Help Center

Plot Preview

The right part of Page Setup and Plot dialogs is the window for preview of the specified plot setups.

Change of plot setups is dynamically displaed in the preview window.

The preview window provides two options for displaying the specified plot area: schematic (simplified) and normal, in which the plot setting is displayed in the view it will be output to the plot device.

Conventions in schematic (simplified) preview:

Dashed line – the plot area boundaries for the selected plot device and specified paper format.

Numbers – size of the specified paper format and indentations to the plot boundary. Indentations from the paper edge to the plot boundaries depend on the selected plot device.

Blue hatch and letter A – location and orientation of the specified plot area on the page.

Red line – warning that the specified plot area is outside the plot margins.

CAD drafting Plot Preview 0

CAD software Plot Preview 1

The icon with printer image (in schematic symbol in preview window) that displays the positioning of the specified plot area on a paper page. The arrow shows the direction of paper exit at plotting.

Switching of schematic symbol in the preview window to a normal one and vice versa is carried out by selecting/removing Preview checkbox, located above the preview window; the information about the specified paper format is also displayed here:

CAD drawing Plot Preview 2

 

CAD drafting Plot Preview 3

attention! For a layout that does not have an assigned plotter, preview is not available.

Options of the preview dialog box (for normal view):

CAD software Plot Preview 4

Zoom all

Button to display the whole specified plot area in the preview window.

CAD drawing Plot Preview 5

Zoom 1:1

Button to display the specified plot area at a scale of 1:1.

CAD drafting Plot Preview 6

Zoom in

Button to zoom in the image in the preview window.

CAD software Plot Preview 7

Zoom out

Button to zoom out the image in the preview window.

 

 

 

Additional options displayed for a multipage plot:

CAD drawing Plot Preview 8

First page

Button to display the first page of a plot set in the preview window.

CAD drafting Plot Preview 9

Previous page

Button to display the previous page of a plot set in the preview window.

CAD software Plot Preview 10

Next page

Button to display the next page of a plot set in the preview window.

CAD drawing Plot Preview 11

Last page

Button to display the last page of a plot set in the preview window.

 

CAD drafting Plot Preview 12

Displays the number of the page viewed in the preview window, and the total number of pages of the plot set.

It is possible to zoom and pan an image in the preview window by a mouse after clicking inside the window:

·         to zoom an image – rotate the mouse wheel.

·         to pan an image – move the mouse with the left or right button pressed and held, as well as with a mouse wheel.

A separate Plot Preview dialog box with normal view of the plot set can be opened from:

CAD software Plot Preview 13    Ribbon: Output – Plot > CAD drawing Plot Preview 14 Preview

CAD drafting Plot Preview 15    Menu: File – CAD software Plot Preview 16Preview…

CAD drawing Plot Preview 17    Toolbar: Main – CAD drafting Plot Preview 18

CAD software Plot Preview 19 Hot keys: CTRL+F2

CAD drawing Plot Preview 20 Command line: PREVIEW

In the Batch plot dialog box, the Plot preview is opened by Preview button.

The possibility of quick plot of the content using the Plot button is added to the parameters of the preview window in the Plot Preview dialog box:

CAD drafting Plot Preview 21

Plot

The button to plot.

When plotting individual files (with rich graphics, a large number of viewports, etc.) the message “Not enough memory to create preview” can appear in the preview window. In this case it is necessary to change the setting in the Print preview mode settings section (Graphic settings item of the Options dialog box).

By default, the Metafile (WMF) parameter is set:

CAD software Plot Preview 22

Modifying and Adding the Paper Formats

The composition of paper formats list of the Paper size and orientation section in Plot and Page Setup dialog boxes depends on formats specified in the Papers section of Options dialog (the Tools menu– Options). In the same section it is possible to change the existing paper format or create a new one.

To edit the list of paper formats:

     

1.    Enter the Papers section of the Options dialog box.

2.    Set the label of formats that should be displayed in the list:

CAD drawing Plot Preview 23

To add a new paper format:

     

1.    Select the Papers section name of the Options dialog box. To create a new paper format based on the existing one, select the required format in the section list.

2.    Click the Add button.

3.    In the opened Add paper format dialog box:

·        specify the new format name;

·        select the measurement units;

·        enter the values of format width and height;

·        if necessary, set size of the internal frame: set the Internal frame mark and specify the values of margins from the format edge in the Frame margins section:

 

CAD drafting Plot Preview 24

note: The plot area sizes are set depending on the specific plot device used, as they are determined by the plot device manufacturer.

 

note: When setting the paper size, it is necessary to consider the minimum and maximum acceptable sizes for the specific plot device used, which are also determined by the plot device manufacturer.

4.    Click OK to close the dialog box.

5.    Click OK to close the Options dialog box.

To modify a paper format:

     

1.    Enter the Papers section of the Options dialog box.

2.    Select the format to be modified.

3.    Click the Modify button.

4.    In the opened Modify paper format dialog box, repeat actions of 3-5 items from the previous section. You should not change the format name.

The newly created paper formats are displayed in the Paper size and orientation drop-down list in the Plot and Page Setup dialog boxes after selecting a specific plot device.

attention! The paper formats for which the specified sizes are more or less than those acceptable for a specific plot device are not displayed in the Paper size and orientation list for this device.

Editing the List of Paper Formats

The content of the drop-down list for selecting paper formats of the Paper size and orientation section in the Plot and Page Setup dialog boxes can be edited.

The CAD software Plot Preview 25 Filter paper button of the Paper size and orientation section opens the Edit paper list dialog box, in which it is possible to disable the unused formats, enable additional ones or delete paper formats that belong to the custom formats list.

The dialog box contains the list of all available paper formats that can be included in the list.

CAD drawing Plot Preview 26

Options:

State

CAD drafting Plot Preview 27

Paper format belongs to the list of formats of the selected plot device.

 

CAD software Plot Preview 28

Paper format belongs to the list of custom formats nanoCAD.

 

CAD drawing Plot Preview 29

Format is included in the list.

 

CAD drafting Plot Preview 30

Format is deleted from the list.

Paper

Names of standard and custom paper formats.

Size

Sizes of standard and custom paper formats.

To edit the list of paper formats:

     

1.    Select the format in the dialog box.

2.    Select/clear the checkbox CAD software Plot Preview 31 in the State column or use the dialog buttons:

CAD drawing Plot Preview 32 Turn off paper
CAD drafting Plot Preview 33 Turn on paper
CAD software Plot Preview 34 Delete custom paper

note: Paper formats that belong to the current plot device and are marked with CAD drawing Plot Preview 35 cannot be deleted.

To edit the status or delete several formats at once use the multiple selection:

·         While holding down SHIFT key, select all formats located between the first and the last left click.

·         While holding down CTRL key, it is possible to add any format from the list by left click.

attention! Editing in the Paper formats list editor dialog box is synchronized with the Papers list of the Options dialog box (the Tools menu – Options). The custom formats are deleted simultaneously from all format lists.

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