Microsoft KB Archive/60000

Exporting ADI Binary Graphics from AutoCAD

PSS ID Number: Q60000 Article last modified on 11-23-1994

1.00 1.10 1.10a 2.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

This article contains instructions for exporting a drawing in a recognizable graphics format from Autodesk Corporation’s AutoCAD, through AutoCAD 386 Revision 11.

The Autodesk Device Interface (ADI) is a device-independent driver interface built into AutoCAD. The Microsoft Word for Windows graphics filter ADIMPORT.FLT is designed to read the ADI device driver’s binary output.

Note: This ADI plotter format is not the same as AutoCAD’s other drawing interchange formats: ASCII, Binary DXF, and DXB. The specifications and instructions for exporting this format are discussed on pages 126-129 of the AutoCAD 11 (pages 89-93 for AutoCAD 10) “Installation and Performance Guide.”

Steps to Configure for Export
AutoCAD allows you to configure one pen plotter and one printer plotter device at one time. If you have not previously done so, you need to configure the ADI plotter as follows:


 * 1) From the AutoCAD Main menu, choose option 5 (Configure AutoCAD).
 * 2) From the Configuration menu, choose option 5 (Configure Plotter).
 * 3) Specify “ADI Plotter.”
 * 4) Select Output Format option 1 (binary file).
 * 5) You can accept the default settings for the questions that follow, or you can consult your printer manual to optimize the plotter specifications for your output device. The plotter specification prompts and their default settings are included at the end of this article.

When you exit AutoCAD, be sure to respond yes (press Y) when asked whether or not you want to retain your configuration settings.

Steps to Export
After you have configured the AutoCAD ADI plotter interface, you can export the appropriate graphics in one of two ways:

  Plotting to a file can be initiated for existing drawing files (those saved on disk) from AutoCAD’s Main menu option 3 (Plot a drawing). You are prompted to specify a filename, and you should respond by including an ADI file extension (the default file extension is .PLT). Note: Word for Windows versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.1a expect by default an ADI file extension for AutoCAD ADI binary plot files. This can easily be accommodated by either renaming the file extensions for each ADI binary file or by changing the expected file extension in WIN.INI. Word for Windows 2.0 now expects a .PLT extension for these graphics by default.   Optionally, plotting to a file can be initiated for the currently viewed image by entering the PLOT command from the AutoCAD Drawing Editor. Again you are prompted to specify a filename, and as above, you should respond by including an .ADI file extension. 

Your AutoCAD image is now ready to be inserted into a Word for Windows document by using the Insert Picture command, assuming the graphics filter ADIMPORT.FLT has been properly installed.

More Information:

Support for AutoCAD is the sole responsibility of Autodesk Corporation. For more information, contact your nearest authorized AutoCAD dealer.

The additional prompts for plotter specifications referred to in plotter configuration step 5 above are as follows:

AutoCAD 10
“Does the plotter have multiple pens: ?”

If you answer yes:

“How many pens does it have, 2 to 127?”

“Does the plotter have multiple dashed line styles: ?”

If you answer yes:

“How many line styles are there, 2 to 127: ?”

“What is the numeric code for the fastest speed, 1 to 127: ?”

“Specify plot size in millimeters: ?”

“Maximum horizontal (X) plot size in inches: ? Plotter steps per inch in the horizontal (X) direction: ?”

“Maximum vertical (Y) plot size in inches: ?”Plotter steps per inch in the vertical direction: ?&quot;

AutoCAD 11
“Does the plotter have multiple pens: ?”

If you answer yes:

“How many pens does it have, 2 to 127: ?”

AutoCAD then asks for information on plotter-implemented line styles:

“Does the plotter have multiple dashed line styles: ?”

If you answer yes:

“How many line styles are there, 2 to 127: ?”

If the plotter provides multiple pen speeds, you must define them:

“Is the plotter variable speed: ?”

If you answer yes:

“What is the numeric code for the fastest speed, 1 to 127: ?”

Next you must specify the maximum plot size and plotter step size. You can give these parameters either in inches or millimeters.

“Next you will specify the maximum plot size the plotter can make, and the step size of the plotter. You may specify these either in millimeters or inches. The next questions select the units.”

“Specify plot size in millimeters: ?”

If you choose the default, no, the prompts that follow and their responses refer to inches; if you choose yes, the prompts and responses refer to millimeters. These examples assume you selected inches.

“Maximum horizontal (X) plot size in inches: ?” “Plotter steps per inch in the horizontal (X) direction: ?”

“Maximum vertical (Y) plot size in inches: ?” “Plotter steps per inch in the vertical (Y) direction: ?”

These parameters are real numbers, used to compute the plotter size in plotter steps. The calculated step count may not exceed 32767. If the specifications exceed the limit, the following message appears (after you specify the steps per inch):


 * Error: Plot size multiplied by steps per inch cannot exceed 32767. Specifications resulted in ?????

The step count you tried to configure replaces the question marks in the above prompt. After you see this error message, the pair of prompts for plot size and steps per unit reappears.

Once you have completed the driver-specific configuration, you perform the regular plotter configuration.

Reference(s):

“Installation and Performance Guide,” AutoCAD 11, Autodesk Inc., 1991

KBCategory: kbinterop KBSubCategory: Additional reference words: w4wprint 1.00 1.10 1.10a autocadd auto cad cadd grphflt ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.