plotting of long plots on Designjet 5000PS from AIX 4.3.3

[elmotec]

We have a Designjet 5000PS large format plotter. When I try to make long plots (about 7 meters) the plotter stops and cuts off the paper at 1330 mm. (The application we use is Catia V4).

I figgured out that the default Max XY=1330x900mm. This value can only be overuled by software (the driver). Problem is that there's no AIX driver for HP plotters, so you have to use the default HPGL2 or postscript driver.

how to fix this problem?

Is there someone how know how to send the lenght to the plotter before starting the plot (May be some PCL5 code)?

Hope someone can help me!

 

[victorv]

Hi,

- Using function PLOT\PLOTTING and PREVIEW (instead PRINT),
what do you see on preview window ? ALL or PART of draw ?

If you already see just a little more than 1 meter, the
problem is not plotter, but catia configuration.
In this case edit plot_cfg file related to your plotter:
( usually they are under /home/catadm/adm/pltcfg, but
to be sure enter catpath -l -A catia.plot_cfg )

Inside it look for keyword

*SIZE -1. 890.

try to change the values ( -1 stays for unlimited )

The problem is not the driver: draw just 1 line long 2m
the gl2 file, will be very little (just 1 command) but
the paper is a lot.

Catia and AIX does not need exact printer-driver to plot:
it is not autocad on windows ( or Catia V5 )
The driver may be useful if you want specify the #drum ,
the plotter qality (catia forces 100% quality).


Resuming: draw 1 line 3 m long, preview it:
If previews cuts, modify catia yourplot.plot_cfg file.
If not, see if there are plotter limits set on the plotter.

bye

 

[elmotec]

Victorv,

Thanks for your helpfull reply,

I can plot longer plots now (I also had to set the "paper size" to "inked area" in place of "software" in my plotter menu. But now the problem is, just as you mentioned, that catia forces 100% quality! That is not what I want (to slow). Can you tell me how to set the quality to draft?

thanks!

 

[victorv]

hi elmotec,

this is an hard task, but we don't like the easy ones !

In theory it is impossible change quality, but using a trick
we can.

Comment the print line in yourplot.plot_cfg
( qprt .... ) and from Catia make a little plot: in
your HOME dir you will get a catout.gl2 file.

If it is enough little you can edit it by vi, or use pg.

You can see something as :

%BPINAD1,5SP1PS8480,8480NP256LA1,1,2,5AC0,0QL100TR0MC0PC9,

and more, more, more ....

If you see Catia "cables" QL100 inside hpgl file, and don't
exist parameters in Catia to change it. We have to change it
after the file is created.

You have to build 2 programs or scripts :

1) An hpgl file is a stream of records each of one is a plot
instruction; these records are not separated by a linefeed
(hex 10) but simply by a ";" . For this vi tells you :
cannot open line excedeed 2040 chars : it sees just one line
long all file.

The first program/script has to substitute each ";"
with a LF

Make a script, call it "liner.ksh" and write in :

awk 'BEGIN {RS = ";" } {printf "%s;\n", $0} '

( just 1 row, chmod a+x it )


Get a little catout.gl2 and enter

prompt> cat catout.gl2 | liner.ksh

You can see your file splitted in lines
( cat catout.gl2 | liner.ksh > out
vi out )

2) the second task is to change QL100 in QL0

Make a script, call it changer.ksh an write in it:

sed 's/QL100/QL0/'

chmod it and enter

prompt> cat catout.gl2 | liner.ksh | changer.ksh

better

prompt> cat catout.gl2 | liner.ksh | changer.ksh > out

enq -P yourqueue out

You will see your plotter go very fast !.....

but ....

there is a problem. With long (normal) files (more than 2k)
this mechanism hangs: the fisrt script fails, becouse the
awk cannot manage lines longer than 2048 bytes.

I wrote a C program that avoids this problem, and if you
submit your e-mail, I can send it to you.

You will change your plot_cfg as:

cat $CATOUT | liner.ksh | changer.ksh > catout.fast
qprt -P lp0 catout.fast

bye

 

[elmotec]

Victor:
Thanks for your reply!
my temporary email: hh72736@elmo.nl Please send me the C program.

Elmotec.