotmaker at 1/4" scale,
the "Value of 1 DXF/DWG Drawing Unit in ArchiCAD" is 0.0208 inches

The drawings "almost" scale correctly in Autocad, but they are off by a very small factor. I think it is because the DXF-DWG translation Setup rounds to two decimal places?

Small.... but it makes a difference.

[Anonymous]

Just some teaser info:

One of the benefits of PM being integrated into AC 10 is that when you publish a layout you get "real" dwg data. In PlotMaker all drawings were really PMK equivalents. That is to say that everything was dumbed down to simple elements like lines, arcs, fills, text. For example, exporting a dwg from plotmaker would effectively explode dimension strings, etc.

In AC 10 this is no longer the case.

[Gerald Hoffman]

Eric,

Just wondering as a purchaser of your template for AC 9 if your AC 10 template will be a full price upgrade or will we be getting a break?

[Anonymous]

Hi Gerald,

Yes there is a discount for existing users. Please check my website for specifics.

Thanks,

[Haneef Tayob]

Eric wrote:
One of the benefits of PM being integrated into AC 10 is that when you publish a layout you get "real" dwg data. In PlotMaker all drawings were really PMK equivalents. That is to say that everything was dumbed down to simple elements like lines, arcs, fills, text. For example, exporting a dwg from plotmaker would effectively explode dimension strings, etc.

Very true. I've seen cases where custom fills convert very differently from plotmaker. On one consultants cad program, circular columns opened up as diamond shaped columns. A direct export from ArchiCad 9 solved the problem.

I was initially not too pleased with Graphisofts decision to integrate Plotmaker into ArchiCad10. Having read more about it and thinking of the issues more carefully, I'm looking forward to using the new version.

[Anonymous]

One thing I noticed about Archicad 10 "smart" translator is that I didn't get the annoying shx message that I get every time I import a DWG and have to select "ignore all". I haven't searched through to locate the setting related to this, but it will be worth modifying your translators. A bit off topic, but I just noticed this and thought I would mention it.