AutoCAD Color Tricks for B/W prints

Well, most engineering companies plot using CTB files for autoCAD. And typically companies will use a CTB file that will produce prints in black & white. But there are times when a user will want to use color. And yes, you can then create a color CTB, or modify the b/w CTB file being used. But I offer another option for those wanting to use color hatching or linework. How can i get color lines or filled hatches while using a black & white CTB?

METHOD 1... DWF

Here is a sample drawing printed using the monochrome CTB file.. My sample output file could be PDF, or DWF, or a hard copy print sent to a color printer.

I've decided to have a couple lines in color.. i dont want to modify the CTB file for printing. I'll add a couple rev clouds, but it could be any linework you want to stand out. Markup info, etc.
So i threw on a couple rev clouds on a seperate layer and then isolated the layer...

Plot it to DWF making sure you do NOT use a CTB style to print it.


now attach the DWF back into the drawing.

Doesn't look any different except for showing the frame of the DWF.

Funny thing about DWF attachments is that it bahaves alot more like an image attachment then attaching a drawing. So go to the properties of the dwf and make sure that "monochrome" is set to "NO".

now print or publish normaly. You'll see my new print has everything set to black using the monochrome CTB.

But the DWF attached info is printing out in color!

METHOD 2... GRADIENTS!

This method is good for hatches and doesn't require plotting and attaching a DWF file. I've decided to add a red solid hatch at the bottom of the drawing.

You can see the result if I just use a standard autocad layer and plot using the monochrome CTB file.

What i'll do now, is edit the hatch and use a gradient instead.

Open the hatch editor, and select gradient, 2 color mode... when picking the colors, you can either use the true color settings or even pick the same autocad index color to give it a solid color.

I picked color 1 (RED) for both of the colors in the gradient window.

save the changes and go plot to your monochrome CTB file. The result? Color output using the monochrome CTB, without need for adjusting pens, etc.

Easy DWF sharing

Over the years, I've been patiently waiting for Autodesk to take DWF sharing to a higher level. At first, they were gearing DWF to be the PDF replacement. Now they've taken DWF to be more as part of an information/design workflow tool, and not so much as a publishing format. I have to say DWF has come a long way, but sharing DWF with those that don't have a viewer has always been a bit of pain. Yes, you could send them the link to www.autodesk.com/dwfviewer but for some reason, Autodesk insists on making a user fill out a form to download the dwfviewer. (what's the emoticon for annoyed?)

On the plus side for DWF users, Autodesk has been doing the right moves to promote the file format. First, they enhanced the viewer and made it have more features than the free PDF reader. Then they made the enhanced viewer free (Design Review 2008). Now, they give users a way to share DWF on the web to users that don't want to install the viewer. A smart move, because the need is there. Casual users don't want to download a 30MB viewer to view a 10kb file. In the past, I was looking for a way to convert DWF to SWF. Almost everybody uses flash now. But with the power of AJAX, Autodesk has a neat way to share DWF files to non-technical users. This is what autodesk's new service, FREEWHEEL, is all about. Check out the samples from AutoDesk's site.