Creating JPEG and PNG files from AutoCAD drawings

Ellen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:12:54 +0000

Many people need to export image files from AutoCAD to put into reports or other documents.

Did you know that you can save a drawing in JPEG and PNG format for display on the Web? Use the JPGOUT or PNGOUT command. You can also create JPEGs using the Publish to Web feature.

For older releases, use the following method. (Thanks to Shaan Hurley of Autodesk for bringing this technique to my attention.) In short, you use one of the raster devices provided with AutoCAD and create a PC3 file for it in the Add-A-Plotter Wizard. Then you plot to a file. Here are the steps in detail to create the PC3 file:

Open the drawing you want to save.
Choose File > Plotter Manager to open the Plotters folder.
Double-click the Add-A-Plotter Wizard icon.
Introduction page: click Next.
Begin page: choose the option you use for your regular AutoCAD plotting (My Computer or Network Plotter Server). Click Next.
Plotter Model page: under Manufacturers, scroll down and choose Raster File Formats. Under Models choose the format you want to save to: JPEG or PNG are suitable for the Web. Click Next.
Import PCP or PC2 page: click Next.
Ports page: AutoCAD automatically sets you to plot to a file, which is what you want.
Plotter Name page: shorten the name, for goodness’ sake to JPEG or PNG. Click Next.
Finish page: Click Edit Plotter Configuration if you want to change the default resolution (click Media) or background color (click Custom). (You can change the resolution when you plot.) Unfortunately, you can’t create a transparent background. Click OK to close the Plotter Configuration Editor.
Click Finish to close the Wizard.

Now you’re all set up. Here are the steps to create the file:

With the drawing open, click Plot on the Standard toolbar.
On the Plot Device tab, choose your new PC3 file from the Plotter Configuration drop-down list. (You might get a warning about the paper size, which you can ignore, because you’re plotting to a file.) In the Plot to File section, make any desired changes to the file name and location.
On the Plot Settings tab, you can play around with the settings. I had the best luck with Scaled to Fit. Try a Full Preview to be sure. You can change the resolution (in pixels) and the Plot Area.
Click OK and you’re done!

In my experience, it wasn’t easy to get good results when importing to my website. Remember that, unlike the DWF format, the JPG format cannot be zoomed and is not a vector format. I usually take a screen capture, which I describe below.

Chris Panas, Transportation Engineering Technician in Spokane County, responded with the following tip. He writes,

“I use a similar method, that is, I plot to a file, but in fact I create an Encapsulated PostScript print in my Add a Plotter wizard. After plotting to an .eps file, I then distill the PostScript file using Acrobat Distiller; it is then a PDF file. This is the method my agency uses to make drawings available for the public to view. It has several benefits in that Acrobat Reader is available for free and the text and linework is much higher quality that when exporting to a bitmap, jpeg, or wmf. I have also experienced a greater degree of control by plotting to a window tight around the objects. If you can try this method, I think you will be pleased. The only needed after the distillation takes place is to open the PDF file using Acrobat Writer. Rotate it to the desired view, and save again.”

Thanks for the tip, Chris.

Paul Burgener mentioned that you can also use screen capture software to create JPEG files from AutoCAD drawings. He uses Capture Express ($15 shareware) from www.captureexpress.com. When I write my books, I use SnagIt from www.techsmith.com to create the screenshots. Joe Mapes uses a simpler method: he presses the print screen button on the keyboard, opens his graphics program (he uses LView Pro), and presses Ctrl+V to paste the screen shot. Then he crops the image and saves in JPEG format. Windows Vista and 7 include a free screen-capture program, Snipping Tool.

Remember that you can output to PDF format using the EXPORTPDF or PUBLISH command.

A subscriber just brought to my attention another way to create JPEG files. After reading that tip, he said:

“One of the best methods that I have found so far is printing the AutoCAD file to a PDF file using the FREE Primo PDF virtual printer software (http://www.primopdf.com/index.aspx). Once the AutoCAD file is in PDF format you can then open and edit it in the FREE Gimp photo editing software (http://www.gimp.org/), which allows for the importation and editing of PDF files without having to have a full version of Adobe. Once you have the PDF in Gimp, and have made any changes you might desire to make, do a “Save As” to one of several image file types. In my testing I used the .jpg format. Gimp will tell you that you need to export the file to that file type, and gives you an option to change the resolution of the export. I used 100% and my .jpg looks much better than any of the results from the methods I have tried thus far.”

How do you create good-looking images from AutoCAD drawings? Click the comment link to let others know.

Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later

Ellen — Wed, 06 Sep 2000 14:53:27 +0000

In this tutorial, I’ll explain the steps for creating a new toolbar using the Customize User Interface dialog box. This dialog box is new for 2006 and the method of customizing toolbars, menus, etc. is very different from previous releases.

Choose Tools>Customize>Interface, or type cui on the command line.
Click the drop-down list at the top of the Customize User Interface dialog box and choose custom.cui. This is a partial customization file and lets you create a toolbar without fiddling with your main menu file.

Right-click the Toolbars item in the main panel of the dialog box and choose New>Toolbar.

The new toolbar, named Toolbar1, appears under the Toolbars item. It is selected, so immediately rename it.

To see the toolbar in the drawing area, click Apply. It’s very small, because it doesn’t have any buttons yet.
The easiest way to add a button is to drag a command from the Command List panel at the bottom-left section of the dialog box. However, the AutoCAD commands don’t all appear because you are now working with the Custom partial customization file. From the drop-down list at the top of the dialog box, choose All Customization Files.
Unfortunately, this collapses the new toolbar that you created on the list. To find it again in the top pane, double-click Partial CUI Files, then double-click CUSTOM, then double-click Toolbars. You should now see your new toolbar.`
From the Categories drop-down list in the Commands List pane, make sure that All Commands is chosen.
Scroll down to a command that you want to add (they’re alphabetical) and click it. Tip: You can type the first letter of the command to jump to the first command starting with that letter.
Drag the command up to your toolbar, until you see a small left arrow pointing to your toolbar. Then release the mouse button. This adds the command to your toolbar.

Continue to drag commands. You can drag them above or below the first button.
You can create your own button if the command you want to use doesn’t have one. For example, the ALIGN doesn’t have a toolbar button. To create a button, select the command in the upper pane of the dialog box. Then click the Edit button in the Button Image section.

Use the Button Editor to edit an existing button or create one from scratch. To edit an existing button, click one of the buttons in the Button Image section. Use the tools at the top and pick a color along the side to draw. Use the Eraser tool to erase.
When you’re done, click Save As and save the button as a BMP file. Remember the location! Click Close to exit the Button Editor. Here’s my ALIGN button.

To assign the image to the button, click the Small Image item in the Properties pane. Click the Ellipsis button and browse to your BMP file.
To create a new, custom command, click the New button in the Command List section.
In the Properties section, complete the command name, a description, and the menu macro. Choose an image or create one in the Button Editor.
You’ll see the new command on the Command List. Drag it to your toolbar.
Click Apply to see the toolbar. You may need to move the dialog box. If you like it, click Close. Otherwise, make any desired adjustments. Here’s my final toolbar, enlarged. It contains buttons for the EXTRUDE, REGION, and ALIGN commands and a custom command that uses the ROTATE3D command to rotate the selected object around the X axis.

AutoCAD Tips Blog » JPG

Creating JPEG and PNG files from AutoCAD drawings

Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later