Plotting

This area of the NRCS New York Engineering Web site provides information related to plotting Autodesk drawings.

Introduction - NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1

NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb is a Named Plot Style table used to control the plotted appearance of AutoCAD drawings. The table was developed by the New York State CADD Committee. This table is a .stb file that is added to the program, giving the user access to all NRCS-NY Standard Named Plot Styles.

All drawings available on this web site will use this plot style table. Occasionally, a drawing will be accompanied by a Named Plot Style Table that was developed specifically for that drawing. The drawing download link will indicate the use of an alternate Named Plot Style Table.

The Help feature in AutoCAD has a large amount of information on the topic of Named Plot Style Tables.

Update May 2007

A revised NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb has been released containing named plot styles that produce lineweights for text objects in accordance with the National Engineering Handbook (NEH) Part 641 Drafting and Drawings \ Chapter 1 - Computer Aided Design (CAD) Standards.

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Where do I save the NRCS-NY Named Plot Style Table 1 file?

Save the file to the folder shown below.

C:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application Data\Autodesk\Autodesk Land Desktop 2007\R17.0\enu\Plot Styles.

The path shown may vary depending on the version of Autodesk software you are operating.

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Download the NRCS-NY Standard Named Plot Style Table 1

This file requires AutoCAD.

NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 (STB; 3 KB)
Dated 4-19-07

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NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 additions, revisions and deletions

The NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb will be updated as named plot styles are added, revised or deleted. You should visit this page periodically to download the most recent version.

The table below shows the plot styles that have been recently added or revised. NRCS-NY drawings released prior to February 2007 will require reassignment of some layers to the new plot styles. As time permits, drawings released prior to February 2007 will be modified to use these current named plot styles.

New and revised named plot styles contained in NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb

Previous named plot style	New or revised named plot style	Applies to layer
Text-Label@.010	Text-Label@.007	ty_t_label
Text-Note@.010	Text-Note@.007	ty_t_note
	Text-Subtitle@.010	ty_t_subtitle
Text-Title@.015	Text-Title@.014	ty_t_title
Text-Rbar	Text-Label-Rbar@.007	ty_t_label_rbar
Text-Wire	Text-Label-Wire@.007	ty_t_label_wire

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Color Dependent Plot Style Tables (.ctb)

A Color Dependent Plot Style Table allows the user to specify the color, lineweight, line type, screening, and other plotting properties that objects of a specific color will have when plotted. Therefore, if yellow is used for intermediate contours and note text, both will be plotted at the same color and lineweight that has been set for objects colored yellow. It will not matter if the objects are on different layers. Yellow will always produce the same plotted output. This is not acceptable if you want the intermediate contours to be plotted lightly while the text is plotted heavier.

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Named Plot Style Tables (.stb)

A Named Plot Style Table allows the user to specify the color, lineweight, linetype, screening, and other plotting properties regardless of the layer or object color.

Most users have their own preferences for the colors of objects on the screen, including the screen background color. Named Plot Styles give the user the flexibility to assign any color to a layer, yet plot the objects a different color and lineweight than objects of the same color on another layer. Therefore, if you like to use yellow for the intermediate contours and yellow for text, they can both be plotted in black with differing lineweights by assigning different Named Plot Styles to their layers.

The Named Plot Style method provides the freedom of choice of colors to users whose ability to view certain colors may be impaired or experience eye fatigue from the use of certain colors on a black or white background.

NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table contains many plot styles. For ease of selection, the names of some plot styles reflect their intended use. The purpose of this is to provide users, especially new ones, with some obvious choices when assigning a plot style to layer. In many cases the lineweight and it's purpose is included in the plot style name.

All plot styles are set to plot in black with the exception of As Built, which plots in red. There are no plans at this time to develop a Named Plot Style Table for colored plotting.

This document requires Adobe Reader.

Named Plot Style settings (PDF; 55 KB)

Named Plot Style descriptions and recommended uses (PDF; 114 KB)

Examples of lineweights and screened solid hatch (PDF; 17 KB)

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Which plotting method is my drawing using?

To determine which plotting method your drawing uses, open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. If it is Color Dependent (.ctb), the plot style column will be inactive and the color of the layer will be shown. If the drawing uses Named Plot Styles (.stb), the plot style column will display the name of the plot style assigned to the layer. Clicking in the plot style column displays the Select Plot Style dialog box. A list of available plot styles is shown in the Active plot style table pull down list.

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Converting the plotting method of a drawing from Color Dependent Plot Style to Named Plot Style

Occasionally, you may need to convert a drawing from the .ctb to .stb method of plotting, or visa versa. The file below is installed in Autodesk and used to convert between the two plotting methods.

Save the convert ctb to stb file to the folder shown below.

C:\Documents and Settings\your.name\Application Data\Autodesk\Autodesk Land Desktop 2007\R17.0\enu\Plot Styles

The path shown may vary depending on the version of Autodesk software you are operating.

This file requires AutoCAD.

convert ctb to stb (STB; 1 KB)

To convert a drawing from the .ctb to .stb method of plotting, follow these steps:

1. At the command line, type convertpstyles.
   
   

2. A message appears indicating which type of conversion will take place.
   
   

3. Click OK.
   
   

4. In the Select File dialog box, select convert_ctb_to_stb.
   
   

5. Click OK.
   
   

6. The command line will respond by telling you the drawing has been converted.
   
   

7. Select a Named Plot Style Table you want to use for the drawing.

Note: If the convert ctb to stb plot style table does not appear in Select File dialog box, this means the .stb file has not been placed in the correct location. Check to make sure you have saved the file in the correct location.

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Making the NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 the default Named Plot Style Table

To assign the NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 as the default, follow these steps:

1. From the main menu bar, select Tools, and then Options (or type Options or Preferences at the command line).
   
   

2. In the Options dialog box, select the Plot and Publish tab.
   
   

3. Select the Plot Style Table Settings button.
   
   

4. In the Plot Styles Table Settings dialog box, make the following selections:

• Default plot behavior for new drawings - Use named plot styles

• Default plot style table - NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb

• Default plot style for Layer 0 - Normal

• Default plot style for objects - Bylayer

Note: No objects should be drawn on Layer 0

Note: If the NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 does not appear in the pull-down window, this means the .stb file has not been placed in the correct location. Named Plot Style Tables (.stb) are saved in the folder shown below.

C:\Documents and Settings\your.name\Application Data\Autodesk\Autodesk Land Desktop 2007\R17.0\enu\Plot Styles.

The path shown may vary depending on the version of Autodesk software you are operating.

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Applying the NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1.stb to a drawing

1. Open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.
   
   

2. Select the Plot Style column of a layer.
   
   

3. In the Select Plot Style dialog box, select NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 from the Active plot style table pull down window.
   
   

4. Click OK.
   
   

5. Select a plot style from the Select Plot Style dialog box to be assigned to the selected layer.

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Simultaneously assign a plot style to several layers

A plot style can be assigned to several layers by using one of Windows methods of multiple selection.

1. Open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.
   
   

2. Select the Name column of the first layer to assign the plot style to.
   
   

3. Use the Shift-Left Click method to select any number of contiguous layer names.
   
   

4. Use the Ctrl-Left Click method to select layers individually. The order in which they are selected does not matter.
   
   

5. Once all layers are highlighted, select the Plot Style column of any selected layer.
   
   

6. In the Select Plot Style dialog box, select NRCS-NY Standard Plot Style Table 1 from the Active plot style table pull down window.
   
   

7. Click OK.
   
   

8. Select a plot style from the Select Plot Style dialog box to assign to the selected layers.
   

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Modifying the plotted lineweight of dimension lines, extension lines and leaders

1. From the AutoCAD main menu bar, select Format, and then Dimension Style.
   
   

2. In the Dimension Style Manager dialog box, select the dimension style to modify.
   
   

3. Select the Modify button.
   
   

4. Select the Lines tab.
   
   

5. In the Dimension lines area, set the lineweight value to .007.
   
   

6. In the Extension lines area, set the lineweight value to .005.
   
   

7. Click OK.
   
   

8. In the Dimension Style Manager dialog box, select the Close button.

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If you have an operating procedure or tip that you would like to share with other users via this Web site, you may contact Gary Vandawalker.
 

Contact Information

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Peter E. Wright
Syracuse, New York
Telephone: 315-477-6538