How to Fine Tune DWF Creation when using AutoCAD and Vault

Autodesk Support

Feb 7, 2024

Products and versions covered

Issue:

You want to fine tune DWF creation settings for AutoCAD files in Vault Professional or Vault Workgroup.

These settings could include: 
  • Default sheet size.
  • Paper and model space settings.
  • Object lineweights.
  • Plot styles.
  • Paper Size.
  • Orientation.

Causes:

Visualization files created in the Vault are not meeting specifications.

Solution:

General configuration

These general settings are managed in Vault by opening the Vault client and selecting "Tools" -> "Administration" -> "Vault Settings" -> "Visualization Tab" -> "Publish Options" -> Choose "AutoCAD" or "AutoCAD Mechanical" from the drop-down list.

This offers some configuration options.
  
Common areas of interest here are plotting in monochrome, adjusting drawing limits and orientation to name just a few.
This article looks into modifying the DWF creation template in addition to these settings to achieve a more controlled DWF output.


User-added image
 
Note: In the previous image you will notice that some options are in bold. This indicates that the option is supported by Update View and Job Server.
 

Location of "Setup.dwg"/"ACM_setup.dwg"/"TrueViewSetup.dwg"

  • The drawing used for local DWF creation from AutoCAD/AutoCAD Mechanical is stored locally on each individual’s machine under their own profile in "C:\users\<user profile>\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20XX Vault AddIn\”.
    • This means that the file must be modified centrally and then deployed to each user’s machine – note that the file itself cannot be stored centrally. You may be able to create a startup script here to enforce that the file is copied to each user’s local profile on sign in.
  • This process may need to be repeated for “ACM_setup.dwg” depending on the type of AutoCAD files you are using ("Setup.dwg" is for native ACAD and "ACM_setup.dwg" for AutoCAD Mechanical).
  • If the DWF is created using the Job Processor or the "Update Locally" option from the Vault preview tab, DWG TrueView is used. Therefore, this is controlled by this file "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Vault [Edition] 20xx\Explorer\TrueViewSetup.dwg" on the local or Job Processor machine.
 

Modifying "Setup.dwg"/"ACM_setup.dwg"/"TrueViewSetup.dwg"

Modifying the setup drawing then is as simple as opening and changing the drawing extents and varying plot settings.
To access plot setting:
  1. Open one of the mentioned DWG files.
  2. Go to the AutoCAD icon.
  3. Select “Print” -> "Page Setup".
  4. Select the "*AutoloaderModelsetup*" setup and choose "Modify". 
The typical things to look out for are the paper size, whether you are plotting layout, extents, etc. This may be important if you are plotting from model space only.
 
 User-added image
  • You can then opt for scaling and plot location. Note for best viewing it is advisable to “fit to page”; however, if you are intending to plot to scale this will result in inconsistent outputs.
  • If DWF lineweights are incorrect, clear the option on the right to 'Plot object lineweights'.
  • Using the "Plot with plot styles" option, you can set the color and sheet orientation settings.
  • For the changes to take effect, you will need to restart the Vault client.

How to generate visualization files that match the AutoCAD files size and orientation

To generate DWF/DWFx files through Vault, two requirements need to be met:
  • The Page Setup of the AutoCAD drawing must be correct.
  • The option "Use Page Settings From User Dwg" needs to be enabled in the Publish Options for AutoCAD Common.
image.png
 

Products:

Vault Professional; Vault Workgroup;

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