Printing pdf in NX3

[walkersea]

We use CutePDF Writer to produce pdfs for our various bits of software.

Until recently, we got good performance from NX3 by using print.. and using CutePDF set to the same size as the drawing. However, we've just installed some new PCs, and now the printing results in thick lines on some drawings.

Anyone out there had similar problems - I'm assuming there must be a switch somewhere, but we can't track it down.

Thanks.

 

[Xwheelguy]

I'd suggest using plot instead of print....but I suppose that's going to throw a monkey wrench into your operation, as most users are pretty resistant to change.

With that said, the only thing I can recall that you try is the following (which has been brought up several times, had you searched):

Go into your ugii_env.dat file & add the following line:

UGII_WMF_LINE_WIDTH_SCALE_FACTOR=.25

See if your PDF is now a little thinner with the line weights. If not, make the .25 smaller.

If that has no effect, then set up your print admin for a printer to output to file and render file then execute to grab the output file and convert to PDF. This should be covered in the documentation for plotting.

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

 

[walkersea]

Thanks Tim,

Yes, I'd tried the line width in the dat file, but no difference.

Have you got a step by step plot guide? The help file on NX3 is not very clear.

I think I've got a handle on the Plot.. dialogue window, but then the NX Print window comes up and I can't get from there to anything meaningful.

What printer output format should I use - tiff, jpeg, emf, cgm, png?

Let's say I use cgm - then hitting Print asks where to save, so do that - and nothing happens, I'm just back in the NX Print window. So I look at the queue and there in the print waiting to run. How do I get it to run?

Let's say I get the cgm or png file, how do I convert it to a pdf?

Thanks,

Greg Walker
Seamap (UK) Ltd

 

[Xwheelguy]

I'd suggest going to the GTAC website and using your Webkey account, login and go to Documentation -> NX3 and read ALL of the plotting guides on the website. There should be 3 of them: NX 3.0 Plotting FAQs, NX 3.0 Plotting Quick User's Guide and NX 3.0 Printing and Plotting.

If those are of no help, GTAC would be your best bet IMO, unless someone else with that experience decides to reply.

Here's what I did for our HP Laserjet 5000N, which uses PostScript to output a .ps file (which I then convert to PDF with Ghostscript/Ghostview freeware):

1. Start NX and open Print Admin.

2. Once you get to the Print Master-Print Admin dialog, click on the Models tab.

3. Select the SDI PSS model and save it as a new model. I then select that new model name and edit the Properties to what I want (paper sizes, quality, etc.)

4. Once I have the model finished, I click on the Printers tab and add the Printer by Paper Size (i.e. 8.5x11 postscript, 11x17 postscript). Be sure to specify the proper Initialization file and get your System Profile set the way you want.

5. Save everything and exit Print Admin. Open a part file and select the Plot icon.

6. I have preset my output to use Custom 3 Widths to control the line weights. You can play with those numbers and save them if you wish. When ready, click the Plot button to bring up the NX Print dialog.

7. Select the Printer/Output format pulldown and choose the Printer; under Output Options, select Print to File.

8. Make sure everything else is set the way you want (centering, scaling, etc.) then click the Print button.

9. NX will prompt for the save location for the .ps file, so map that out and name it accordingly....if you have a Distiller type function with watched folders for CutePDF, dump the .ps file there.

There is a method of using Render File then Execute to automatically create the PDF, but I am not familiar with that method.

Hope this helps.

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

 

[DavidTolsma]

PDF Creator available at

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

is an open source PDF creator. It creates a printer on your machine that you can print anything to including NX files. No need for distiller or any other 3rd Party applications.

PLM Exchange

http://plmexchange.net

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/NX_CAX/