Plotting multiple drawings 5

[CDH]

I have been messing with the EBATCHP to try and plot multiple drawings and it's a little cumbersome, but it seems like it would work ok. The only problem is that I want to be able to plot all of my drawings to files, and the program is trying to send them automatically to the plotter.
So what I am looking for is a utility of some sort that will go through a list of drawings that I select, open one, determine the scale, plot to limits at correct scale, close and go on to the next one. This is basically what I do manually now, and it would be nice to just sit back and let it work on it's own. The drawings are always setup correctly and just need to be plotted to limits on an "E" size sheet and the correct scale.
Does anybody have anything like this or any ideas on how or what I would need to do to make something. I know a bit of AUTOLISP, but I'm not sure if that's the answer or not.

 

[tigrek]

There were some points of uncertainty, discussed in thread:

ACAD2K Batch Plot Utility

regarding what the plot scale should be based on. We could not agree on that.

if you have a practical suggestion for this point, it might be feasible to write a VBA macro.

 

[CDH]

Well, with our drawings whatever the dimscale is set to would work. For example, with some of our lisp routines, the routine determines the dimscale (getvar "dimscale&quot and inserts a block using that scale. I think this would be the way to do it, in my case anyway. Although, a paperspace drawing might not work correctly, at least for other people. For us, the way we PS is by referencing a large plan into sheets to plot, we do our work in another file not the PS drawing. So the dimscale would be set to 1 and it would work fine.

 

[tigrek]

I tested my VBA batchplot routine right now on the asample drawings of Acad2000- here are the complications:

In some drawings, no windows plotter is configured.
In others, layout names are asked - all layouts? model space? etc.

Therefore, here is my compromise, downloadable from

http://www.homescript.com/autocad/acadbatch.zip

This VBA macro processes all the drawings in the directory of the drawing from which you start this macro
and for each drawing once, interfaces with
update.scr
which must be in that same directory.

You may plot one drawing manually, after setting the filedia to 0
If the dialog still opens, start plotting with
(command "plot&quot
from the command line.
Note the steps, write them into the script file (Update.scr)
and then try this batch macro

To be loaded once, from Acad Menu->Tools->Macro->Load Project

The command is something like

UpdateAllDrawings

It should plot if the plot commands in the Update.scr are OK for all drawings - it will skip few that are problematic.

If you try, please let us know how it goes.

Sincerely

http://www.homescript.com

 

[knobhead]

The way I find easiest to do things like this, is to use a neat little program called Scripteeze. It's a program that opens an acad drawing, runs a script file, and then closes it again, and it will do this on as many drawings as you like, in turn, automatically. I mainly use it for batch plotting, or when I've got some mindless repetitive job on a few hundred drawings. You just fire it up, kick back and drink coffee while it does all the work. You have to write yourself a little script first of course, but its very easy. If you get stuck with it the guy who wrote it, Erik, is very cool about helping you out. The URL is

http://www.xanadu-limited.com/scripteeze

Its a LOT easier than messing around with Vba or lisp.

 

[tigrek]

Ok folks, that is one task less.

http://www.xanadu-limited.com/scripteeze

has really done it.

Well found, Kno - you get a star from me for this!

 

[IJR]

Tigrek

Thanx for the great inputs. And CDH for turning things on

respects
IJR

 

[CDH]

I've been a way for a few days and I come back to some great info. Thanks everyone. I am going to check out the scripteeze and see if that will work for me (it sounds like it will)
Thanks again