Printouts affected by drawing size...

Jim Canale

I was wondering if anyone here has experienced this wierd problem... 
  
I created a drawing with at least six 3D models.  Then I made 2D views of the models, and placed them in model space, where I find it easier to add dimensions.    I tried to print out one of the 2D views, and the object's lines (red) were very faint.  The dimension text was pixelated, and the dimension arrowheads were open, instead of solid, as selected in the dimension style.

I rebooted the application, switched from V15.3.05 to V14.2.17, and rebooted windows.  No effect on the printout.  Finally I noticed that the drawing was 4.7MB.   I made a copy and deleted everything except one 3D model and the corresponding 2D views.  This reduced the drawing to 109KB.    Now the 2D views print great, with dark red lines, solid text, and filled arrowheads.   Sounds like a memory problem to me.

I have submitted an SR on this.  I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this.     I can't upload the original drawing as it contains too much proprietary information.  Here are screenshots of the print  previews....

Roy Klein Gebbinck

I am inclined to think that in the first instance you were accidentally printing a rendered view/viewport.

Regarding the file size: I am not surprised that a drawing with many ViewBase views increases in size. The 2D information in the views is stored separately. What may help is to reopen and save the drawing as this will get rid of any anonymous block definitions created by the ViewBase command that are no longer in use.

Jim Canale

Roy,

Thanks for your response.  Not accidentally printing a rendered view.  This is a repeatable problem.   The original drawing (4.7M of stuff) prints bad, and the minimized (109K) drawing prints correctly.  And incidentally, when I transfer my views to model space, I delete all the viewbase views in the layouts.    I have also purged everything I could possibly purge.   I wish I could forward both drawings to you, but I can't release them.  

Scott McKenzie

Check to see if the view port is displaying a view that is not rotated - in an unlocked viewport run the Plan command, when prompted enter Current and see if that makes a change.

Can you remove your proprietary information from the file and create a couple of generic solids for us to test and play with?

Jim Canale

Thanks Scott.  Bummer! The file is no longer exhibiting the problem, so I can't determine if PLAN would fix it.  

Roy Klein Gebbinck

@ Jim:
Untested scenario:
Does the original dwg contain assemblies and have you perhaps changed the visual style of a sub-element in one of the assemblies?

Jim Canale

Roy,

Thanks again.  

No assemblies, unless having more than one 3D object in a drawing constitutes an assembly.  Doesn't an assembly  require that I "initialize the mechanical structure".  (I don't know what that means.  I have never done anything with assemblies.)  

From time to time when working with 3D models, I've changed from Realistic to Gouraud rendering.  But I have never changed a visual style while in a 2D workspace.   

Unfortunately, I can no longer replicate the problem.  I shouldn't waste any more of your time until I can.