Processing Order - In this example (using entity
colors - note: by layer is also available), the output is handled
so that entities drawn in the color red are processed first, then
those drawn in blue (color #7) are second and so forth. The order
in which the colors are drawn can be easily changed by clicking the
"Process Order" button (lower left of table). This brings up a small
dialog with a list box in which you can drag the rows into a different
order.
Essentially you should think of each row in the same
manner you think of printing one color after (on top of) another when
screen printing. When preparing an AutoCad drawing for use in this
manner you should think of the AutoCad color numbers as representing
back-to-front images for processing.
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In this
example in the exploded view on the left the rectangle is drawn
in red, the ellipse in yellow and the text in blue. In AutoScript
we set up a processing order in which red entities processed first,
then yellow entities and finally blue entities. This produces
the result to the right.
Please note: For this
example, we used the same colors for output as the colors in which
the entities are drawn. For example entities in red we filled
with red. However, entities can be assigned totally different
output colors by AutoScript. We could just as easily have created
a gradient purple to azure color and filled the same red entities
with that color. |
We used the term "process rows" for what other programs
might call a "layer," to represent bottom-to-top (or back-to-front)
order of processing for portions of a full image (i.e. PhotoShop,
Illustrator). The reason we did not use "layer" as our term was to
avoid confusion with AutoCad's use of the term "layer." In AutoCad
layers are not used to control order of processing. In AutoCad layers
are arbitrary (usually descriptive names) used to group object categories
within images. For example a drawing of a house might have the layer
"PLUMBING" used to show plumbing pipes, sinks, toilets, etc. The layer
"ELECTRIC" might show wiring, junction boxes. etc.
File - This column controls which rows will be
put together to produce output files Files are designated as "A" or
"B" or "C" and so forth to "Z" at max.
Each set of rows designated as a file produces a printing
plate. You also have an option in the print dialog to send out each
row as a separate file.
Line width - Lines for entities in this row will
be drawn to the width specified in the line width column. This setting
defaults to an absolute width (that is the width is set for output
on paper) or a world (scaled) width so that the size of the output
proportionaly affects the width of the line. When polylines are given
a width in the drawing that is the width assigned to that particular
polyline. This includes polylines with varying widths.
Default Color - This is the color used for the
entity-color assignments unless changed by the user. To change a color
assignment you simply click on the pull-down list box in the upper
left and select one of the currently available colors. You can also
highlight a range of cells and change the colors for that entire range
of cells.
EntityName Stroke (Outline)
- This allows you to set a line-draw color for the named entity separately
from any fill color. In the case in which you might choose a gradient
color the first color in the gradient is used for the line color.
EntityName Fill (Solid)
- This allows you to set a color with which to fill an entity (separately
from any line-draw color). These can be any of the colors defined
as part of the drawing configuration file. In the case of PSFills
or Solid Color Fills set in AutoCad these will be recognized as the
drawing processes and will be substituted for any setting here. The
reasoning is that if you specified, in AutoCad, a certain fill color
then that color definition should take precedence (just like the polyline
linewidth setting).
Line Control button - This brings up a separate
dialog which floats over the table view which allows you to make row-by-row
exceptions to the overall (global) line-control
settings.
Edit Colors button - This allows you to edit
and / or create color definitions.
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