I have a drawing which does not plot correctly. I am using a client-provided design script which "drops" elements to make them look like they are screened. The design script basically searches for elements by level and if the elements are within a certain range (for instance, between level 2 to 9), the design script is supposed to change the linestyle of these elements to a dashed linestyle, which creates the effect of screening back the element. This is kind of a strange way to screen back elements, but that's the way the client does it, so we must comply.
Anyway, my drawing is exhibiting strange behavior, and is screening back selected random elements that shouldn't be screened, and basically screwing up my drawing. I managed to somehow pin down the problem to a single cell in the drawing. If I delete the cell, everything is great. If I re-insert the cell, again, all is good. I have concluded that something was wrong with that cell. So, good riddance, delete the cell, put in a new one, and all is good.
However, this happened again, weeks later, on another drawing. Only this time, it was a line, not a cell. Different symbology, same problem.
Now I'm worried. Especially because it takes me a full day to narrow down all the elements in all the reference files, to find the culprit. I don't have time to do this. I just can't understand how two apparently identical elements can exist in a drawing, right next to each other - one causes the file to print incorrectly, and the other does not. All I have to do is delete the "bad" element, and everything else in the plot is good! What could cause a single cell to mess up everything else? It sounds like cancer, doesn't it? I would be more than happy to share my design file and design script with anyone who cares to explore.
Thanks!
Evert,
I uploaded the files following the instructions I found for the Secure File Upload. I'm not sure if they will show up on this post or if you need to go searching for them somewhere else. Please send me an email if you are not seeing the files.
I sent the actual MicroStation DGN file with the rouge cell placed outside of the sheet limits. If you print using the design script I provided, you will get a good print. However, if you place the rouge cell anywhere within the sheet limits and print again, you will notice that some of the lines show up as dashed lines.
I provided a marked-up PDF of the good and bad plots to help you identify some of the lines that are getting messed up. I also provided the cell library where the rouge cell came from. Note that the level and color of the cell is different, but I don't think that this is causing the problem, because I can place a new cell and change the color and level and I don't have any issues when I plot.
I don't know much about the history of the drawing, but I wouldn't be surprised if there has been some conversions between Autocad and Microstation. Too many people have worked on this project and I cannot tell for sure who has done what to it.
I hope you can assist. I am getting frustrated users who keep telling me that they would prefer to use AutoCAD, and I am trying really hard to convince them not to do so, but this strange behavior is not helping me.
Thanks,
Chris